On Love, Hate, and Subbing.

So I've been thinking about writing an angry post about this school I've been subbing in. I was going to even tell you which school until I heard that one substitute who had been working in the district for more than 20 years was fired because of her troubles with the students (The kids hate her...they call her Mrs. A**licker). Monday I subbed in this school and I had one period of hall duty. Generally, you can tell where you are supposed to be for your hall duties because there will be a chair in the general location of where you were told to go. On Monday, however, there was no such chair. I looked all around, and then just assumed where I should probably be, and leaned against a wall, reading my book. Hall duty is pretty easy, except when there are kids running around, and you try to clotheshanger them, and no one offers any help when you tell them that such and such a girl has just been wandering around all period. Wait, what is my purpose standing here in the hall? What am I doing? Wasting time? Alright. Being an inexpensive security camera? This is probably closest to it. One teacher walked by and stopped to address the fact that I was standing. "Oh, crap," she said, "I forgot that we aren't allowed to sit anymore. I wouldn't have worn these boots!" During lunch, I started talking to another teacher about how maybe it's best that we aren't allowed to sit, it forces us to be more fit or something (see: my new year's resolution). He agreed and told me that he generally just walks around anyway, "patrolling." At this point another teacher came in and joined the conversation. She basically said that it was a ridiculous thing, that one of the principals had declared that there would be no chairs in the hallway and had them removed. This principal merely told everyone that they weren't allowed to sit anymore, without issuing a written memo. This other teacher told me to just grab a chair from a nearby classroom, that it isn't a fair burden (another duty one might have is a Study Hall, in which you are allowed to sit), that the union is fighting it.

So that was Monday.

Tuesday I'm in this school again, but in for a different teacher. My Hall Duty is right outside the classroom I'm subbing in, and I pulled a chair out and sat in it. The hall monitor stood next to me, chatting. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the principals (the one that had not sent out a written memo) looking at me from the second floor interior window (this school is full of bad architectural decisions). With walkie-talkie to mouth, this principal walkied the security guard next to me and demanded for the removal of the chair. You know, the one I was sitting on.

It was about this time that another teacher (whose duty was also that period in that location ...overkill) came by and told me all about the fired sub, and the principal who is not a force to be reckoned with. Good thing I didn't have to learn *that* the hard way.

Ok, so today is Wednesday, and I was supposed to sub in this school again today. And if the fact that 1. blogger is blocked at this school, 2. this school gets out after 3 and 3. I'm typing this at 2pm isn't any indication of what happened, let me spell it out.

Today I woke up at 11.
I drew a deep breath and picked up my phone.
1800 GOOG411.
****** ******* School, ********, NY.
"Connecting"

The secretary that I talk to all the time answers, and I quickly explain that I don't know what happened, and I am so sorry, and if they still want me to come in .... yadda yadda.

She was surprisingly nice about it. She said they were surprised, because they know me and know I'm dependable. She said they had it covered from within. She said she was just jealous that I had only then woken up. She asked if I was available Thursday and Friday.


Verdict?

I both love and hate that school.

Goog411 is totally worth not paying whatever it costs to dial normal 411.

I need to get more sleep. I try to do too much, and too much never includes sleeping.