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When You Get Moved: A Substitute Teacher's Dilemma

Greg Collins Episode 300

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Reaching the milestone 300th episode, I'm tackling a universal substitute teaching challenge that surprisingly hasn't been the central focus of any previous episode: getting reassigned after you've arrived at school.

The moment when administrators approach with that apologetic look, asking if you'd mind switching to a different classroom than the one you accepted, triggers a range of emotions. Drawing from my nearly eight years in substitute teaching, I share two contrasting library reassignment stories—one where I felt valued for handling a challenging class another substitute abandoned, and another where I was disappointed to leave a carefully planned library assignment.nts? I'd love to hear your experiences!

Greg:

Greg Collins. Substitute Teachers Lounge. It is August 12, 2025. Whoa, nellie, it's episode 300. All those episodes and I still think today's topic is a new one I've never had an episode just about this subject.

Greg:

I've mentioned it in other episodes about other things, but today we're going to talk about that. You know, as a substitute teacher, how to handle when you get moved. Should you react in a negative way, a positive way, a frustrated way, or no way? Substitute Teacher's Loud. All right, now go ahead and formulate in your mind how you feel when you get moved, or in other words, when you get to your class or to your school as you're just the way it works, and they move you somewhere else because you're needed more in a different location. Now there's different ways we can react to this. I will tell you now that how I feel about it now is much different than how I approached it six, seven years ago.

Greg:

I'm going to give you two library stories. Now, you've heard me say before that I am not a big fan of substituting the related arts. I definitely don't like to do gym because I don't know. It just seems like that's a little bit too haphazard for me. Even if you're just throwing balls out. I mean you can say that it's an easy day. I don't necessarily like a day that easy. I want some structure. I want to know that these students are supposed to be doing this at this time, whereas there's a little pressure when you're teaching gym because you don't want injuries, all that kind of thing.

Greg:

But that's not what we're talking about today. We're talking about getting moved. Let me tell you my two library stories. One of them happened oh man, I'm betting it's about I can't believe. I'm starting my eighth year of substitute teaching, but it was about six, seven years ago at a middle school and probably the most bizarre story of getting moved that I ever had. By the way, we will get into getting moved just for one period and then move back to We'll talk about that too. All right, so I'm in the library. I'm kind of proud of myself because I've taught myself the library gun. I know how to check books in and check out. It's kind of cool to see all the grades throughout the day in obviously a more relaxed environment than if I was in gym. Yeah, there's some cool stuff to do in the library. A lot of libraries have those electronic kits where you build things that have little small motors with them and that kind of thing. I enjoyed that.

Greg:

But five minutes before the class was over first period I went ahead and went to the library. They called me and said Greg, we need you to go up on the fourth floor, this room, and finish your day there. I didn't know why, but these people had treated me pretty nice. I am of the opinion. I still feel this way, even though my mindset's kind of changed. I still feel like if the school's got enough confidence in you, especially for the reason I found out they wanted me to go up there, then you got to feel kind of good about that. Right, the school wants you to go somewhere else because perhaps you might be one of the few substitute teachers that were in the building that they felt like they could handle this. And sure enough, what they did? They closed the library the rest of the day, locked it, locked it up, so no library time.

Greg:

The rest of the day Sent me up to the fourth floor and I found out later it was because the substitute teacher that was up there was such a nervous wreck or hated it so much after one period that substitute teacher just left, didn't tell anybody just left. They did find out quick enough to call me. I got to feel good about that, right, mr Collins, this might be a tough class to handle it, but we know you can handle it. So I didn't feel too bad about being moved. I didn't feel too bad about being moved. Plus, I was early enough in my substitute teacher quote career that I didn't want to say no to them. I mean, didn't have the right to say no to them, didn't have really have the right to say I'm not going to do it, they're paying me. I go where they say. I felt good about it and that's the way that went.

Greg:

My other library was actually last year. I was out of middle school and this is a sort of a different situation because I had become close to the librarian and she wanted me in there every time she's gone because she knew she could depend on me. Now, how complicated could a library be, right? Well, you got to learn the gun system where you shoot the little library gun at the book, scan a code and the book is checked out or checked in. I learned all that, but she knew that, even though there would probably be 50 to 100 books both checked in and checked out every day. Yes, believe it or not, that's true. She knew that I knew the system and she knew that I knew how to reshelf all those books. I knew from the codes, I knew from the sections and I can do it. And not only did she like having me in there, I liked being there because of that.

Greg:

Well, the principal walks in Me and the principal get along pretty well. And the principal walked in and says you know, we're going to need you to go to the seventh grade. And I said well, let me at least tell you I was trying to talk my way out of it. I said let me at least tell you that the librarian actually sent me several texts last night about what she wanted to get accomplished and how. You know, would I mind doing this for her? And I gladly accept it. And he said I understand. He said, but she doesn't have any students. We need you to go somewhere where they have students. And they did in fact close that library. That day.

Greg:

I got moved and I was much more disappointed that day because of the situation than I was before. How should we feel about being moved? There's all different ways for it to happen. We have a it's called an academy in our area. It's like specialty things, like one of the classes has to do with learning nursing, to the point that you can actually study and get your CNA based on what you've learned in that class. It's that kind of school. It also has guitar classes, welding classes, automobile classes, that kind of thing.

