It's unclear if it was George Bernard Shaw or Woody Allen who lent fame to the saying "Those who can, do; those who can't , teach." All I know is that it is untrue. I substituted twice this past week for elementary school teachers and found that teaching in the public schools is a skill in its own right. I don't know why I thought this would be easy money.
Teaching is hard work. I had over 25 students in each of the classes I substituted and the third grade had a huge amount of work that we had to go through. Very few kids were able to complete all the assignments. When I taught the first graders there was less work to do, but it was still a challenge keeping them on task all day. Don't get me wrong-the kids were great and I loved them. In fact, I felt bad not being able to spend the time with them individually as we worked through material. Some of them just needed some personal attention and they would flourish, but there is simply no time for individual attention. Also, when one child gets that attention there are suddenly five more standing there looking for that their time.
I was driving to school Friday when I started thinking about how much money I was making. I had to be at school at 8 and, although class was over at 3:40, after cleaning the room and writing a note to the teacher I wouldn't get out of there until 4. OK, that's 8 hours and I am paid $80 for a day of subbing. You do the math. It's just not fair and I know regular teachers don't make scads more than I am for subbing. This is not easy money and subs don't even get the perks of seeing kids achieve since you're only there for a day.
My appreciation for teachers has increased exponentially, along with my regret for all the subs I tormented. I know that God is using this experience and I am learning. I'm ready to get back to the parish, though.
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