How Substitute Teaching Changed Me
The truth, straight from the substitute’s mouth.
I come from a long line of educators. There is exactly one person in my extended family who is not a teacher: one of my grandpas drills wells for a living — yes, like water wells — and makes a pretty penny serving the agrarian area where my family lives. By the time I was old enough to be cognizant of career choices, the great-grandparents, of which one set included a farmer and the other included a dental hygienist, were all retired, meaning everyone who still went to work was in some aspect of education. As a child, I couldn’t fully comprehend what it meant to work a job outside of the education world — children whose parents were doctors, lawyers, restaurant workers, absolutely fascinated me. And while I didn’t know much about the realities of working outside the education industry, I knew for sure that I had no interest in working inside it.
My staunch assertion that I would not and could not possibly become a teacher or an administrator sparked some lively family chats. I’ve always been more artistic than realistic… I didn’t grow up as one of those lucky kids who just knows from the moment they can talk what their calling is. Most of my friends knew exactly what they wanted to do and mapped plans to get there at an early age. To some degree, I can say I’ve always wanted to…
