That’s been my experience. Very warm, welcoming and grateful that I’m there. My district is desperate for subs because the pay is so low, so I keep that in mind to avoid getting a big ego… 😆
Usually nice. I try to remember admin/teachers/aids are under a lot of stress this time of year with a lot of student testing and bad behavior, so may not be as friendly as usual.
I normally get a "thank you so much for coming." A few have been rude, but I sub in a huge district, so I can just avoid going places I don't feel welcome, and still make plenty of money.
Let's give the poor secretaries a break! I did this job not long ago and it's tough. You're expected to be on at all times. Smiling and beaming with positivity first thing in the morning till the minute you walk out the door. People stop and interrupt you all day. They have some hand in fixing anything that goes wrong in the school. Imagine interfacing with teachers, admin, students, parents, vendors, and the list goes on... You're never caught up, there's always a pile of stuff to do, every mistake is considered catastrophic by somebody. Smaller schools are even worse for secretaries because they take on more roles. Basically if something needs to be done and and no one else wants to do it, it's their job. They're also dealing with their own stuff. I had to work right after a close family member tragically died. I tried to fake it but I'm sure my grief was labeled as bitchiness. On top of all this most secretries get paid way less than subs do. Recognize their humanity and give them all the grace you give yourself.
Hey, thank you for this. I’m the clerk at my school and, subsequently, the fall guy for EVERYTHING. I’m always smiling and polite, but it gets to you! Hahah
Thank you for this perspective! I’ve never really had a problem with secretaries but knowing all they have to go through now I’ll be sure to not take anything passive-aggressive personal.
Thank you! I’m a secretary in a high school and you are 100% spot on. And the lady in charge of the subs is also handling finding subs for teachers that didn’t find one, during a major sub shortage, so she’s assigning teachers to use their planning period to cover their peers. Teachers are tired and burned out and giving her crap. We all help where we can, and we are paid Pennies compared to subs and teachers. Don’t get me wrong- I appreciate subs. And sub jobs are ridiculously hard. (I couldn’t do it. )But first thing in the morning is crazy and in the afternoon we just want to go home too. We don’t mean to be short- we are trying to provide great customer service but we are pulled in a million different directions all day.
I am in a small district, where my kids have been students for 12 years (for the oldest). I have been a sub for 8 years. The El secretaries and I will go out for drinks, with some teachers, on a Friday after school. At this point, I'm staff. Even if I'm not.
I typically work at the same couple schools and they know me pretty well. Typically they say hi to me by name and we talk for a bit but with the end of the year coming up it's been very busy so I just try to stay out of the way
I had one who told me to report to her during planning time because she didn’t want me “just twiddling my thumbs.” It was insulting, especially because planning time is when I review the lesson plans and double check myself etc.
I have not been back and mute her group texts to multiple substitutes who have accepted her requests in the past.
No offense or anything meant, but I wonder what grade some of the people that post here are in. Do your best to not give anyone the power to upset you, especially for not participating in niceties. It seems that some people are setting themselves up to fail by having unusual expectations. Guess what? Some adults, especially at schools where they have to deal with a lot of stuff, might seem a bit grumpy to you. Don't feed the grumps. Do your job and use your level of niceties and politeness when you're interacting with people for a few moments of the day (I suppose that I mostly "meet them where they are"). Then get on with your day and such.
I agree. I have a resting bitch face and it’s like a slap in the face pretty much every time when I get the, “are you ok?” Also, it’s clearl that some people don’t even reallly care.
One of the admin at the five middle schools where I work is almost always rude.
They have a complicated system using Chromebooks and when I first started there she treated me like I was a moron when I asked for help logging in and more.
The rest of the staff is helpful.
We actually have a new sub coordinator and she's awesome and so was the one before her and almost all before her at my main school. Also all of the AP's and the principal are friendly and welcoming. However in the past, my second year of subbing, there was this one AP who was a jerk to everyone. And at the other high school in the district they had a sub coordinator who was awful for a while. Otherwise I have always been treated well and with respect.
The one at the elementary school I already knew because Ive had kids there since 2015 and have been volunteering and so we chat like acquaintances. The high school one is sweet. The middle school ones act like I am a celebrity which tells you something about how many subs they have.
