Are you aware that your actions as a substitute teacher, no matter how insignificant they might seem, could have a profound impact on your reputation and career? It's time to unveil the significance of reputation in the world of substitute teaching and the surprising role school secretaries play in it. We take you behind the scenes to reveal how your decisions, from choosing which school to work in, to the manner in which you cancel a job, affect your standing within the school's ecosystem.
Are you aware that your actions as a substitute teacher, no matter how insignificant they might seem, could have a profound impact on your reputation and career? It's time to unveil the significance of reputation in the world of substitute teaching and the surprising role school secretaries play in it. We take you behind the scenes to reveal how your decisions, from choosing which school to work in, to the manner in which you cancel a job, affect your standing within the school's ecosystem.
Greg Collins substitute teacher's lounge, october 17th 2023. Went into substitute teach one morning this week and the lady asked me if I was available tomorrow and I was. And she said well, I want you to teach for this teacher. And as she was looking at her computer, she said oh, wait a minute. And then she told me something that surprised me a little bit, that she knew about me that I didn't realize. So we're going to talk about what schools know about substitute teachers today. All right, by the way, I want to thank you because each of the last two episodes is going to finish in the top five episodes of 2023. Probably you know, I always like to compare the first week that's when you get your initial first punch of listens on a podcast and each of the last two weeks is right now tied for the top of the year. So I appreciate that we're going to review some things real quickly, to kind of set up today, because, as I mentioned in the opening, the secretary told me something as I checked in that kind of caught me by surprise.
Speaker 1:I guess I should have figured that this was the case, but, if you'll remember, we've talked about two things, I guess. First of all, there have been episodes about leverage and how to use your leverage and basically the point was once you get your reputation, once you get called back by teachers that enjoy having you there, because maybe the students enjoy having you there Well, you've got a little leverage. Then, for instance, I substitute teach at six different schools. I have been called by all six of those schools to substitute teach, contacted, I should say. Nobody calls anymore, but I've been contacted by all of those schools. Right now I'm concentrating on the school that I coach volleyball at, because it's just more convenient. I'm there for practice. I don't have to worry about driving from somebody else, getting out of one school parking lot and getting in the other before everybody's gone, all that kind of stuff. So that's why I'm concentrating. Three weeks from now that will be over, because the season will be over and I'll be branching out in other directions. By the way, I know some of the volleyball players listen to this. So I wanna thank the seniors. It was senior night earlier this week and they said a lot of nice things about me and I appreciate that. I think a lot of them because I started teaching them in the seventh grade, as I had mentioned before. So I won't say anything else about it. All right, so leverage we can use our leverage.
Speaker 1:I would say probably the best way to use it is, if you've got a choice of schools, choose your favorite school. One thing that I do do if I have chosen a job at random, it doesn't bother me at all to cancel that job, if, in fact, I am contacted by somebody directly a teacher that really wants me. Because my mindset is if the teacher really wants me to teach there, I would rather do that for him or her, especially if I've taught before and I enjoy it and I know the students. I would rather do that than this random class that I picked up, that I don't know what I'm walking into, so it kinda sets up today, so I would rather teach it my favorite class than a class I didn't know anything about. That will lead to something here in just a moment. I've also talked to you about, on the flip side, how you find out about the teacher You're subbing for. Go to the school website, try to find out their subject and grade there. Go to Facebook don't do anything illegal, obviously but if they've chosen to list their information publicly, search for them, see if you can find out what grade they teach. Don't look at their pictures. That's not well with there, but I guess they're public too, but I would go to a Facebook page to find out something about the teacher I'm teaching for Now.
