teacher

elementary school teacher

human resources specialist

special education teacher

mathematics teacher

Scottsdale Unified School District

I just started substitute teaching this year. So far, I've subbed for PE and gifted & talented at Kiva and ELA and social studies for 2, 4, and 5 at Hohokum. I also did a week at the infant care room at Pueblo and preK at Oak. I have to say I like Hohokum best so far.

I also was more or less offered a job overseeing the computer lab at K-8 further north. And while I liked the principal and VP, I had to turn it down because incredibly, this job paid even less than the $12.97/hour substitutes get. And it was for less than 30 hours/week so no benefits, 5 days a week. The job was "funded" by the PTO which generously bought tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment but is apparently OK with a low-wage person overseeing it. Doesn't make sense to me.

I'm doing this because my own business is slow and since I'm "old," I can't find a permanent job since my last layoff (two since I moved to Arizona 13 years ago). That said, I'm enjoying myself more than I imagined I would. Most of the kids are nice although there are, of course, wise guys who take advantage of the "sub." I just tell them that their teacher is smart enough to know who I'm describing in my notes to him/her.

I do wish the district orientation gave substitutes some training about classroom technology and an idea of general school norms, like how many kids can go to the bathroom, the "clip-down/clip up" discipline, and other common practices among school. They literally tell you nothing.

It would also be helpful if teachers understood how to write out a lesson plan. Four lines isn't helpful. What is the room # for art or the computer room? Elementary school kids aren't the most reliable sources. They also don't remember IDs and passwords (heck, my high-school aged son tells me some of his classmates can't remember them!) 

I wish lesson plans were available on the Aesoponline system so subs can review them before going to school. Not all absences are illness-related. Teachers schedule time off for personal days and trainings. Once you're in a classroom, the kids are all over you or all over the place. I quickly learned to get in a half-hour early to look over the lesson plan.

Some sub listings on Aesoponline don't even indicate the grade and/or subject. You can always go to the school website for this but not all schools indicate subjects.

I do think that $13/hour is too low, esp since there are no benefits whatsoever and this job does require a college degree. In this economy, you will find people who will accept it but who will also drop out of the substitute system if something better comes along.

A typical day at work as me greeting students on campus after I have already planned the lesson for the day. As an educator, I truly have always found it nerve-racking to be around my direct supervisor. There is one principal I worked with on campus that did not make me feel this way; Dr. Asmussen. I flourished as an educator under his leadership. 
Workplace culture is rough for a male teacher sometimes. Females are catty and gossipy, pretty much like the middle schoolers they teach. Not all of them, but enough of them to make one pause about anything they say across the board. Stay out of the lounge. Hardest part of the job is having a principal that doesn't back up your referrals if you write one. Students I've written up got send right back that same class period, and that's a terrible precedent. I am not one of the teachers that sent a bunch of students, so they should have thought about this. Anyway, the school I was at was actually pretty great in many ways. The students were very respectful and easy to work with.  

Challenging and interesting work. Being able to be flexible and adaptive to a variety of types of classes.  Monitoring and following  
individual lession plans for individual teachers.  Each day is a learning experience for a Substitute Teacher. because each class and subject can be different. I worked with both mainstream classes and special needs students. The most important thing I have learned is that not everyone learns in the same way.  And it is important to be able to adapt in ways that can accommodate individual students when needed
The hardest part of the job is when students have specific needs or issues and the teachers or administration do not inform you what they are.  It makes it frustrating for both the student and the Substitute.  The most enjoyable part is when you can tell that you are getting through to the students and making a difference.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Some of the people I worked with.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not getting a lunch or prep.  Not being able to train my staff or take data for my students.  When students are ready to go into a class from special education to gen ed they had to have a para.  Classes are based on number not individual need.  So you only get the standard 2 paras even if you have high need students.  Those at the administration level have no clue what goes on or into a classroom.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
People were not happy when I left and I don't think it got any better.  They did not feel heard.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy from start to finish and not breaks on many, many days.  The students were fantastic and loved seeing them every day.

I enjoyed subbing because I was working all the time. I was a preferred sub in many elementary schools, which I enjoyed. I commanded the respect of the students in my charge inspiring  and teaching the lesson plans, standing and delivering the materials in an engaging entertaining fashion, which reflected my classroom management style, firm and fun. I was able to apply the teaching skills I acquired teaching in international schools in the Bahamas and Venezuela. I enjoyed the freedom to choose the schools where I'd teach. The hardest part of the job was not being able to come back the next day and sustain the relationships with the students and faculty that I worked with. The most enjoyable part of the job was working with the students.

Upper management had no skills, talent, ideas, education or the ability to plan, manage and make decisions.  In addition, they were rude, immoral and incompetent.  However, they were paid very, very well.  They chased away many good, qualified people.  Today, most upper management is gone.

How did anything get done?  All of upper management's  duties fell onto the middle managers.  Of course, there was no additional pay or "thank yous."  Middle managers worked until they couldn't function anymore.  Things would continue to get worse, decisions would not be made or prior decisions which were made were constantly reversed, so the daily situations became intolerable.  So, most middle managers quit also.

Highly stressful environment.  Yearly pay cuts are common.

My typical day was planning activities for forty children and present a fun, interesting, and exciting play environment for the before and aftercare program. What I learned is how resilient children are and how they like to be included in some of the "helping others" part of the activities. The management does a well in keeping up with policy rules, but lack in supporting you when needed. The hardest part of the job was working a split shift and the most enjoyable part was working with the children and knowing that you did a great job in keeping them engaged, safe, and feeling loved.

Teaching is stressful. SUSD makes the tasks for teaching harder than it should because of redundant, nonsensical, illogical, and hard to fact check, governing board policies. The students were high performing, smart and often times distracted by the technology of their smartphones. The administration is new and lacks experience. Overall, the collegiality of work contacts I would have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis makes the job bearable and fun. But, with the low pay and no possibility of advancements, it's a career choice made with the understanding that your salary will be low with the only incentives, to continue teaching, earning a lifelong pension from Arizona State Retirement System.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The PTA dropped off food once in a while.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Most of the high school administration and upper district level will throw you under the bus for a donut.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic, teachers are miserable and paid extremely low considering kids are driving Porsches and Audis to school. Target assistant managers make more money and don’t deal with entitled trust fund babies with zero respect.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Just trying not to run my car off a bridge on the way to school.

Scottsdale School District
Friendly work place.
Typical work day:Check my emails, check my work orders, check my voice mails. I would try to resolve issues, if unsuccesful I would escalate the work order to the appropriate Department.
My learning experience was very basic...I would have liked to be able to take a microsoft or cisco class to be more productive.
I am not sure about the management, SUSD turn over is very high.
The hardest part of my job was to try to help the staff with not enough resources...etc.
The most enjoyable part of my job was to help people and staff with their technology issues/needs, but also to train them about technology.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 3 salaries reported	$52,000 per year
Elementary school teacher 9 salaries reported	$46,170 per year
Human resources specialist 3 salaries reported	$28.83 per hour
Special education teacher 3 salaries reported	$51,000 per year
Mathematics teacher 3 salaries reported	$51,566 per year

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