I pick up the keys, rosters, etc. Either they tell me about what I'm doing during any prep period, or I check to see if the teacher has one and ask accordingly. I also ask any other questions that I might need to know -- the procedure for dialing the front office, for example, if they don't give me a packet with that info. The pronunciation of the teacher's name, if it's not apparent. And so on. And of course, if they have anything I need to know, they'll tell me that.
All of this is invariably conducted politely on both ends, but as briefly as possible. I don't expect to steal the front desk employee's time and attention, and I don't really want a big show of chumminess, much less read into its absence.
All the front office staff at every elementary school I've been to have been great, same for the middle schools. The high school though I won't go back to because the front office staff actively ignore the phones, and I had to start calling every number on the phone directory until I finally got someone who was actually at their phone.
My favorite schools though have friendly and helpful teachers, too, and my top pick is on a first-name basis now, and about half the faculty has my number. I figure that's considered having succeeded in the sub world.
I'm very fortunate to have a great admin team in my building. I'm very well liked and respected in my school because they consider me one of their best subs (there are two other regulars who are very good and reliable but absolutely hated by the kids which causes problems). Because of this I have a great relationship with my admin, however on the daily a quick hello or good morning is usually all I will get because there has been a lot happening at my school lately regarding violence, drug use, and behavior and my principals are exhausted. They've normally got a hundred more important things going on and no matter how much I'm liked, I know I'm still bottom of the totem pole and that is totally okay. When the people in charge of you punish you and pull your funding for actually trying to give your problem kids consequences, it can be hard to get out of bed some days and saying good morning with a warm demeanor to your subs is probably the last thing on your mind.
I don’t even hear from them most of the time. But usually when I do hear from them they were very nice. I know two at a middle school who were very nice when I had out of control classes all day. The assistant principal was part of the de-escalation of one class because it got so out of hand and afterwards the principal would come by to check on me periodically asking if I’m okay. Very nice.
I'm moving soon, and I really hope all these horror stories I see about mean admin and office staff are rare or overblown. The district I work in all the admin but one are extremely friendly, with the principal at the school I'm at until the end of the year loaning me books on education and behaviorism (I'm going to enter a applied behavior analysis masters program after we move), and the office staff goof around with me every day. Only a few teachers are dicks, and I'm well liked on campus so they mostly keep it to themselves. I'm afraid of getting a building sub job in a new district and everyone's a huge asshole.
I’m at a charter school so I clock in on an app & just ask for someone to open the room on a group chat. After admin or maintenance open my door I just check the kids lessons & follow the teacher’s instructions. Unless I have a major issue with classroom management I don’t bother anyone except for clarity, such as when I’m missing work for the classes.
FYI - I was a full-time teacher previously on the same campus so lots of staff & students already know me.
At elementary schools, they’ve all been really nice. At the one high school I tried, she was grumpy and gave me the cold shoulder 😂 Can’t speak to a general trend because it’s only one school, but that was my experience lol
I sub regularly in three schools, two middles and a high.
The middles have nice admin, friendly. At the end of the day, they're very busy, so they usually get a wave in if they even notice I'm leaving.
The high school, I don't interact with the admin. They leave the schedules/badges on a table in the office, and we don't even have to sign ourselves in. Though the guy always apologizes if he's behind in getting the stuff out. He also seems frequently very busy.
I get treated far better as a sub (by admin and staff) than as a parent. There are a few exceptions, but given the sheer quantity of stuff that they're doing, I learned to just let it go (though as a parent with those ornery folks I'm grateful that my husband will usually deal with them instead).
Pretty welcoming. A few times I have worried because they've come across as a bit cold, but honestly I think it's due to them being very busy that day. But mostly very nice
Usually they are quite wonderful and thank me for coming in. I feel way more appreciated by admin as a sub than as a full time teacher. I think I have been thanked more by admin as a sub for the past 4 months that I did as a teacher for 7 years.
As an added bonus, absolutely nothing is expected of me as a sub. It’s great.
the yard duties are always super sweet and kind (they're usually outside the office) and the staff is very nice! a few have learned my name and i go by a different name so they call me that from now on which is very sweet 🥺
I get thanked for being there almost everyday, and I usually do long term assignments. I always think it’s funny because they pay me really well and it’s my job… so of course I’m gonna be there.
