I Spent a Week as a Teacher in a Special Education Classroom
At age 66, everything looks different
The king of malaprops, Yogi Berra, once said: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” In June of 2023, I shut my classroom door for the last time and entered the world of retirement. I knew I would continue to work part-time, but I knew I would never work in a classroom again. I had my fill.
Or so I thought.
About a month ago, just for fun, I thought I would investigate the world of substitute teaching. I had taught for 36 years before I retired, and not once was I ever a substitute. I had worked with subs many times, but I had never been one. I began teaching shortly after graduating from college in 1987 and never looked back.
It didn’t take me long to find that most schools where I live get substitutes through one of several companies that recruit substitute teachers. This relieves the individual districts and schools from having to find their own subs. All they have to do is notify the company of their needs and the company contacts their subs to see who is available and willing to take the assignment.
I also noticed the pay was significantly higher than I remembered. After doing the math, I realized I could make as much money substituting five or six days a month as I did working my…
