Endlessly fucking pissed right now and on the verge of voluntarily blacklisting myself from an entire school.

Two years ago, I accepted a substitute teaching job labelled as “elementary education”. It was, in fact, a violent behavior isolation room, dubbed “E.S.P.” (unsure for what it stands). To summarize: I came out physically and mentally bruised and battered, never willing to take that job again.

A month or so ago, I went to that same school—at which I’m a frequent sub—for a third-grade position. When I arrived, the (vice?) principal pulled me aside and told me that they “figured it out”, and that the interventionist was covering that class: ergo, they said they’d be putting me in the E.S.P. room since there wasn’t coverage that day. I was on the verge of walking out, but I’ve been on a tight budget since my wife’s job loss and thus medical insurance loss in April led to high credit card debt. The highlight reel: I was once again assaulted in the groin, this time with two wooden chairs zip-tied to each other—which was *supposed* to prevent them from being used as a weapon.

Last night, I got a phone call from SmartFind, the automated absence-reporting and sub-finding system, telling me that my job today was cancelled. It just happens sometimes: appointments get rescheduled, teachers end up not being sick, et cetera. I got some more calls, but they were for days later in the month. Again, it happens: not every day I get a job.

This morning, I was confused as to why I wasn’t getting any calls. Usually, SmartFind starts calling as early as 4:30 A.M. for urgent, same-day sub jobs, but… I didn’t get any at all. I checked the online portal to make sure I didn’t accidentally mark myself as unavailable, or maybe accidentally block calls for twenty-four hours—and what do I find? A job for that E.S.P. room. I was confused, since I know I’d never knowingly accept that position.

I called the school and explained the situation, asking the secretary if they entered in that job manually. They did. I politely told them to cancel it—five minutes *after* I was supposed to be there—because of “the nature of the job”. I tried to hide it, but I was beyond livid. I had no job for today—$165, gone.

If the county office tries to penalize me for a no-show (or whatever they deem this), I’m fucking quitting and moving district. Job swaps like this are NOT in my contract.

#teaching #substituteteaching #elementaryeducation #rant

Kinda maybe parents rights / parents choice folks should spend more time at school board meetings asking how their children's math and literacy scores can be improved rather than screaming to ban masks and install the Ten Commandments. Oh, and while they're at it, maybe push for gun reform to make schools safer, rather than fortify schools and put guns in classrooms.

Couldn't hurt to try.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/nations-report-card-paints-bleak-picture-of-education-in-aftermath-of-the-pandemic
#NAEP #ElementaryEducation #NationsReportCard

💡Learn tips on encouraging self-reliance in upper elementary🏫

#Parenting #Resilience #AcademicSuccess #SupportingKids #Empowerment #homeworkhelp #education #teachers #studentlife #learning #selfreliance #elementary #elementaryeducation #parents

https://kidsontheyard.com/articles/education/school-prep/self-reliance-upper-elementary/

What world is this we live in where a 9 year old is anxious at night because he took *two seconds* too long on a reading comprehension test????

This week is standardized testing week here and man, I wish I could yeet them into the void.

#StandardizedTesting #testing #assessment #education #ElementaryEd #ElementaryEducation #elementary #kids #parenting #CITO