While I haven’t encountered this situation yet, some substitute teachers report that they are not trusted with the key to their classroom for the day. They report that they have to wait for a custodian or a school admin to unlock the classroom door before they can gain access to the room in the morning.
They are not trusted to keep the key during the day for fear that they might lose it, copy it or give it to someone to gain access.
Fortunately, the schools I work for assume I’m a trustworthy guy as demonstrated a couple weeks back when I arrived for my 4th grade assignment.
“We can’t find the key to your classroom so you can use this” the school secretary informed me as she handed over a lanyard of three keys.
“It’s the master set and opens all the doors to the school. It even has the key for the towel dispenser in the mens bathroom. If it’s out, feel free to change it”, she said with a smile.
Trust is a good feeling.
8 comments:
In my district they don't give us keys for anything. The door is opened for us and that's it for the day. In the case of a lock down another teacher would lock the door for me. I don't mind not having a key though. These are good schools and I haven't found a reason to want to lock the doors anyway.
I've had that happen to me, too. I was covering a teacher who didn't have his own classroom--he traveled to different classrooms all day. The secretary saw it was me, and she thought I wouldn't want to lug around six keys all day, so she gave me the master key.
It was a nice feeling. Isn't it nice to be trusted?
I can honestly say that I was very well trusted when I subbed. I almost always received keys from the office staff and received a master key once or twice myself.
I have never been given a key and it is a little annoying having to walk through other's classrooms to get in. Or at lunch have the door closed when I'm on duty and then have to find someone (who is enjoying their lunch) to open the door so I can get back to my stuff. Even when on contract I was told I didn't need it and I coud just rely on others in my building - very annoying for me and I'm sure it's annoying for those with the keys to have to keep opening others doors.
I'm sure part of it is that they often fail to get keys back from subs.
There's over 150 schools in one district I work at, and each seems to have a different policy with their keys. In some I get the master and in others I encounter locked doors everywhere that I can't open.
The best policy I've seen has been when they take my car keys and then give me their master key. Makes it easier for me to get around and they know I won't leave without forgetting to give them back. What do you think of that idea?
Sarennah
Speaking of keys...
Today they gave me a classroom key.
Which didn't unlock the gym.
Or the computer lab.
OR THE STAFF WASHROOM!!!!!
Incredibly frustrating :-(
Sarennah
As a school secretary, I would never give a sub a master key! Not because I don't trust them, but if it gets misplaced the entire school would have to be rekeyed - at the school's (not district) expense. That is not an inexpensive proposition and I would be in trouble over that as the school secretary is responsible for the keys. I don't give anybody a master but the custodian, the principal, the VPs and me.
If a sub misplaces or accidentally takes home a room key - the entire school doesn't have to be rekeyed.
So, I do give subs keys to the room they are teaching in - I can't imagine making the custodian open the door for them. I also can't imagine why anybody would trust a sub around little kids and not with a key to a door they put the kids in. :/
The only time a teacher doesn't get a key is if it's a male sub teaching girl's PE, and vice versa. They don't need the key to the opposite-sexed locker room.
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