That being said, I am subbing with both the local Catholic schools and the local public schools, and here's what I've discovered:
1) I enjoy the variety that comes with subbing. True, I don't get to utilize my degree as often as I would like, and I do sometimes have to step outside of my comfort zone, like the time I subbed P.E. at one of the high schools, but I enjoy finding new ways to utilize my other talents outside of writing.
2) I enjoy the flexible schedule. As a sub, I'm technically a free agent. If I need a day to work on something else, like finishing up a paper for my Masters, or if I need to see the doctor, I can schedule a non-work day.
3) The principal and the regular teachers always have my back when I'm working with a difficult student, or 10.
This last item came in handy the other day when I was subbing a second grade class at the elementary school up the road, so close that I walk to assignments there when the weather is nice. I had recess duty, and two girls claimed to have injured their ankles. They were faking, and I knew immediately, so I told them to walk it off. How did I know?
1) They both sustained their injuries at the exact same time.
2) One had an over-exaggerated limp that you really only see in a severe enough injury that there's swelling fairly quickly.
3) The other was doing cartwheels within minutes.
4) Both were walking normally when they thought I wasn't looking.
I expressed my suspicions to the music teacher when I delivered them to her immediately after recess. She said that she knew the two girls in question quite well, and that my suspicions were most likely correct. When I picked the kiddos up from P.E., these two girls were mysteriously all better. I suspect that either the music teacher or the P.E. teacher called them both on it and chewed them out.
The principal then thanked me for coming on such short notice and for handling things so well. :)
