OK, so that might not be completely true. I did learn how to operate the online system for lining up substitute teaching positions. And I learned that, as a sub, I am not supposed to take up a child's cell phone, even if they are texting/talking on it in class. (What the???)
They began the training seminar with a video. It is sappy video about a problem child whose life was turned around by his teacher. At the end of the video, the now grown child thanks his teacher for changing his life, and the teacher says - you guessed it - "No. Thank you for changing my life." There were people in the room crying. Seriously.
The point of this schmaltz-fest, according to the instructor, was to impress upon us the importance of our jobs, imparting the knowledge that a substitute teacher has the power to change lives.
Except the video wasn't about a substitute teacher, it was about a teacher who spent time with the child every day. But we weren't supposed to focus on that, apparently.
The girl sitting next to me didn't have a college degree. The woman behind me, during a group exercise, spelled the word "asks" with an E...askes...TWICE. The woman at the table in front of me spoke - literally - NO English. The leader of the seminar spent a great deal of time telling us things like, "Make sure you wear deodorant," and "Ladies, don't wear shirts that reveal your midriff." She pronounced the word "escalate" like it had a U in it - "esculate." We spent a long time discussing bathroom breaks.
Isn't it exciting to know we have the power to change lives?
Friday, November 21, 2008
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3 comments:
A sub once changed my life.
Quiznos is awesome.
I hope it winds up being something you enjoy!
Wow, your orientation was nothing like mine. They didn't give us the inspirational business. And we are supposed to take away cell phones and iPods, although I find a well-placed "I don't see any phones for the next 10 seconds, but if I do after that, then I have to take them away." Usually they have busy work to do, so I let them listen to iPods as long as they do the work and I can't hear their music. One less battle to fight.
Personally, I think the word "teacher" should be taken out of the job title. There's no teaching (or changing of lives). Most days fall somewhere on the continuum between babysitting and crowd control.
@ Aaron: Seriously. Where were we before Quiznos introduced the toasted sub? Life-changing indeed.
@ superfantastic: I was assuming that I was signing up for crowd control when I applied for this gig. The inspirational stuff almost made me lose my lunch.
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