Speaker 1:With all that in mind, as I was walking, we're gonna talk about several ways that the schools know, things about you and things I've heard and things that just happened to me. Let's start with the one I talked about in the opening. So I walked in that morning and the teacher said just what I told you. She said can you come in tomorrow? And she said oh wait, I see that you have canceled that teacher before, and then I'll tell you my response here in just a moment. So my first response was wow. You know, I knew they would know when I turned a job back in. What I didn't know is that several weeks later it was still easy for them to look at there. I guess they're looking at their side of frontline. You know we see it on the substitute side. They see it on the absent teacher side. And she looked at that teacher and I don't. I didn't see her screen, but apparently she just looked at that teacher, or maybe she was looking at the openings for tomorrow, clicked on the teacher, but regardless, there was some way, something that she was looking at that told her oops, mr Collins has actually canceled on that teacher before you know, and I'm sure in her mind she was thinking he must have changed his mind when he saw what this class was. Okay, so, and then I'll tell you my response to her. What that means, then, is that schools, if they take the time now, this secretary is very good, very thorough. Maybe this is one of the few secretaries that's even aware that she could do that. She's in charge of the substitutes, but she could find that out.
Speaker 1:Now, one thing it meant to me. You know, I never thought about canceling jobs. It never bothered me. Because two reasons it didn't bother me. I always check. I'm conchy inches enough to check about an hour after I cancel the job to see if somebody else has picked it up, and if they have, I'm not too worried about it. Now, in this case, when I've canceled it in fact, this week I've had a little sickness. This week I had anticipated substituting every day of the week, or at least four days, and it ended up not working out because I didn't want to take my crud into the school, I would cancel the day before I would look and see if that job was picked up. Now, in this case the job was picked up but there was probably four other openings at that school for a substitute teacher. So I know they would have loved to have me and any other substitute in the building that day. So I did feel a little bit bad about that.
Speaker 1:At the same time I didn't want to risk making students sick and I was kind of in a quote quote, I'm quoting myself weekend condition and I just knew that the reason. I knew we had volleyball practice on Monday and I'm thinking, man, I feel much more worn out than I usually do. I could sure could use a rest. Then I went all day Tuesday, all day Wednesday, because between school and volleyball in the evening games that took me from about seven o'clock all the way till nine to 10 o'clock in the evening. So that's hard on an old man, especially an old man, that's not feeling good. So I canceled some jobs that week.
Speaker 1:Well, obviously now, given what I know, I would still cancel the jobs. But I have to be conscience conscious that not only do the schools know that I've turned in a job. They know exactly the teachers that I've turned them in for. Now I told her this. I said well, I would never cancel a job based on the class or the teacher. And that is correct, sort of. I mean, I would never wait a long time and cancel a job. Sometimes, as I've told you, I will accept a job quickly and then if I realize it's not really me, I would cancel it right away, and I guess they would see that too. So I guess in a way I do do that, but not from a malicious standpoint, not like I didn't like the teacher.
Speaker 1:So when she told me that she said well, I told her. I said well, I would not have canceled a job against the teacher, I would not have anything against the teacher. I said if I cancel a job it was a personal decision because of something came up, and that's true. So but my point is they know about substitute teachers, they know it down to that detail. So you need to analyze yourself. If you don't really want to give the impression that you're canceling jobs because you don't like the teacher. Well, that's something you need to consider because they can, if they want to, easily see that you've canceled maybe the same teacher a few times. Maybe even something's happened.
Speaker 1:You know, it's funny. I've got a substitute teaching job coming up this week the day after my school plays another school in the area for the district championship. I am at the other school so I'm trying to think. I wonder what kind of conversations are going to come up the day after me being in the building the day after. Hopefully the other team has lost and we have won. So it's kind of. It kind of makes me feel a little bit funny, but that's okay, I'll get over it.
