Over the years,
I have worked in many of the district schools. When I started as new teacher I
was seldom called, and when called it was usually to undesirable schools that were
probably rejected by others, higher on the list. Assigned to work at the 6-12
grades, I was mostly called to middle schools.
Now that I
am higher on the list I can choose and pick, and leave for the new people my
rejects… sorry! Interestingly enough, there is a lot of agreement among
substitute teachers which are the desirable schools, and which are not...
When choosing
to work at a school, the top criterion is whether it is a high school. Middle
schools’ days are exhausting, and discipline is almost impossible. To make
things worse, many of them don’t have a full time dean, and count on
over-worked teachers and over-loaded counselors to do the job. I have seen
schools turn around after hiring a dean, or turning the other way when
elimination this position.
Another
criterion is the main office staff. Main office is the face of the school. No
matter how good school’s reputation is, a lemony office manager, and unsmiling
clerical personnel, make it an unappealing work place. Angry, mean, or even
just sour faces are not a pretty sight first thing in the morning… Often I
choose a bad school with nice office employees over a good one, with lemony personnel...
Another
criterion is the bell schedule. Schools that cater block scheduling make
substitute teachers’ day unbearable; students have very little patience after
forty minutes and start acting out. Schools that don’t have a descent nutrition
break, with enough time for restroom and a cup of coffee, are inconsiderate to
their teachers!
Of course,
we all have our own preferences. I am uncomfortable working at a school that
has no gate or one that is wide open... I don’t like messy classrooms, dirty bathrooms
or littered hall ways. I don’t like classrooms full of aides that do nothing
but texting, or ones that feel they should run the class for me (unless the
teacher instructed so). I don’t like nonexistent lesson plan, or one that does
not commit students to a concrete activity, to be handed over at the end of the
class…
Higher on my
criterion list, though, is the existence of staff cafeteria. Cafeteria, for me,
is the place to relax for a short time between classes, to be served for few
minutes. It is not only the cup of coffee, or lunch, it is having comfort
food during a hard day… Schools that adult cafeteria is not high on their priority
list, are very low on my priority list. I deem them negligent of their most
important resource, the teachers, and it often reflects on schools’ atmosphere…
