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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Decline to Participate...



One of the few benefits of substitute teaching is the ability not to.

If I want the day off and I'm not already scheduled, I don't have to ask or get approval from anyone. When the phone rings, all I have to do is select option "decline", hang up and go back to sleep. The automated system will offer the assignment to the next available substitute teacher on the list.

At least that's the way I'd like it to work.

As there were no assignments available before bedtime last night, I decided to take the day off. Sure enough at 05:30am the phone is ringing. The wife is jabbing me in the side to make it stop. I grope blindly for the phone set.

To decline, you HAVE to wait for the job description to complete before I select the "DECLINE" option and go back to soothing sleep. Only to be awakened by phone calls at 05:45am, 06:00am, 06:15am, 06:30am and finally 06:45am. All offering the same assignment that I "DECLINED" at 05:30am.

The final call came at 08:30am from the substitute teacher coordinator (a real person) asking if I was available today.  At this point, I really wasn't in the mood to work so I politely responded: 

"Not today".

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to love doing that as a sub! Just having the freedom to say Nahhhh, not today! No such luck anymore, now that I'm a full time teacher. Are you thinking of becoming a teacher full time or are you going to keep subbing (and your freedom):) ?

KauaiMark said...

"...thinking of becoming a teacher full time?"

No, I've already put in my 30+ yrs in software and 10 more subbing part time.

PamelaTrounstine said...

Why I love a cell phone as my primary.... Turn it off /to silent when I am not taking any jobs/am busy in another district.