Speaker 1:So that's one thing that the schools know. They know everything about you that's in front line. They know what cancellations you have done. I'm going to try to do some research because you know we enter other things in there. We enter what schools we don't like, we enter various different things. I wonder if they can see all that now too. Now, on the flip side, real quickly, I've told you in the past how I will research teachers and find out about them, and I mentioned that earlier in the episode. But keep in mind this if the school really wanted to, they could research you too. I'm assuming and I don't know this. Maybe I'll try to find out, do some research. I'm assuming that if they know that you cancel one of their jobs, I'm going to guess that the school system has a way for them to get to how many cancellations you've had Now. I've cancelled a bunch in the last two weeks because of my sickness. Well, perhaps they can get in there and see. Well, my goodness, this substitute teacher has cancelled jobs 12 times this year. Maybe we don't want to be left hanging in the morning. Maybe I need to just cancel that sub so that that job repost and somebody else picks it up.
Speaker 1:That's one thing to think about, and since I know how to research a teacher and find out things about them, if the school would want to take a time they could find out about you. Think about it. Maybe they could go to Facebook. Maybe there's a secretary or a person in charge of substitute teachers who is conscientious enough she doesn't want to allow any questionable substitute teachers in the building. So if I can go to Facebook and find out things about teachers, she could go to Facebook and find out things about me. So think about it a moment.
Speaker 1:If there are things on your Facebook page and I mentioned, I would never look at pictures, but it would be legal for me to do that, and I'm not talking about hacking things. I'm just talking about the things that have been left public that anybody can see. If I can see things about a teacher, the teacher or the secretary, the substitute teacher secretary could see things about me. So think about it. Do you have things or pictures posted on your website that would make schools think, my goodness, is this a substitute teacher we want in here? Now you've got the right to do anything you want to. You've got the right to post anything you want to. So your choice. But if anybody chooses to see that and that's a question they're choosing between two calling maybe two subs, and they see that on your page and all of a sudden, oops, we're not calling them. Well then you've just lost a substitute. Not only that they substitute teaching, but future substitute teaching as well.
Speaker 1:I'll give you a sort of example, and I've told this story before, so I'll make it quick. There's a substitute teacher that was a I don't know what they call it not a professional wrestler, but wrestler. You know I hate to call it fake because it's a very popular thing, but the wrestling, that's sort of fake. Well, you know, they wear certain outfits and the guy that's a substitute teacher posted his outfit on his Facebook page. Well, I know the schools found out about it because he told me. I've talked to him. He told me that he thinks, whether right or wrong, that he was getting less substitute teaching jobs after he found out that picture was posted.
Speaker 1:You know even things that unfortunately or fortunately for the schools, I guess they could research you. Now you have to put a lot of things on your substitute teaching application. You have to disclose things. So if you have some sort of record of something in the past that has to be disclosed, of course they've got to keep those kids safe, so you can't blame them in that regard. But just remember the next time that you substitute teach. These schools know a lot about you. They know the jobs you've turned back and maybe that will make them hesitant. They can research and find out things about you and perhaps that would make them hesitant, maybe even the way they see you behave at a ballgame. Who knows? Maybe they decided that All of a sudden they don't want that substitute teacher in the building. So just be conscious of that. It's, it's your life. You can live it the way you want to, but just be conscious that we are such a social media driven world now that they can easily find out things about you and in seconds, can access Information that may keep you from a substitute teaching job. If you're okay with that, that's fine. But if you realize that, you know that's not really the reputation I want to get out there with it. Now you know the things to change to get you more substitute teaching jobs. Okay, a little pause.
Speaker 1:I just added to the episode and I realized I left out something I wanted to include and I wanted to apologize, because it's obvious in the podcast that you can hear my so Congestion and my breathing and I apologize for that. But you know I'm getting ready to leave for a few days. I'm recording this one in advance. The last thing I wanted to mention I have in fact I did this week sent Emails directly to that secretary I was talking about just to let her know I apologize for canceling. It was because of a sickness, it wasn't because of anything at the school, and I just wanted her to know that. So that's kind of a good habit. If you feel like you have a decent relationship and that wouldn't bother you to email them. Do that. Let them know that even if you've canceled on them, you really want it to be there. It just didn't work out that day.