Greg:

Well, one of the teachers contacted me could you take my class? I think it was the guitar class, I can't remember. But when I got there they said, mr Collins, just as friendly as they can be, mr Collins, can you go to this class? And I said well, I will do that, of course, if that's where you need me. I do want you to know that I did discuss with the teacher of the class I was originally scheduled for and he wanted me to go over these things today. So we did do a little prep work for the class and they said okay, we're going to find somebody else to take the new class. You take the class of the teacher that you had planned on taking.

Greg:

And that was just a diplomatic way of not saying no, but being nice and being honest. I mean, I'm not going to make up an excuse so that I don't have to move to another class. But that's the way that situation went. Are there ever situations where I would just flat say, no, I really can't move to that class class yes, if I had been to a class before and I just told myself for my own sanity that I can't do that class anymore, I would just I would be honest with the administration and say, listen, I've had that group before. It didn't work out that well, I'm doing this. You know, I'm not even doing this for the money, I'm doing this for fun and that class is not fun to me. I would rather not do that. I don't want to leave you in a bad situation, but my preference is no. Let me know if there's something else that can be done. And you know, you just go from there. Sometimes you'll walk in in the morning.

Greg:

And especially the high schools in the area. They are in most need of substitute teachers than anybody and they got to where they knew that. You know, sometimes I would be a little bit frustrated if they knew I was at a class full of honor students but they needed me to fill in one period, as they did every other substitute teacher fill in one period for this missing class. We couldn't get filled and it was just a behavior issue. So here I'd signed up for a whole day of honor students and I've got this one hour I've got to spend with the quote troublemakers. They don't do that to me anymore and you know, I didn't tell. They could tell I didn't really like it, but I'm not special. But yet because they could see my frustration, they never put me in that situation again.

Greg:

Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe not, but we're going to get moved from time to time. You can handle it two ways. You can handle it the negative way. You can say I just can't do it. Well, even if you try to be as diplomatic and as nice as you can, that's going to hurt your stock a little bit. That school may be more reluctant to call you to substitute teach in the future. So if you really feel that strong about it and it's worth that to you, in my case I would never get to that point. But in my case, if it was worth that much to me and I knew I had seven other schools to go to, I might consider it. But I really don't think I would ever do that to a school. Those schools need you.

Greg:

Here's what you do, from a positive standpoint, if you get moved to a class that you hadn't planned on taking. I like to do prep work, I like to be prepared for every class and I will always mention that to them. I like to be prepared for every class and I will always mention that to them, and it usually doesn't matter. They still need you where they need you and you need to be willing to help them out. But at least if you drop that subtle hint, you can say oh sure, I said now I did. I knew what subject I was teaching. I did prepare a little bit, but I understand that if you need me somewhere else, you need me somewhere else. Be happy to do it. You stay at the top of their preferred list and you at least plant a seed. You're telling them that, yes, I will do this for you. I'm not crazy about it, you know, say it that way. I'm not crazy about it, but I'll do this for you because I realize that's where you need me and I'm glad that you thought that I was capable of pretty much going anywhere you needed me.

Greg:

And go from there On our Facebook, you know, substitute Teachers Lounge Facebook page, which is now over 5,000 people. Man, I can't believe that. But anyway, this comes up from time to time and to the point of some people think that the schools don't have the right to move you somewhere else that you signed up for. It's like a contract. They're not supposed to do that. I would never take it that far. But the negative thing if you're negative to them, they will be negative to you. That goes for students too. So just keep that in mind. Be a positive job taker. Realize that. One thing that I didn't mention I'll get back to the realize that here in just a moment.

Greg:

I have accepted jobs that just say teacher, and usually when that happens it's one of two situations. It's a situation where they know if they really post what the job is, they won't get many takers, so they'd rather just put down teacher and when you get there, tell you where you're going. I've done that a few times. And then it might be an event where they just know they need some extra teachers. Some of them might be gone and they'll move the you might. There might be a pool of like four or five substitute teachers that come in and then they decide who goes where. After that You're going to run into all kinds of things I would. I wouldn't even say I would recommend you do this.

Greg:

What I do, what has worked well with me, is always say yes If you really don't want to and you prepared for your first choice. Just tell them that. Tell them that you know you always like to prepare ahead. I did prepare for the class I was scheduled to go to. I would have been more comfortable there, but I understand you need me somewhere else and that usually goes over pretty good. They like to hear that you prepared, but yet they like to hear that you're willing to go somewhere else if needed. So that's it.

Greg:

Let's get the school year started off right. We start in our district. Tomorrow, wednesday, is our first day of school here. I have seen some openings already on Wednesday. It's not a situation that I wanted to accept, so I didn't pick it up. My first day is actually going to be on the 22nd, at least so far, but I hope I do get some jobs between now and then. Especially to the schools that are close.

Greg:

By man, I'm getting to be an old man. My favorite school to go to used to be a 25-minute drive and they asked me again this year. They said, mr Collins, can we put you on our preferred list? And I said yes, here's the way I said it, and I was diplomatic. I didn't know how to reply because I really wanted to stick with elementary school. This was a high school and I said yes, but I want you to know that I am doing mainly elementary school now, so my availability may not be as strong as it used to be, but there are about half a dozen teachers there that will text me directly before they even post their absence. I'll definitely come back to them. And then I left it that way and they liked the answer and we kept everything going.

Greg:

There are diplomatic ways to say no. Don't just say no. Give them a reason your preparation, your uncomfortableness, perhaps with a couple of areas, maybe you've got some anxiety that you don't want to flare up. Who knows? But be honest with them. You're going to get moved. You might as well get ready for it. Keep your name at the top of that substitute teacher list by saying yes when that situation comes up.

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