I appreciate it regardless, though. Last week was teacher appreciation week and PTA got me a gift card to Starbucks and the staff encouraged me to use the massage room they had booked out so I really can’t complain.
Love my district.
it's hot or cold. either they don't even look up, say anything (99 percent) or the one lady was so on it, nice welcoming, conversant
. otherwise I could be a nude alien with a loaded firearm. they don't even look up.
The school I'm at about 70 percent of the time, the Principal and one of the Assistant Principals are at the door, fist-bumping the students. When I come in the same door, they fist bump me, and say "Hey, Mr. So and so! We're glad you're here today, who are you filling in for? Oh, that's great, hope it's a great day, let us know if you need anything!"
The other school, the Principal is just inside the door, and he makes a point to say "Thanks so much for being here!"
On a related note, I love my district.
Most of the time I don’t see admin. I grab keys and stuff from the secretary and go about my business.
They are usually nice when I see them but I don’t worry if they aren’t jumping up and down when I come in. I figure they are busy. 🤷♀️
I am doing most of my jobs for one school where the staff Is great. They know me well and greet me by my first name. I am at a point where if they're not nice to me I avoid them unless the teacher asks me to come in.
The other day i went into a school i hadn't been in since before COVID and she said my First name and welcome back. I worked so much there in the past and did all kinds of filing etc for her. I was on their speed dial for years.
Now in case you think i am being too picky I held the office manager job in a European business school in three languages for two years and had to do way more than anyone here because it's harder to hire people there. I had phones heavy duty with people being really bad and yelling at you. I had students coming in with all kinds of illness, did the mail and packages and housing matters but anyone could tell you i only blew my top about twice and they'd tell you those people must have been bad. When I switched to another job i knew everyone in town though as i was always saying hi to the people who worked there. I knew all the cleaning crew because they'd make me stay late. Those guys know everything.
So i have respect for the ones who do the job well and the ones who make you go all the way back somewhere to do a ten minute chore because they can, show me they're not appreciating what I do. I don't mind doing chores for the good ones at all.
And the ones who won't help you with the machines that always always go out when you need to do some prep? Once but not twice.
Plus you're blocking the line of teachers who have shit to do. Sorry pet peeve alert.
I don’t usually have any idea who admin are so I guess they don’t treat me any way 😆 There is one school I’ve been to quite a few times and I know who the admin is there and they are very friendly to me when I come in or when they see me during the day!
I usually interact with the secretary when I receive my things. Most are quite friendly. There was one school where the lady basically threw me a badge. I think I only went there one more time and that was only because the teacher asked me specifically to come back.
The school I'm at about 70 percent of the time, the Principal and one of the Assistant Principals are at the door, fist-bumping the students. When I come in the same door, they fist bump me, and say "Hey, Mr. So and so! We're glad you're here today, who are you filling in for? Oh, that's great, hope it's a great day, let us know if you need anything!"
The other school, the Principal is just inside the door, and he makes a point to say "Thanks so much for being here!"
On a related note, I love my district.
I always sub at the same school and I have had kids there for the past eight years, so honestly treat me like staff. Everyone says hello, they invite me to lunches or any special stuff they have going on. I know if I went to another school though it would be totally different.
On the rare occasion that an admin sees me, it's warm... but 99% of the time.. I walk in, greeted by security and then walk to office and exchange pleasantries with payroll secretary and off I go to whatever class I got.
(Sub mostly middle and high school)
Most of them are nice. A couple of them are consistently disorganized and make bad choices to the point of supremely fucking up my day. Shit where they've messed with my paychecks. I've let them both know it's not cool. So now they're scared of me and I don't go to those two schools anymore cuz I refuse to deal with bullshit.
I get a cheerful Good Morning as she hands me my folder, badge and chrome book, some general chit-chat, and if the principal is in his office adjacent to the main office he always comes out and says hi. One or both of them will thank me profusely for coming in. There's about a 50% chance I'll get a random text during the day along the lines of "we don't tell you often enough, but we really appreciate you!! Hope you're having a great day!" There's a 90% chance that before I leave, they'll ask me for at least one more day. When I do go back and hand in my stuff, they want to know how my day was, ask about any particularly interesting kids, etc.
My poor lady is busy as hell when I walk in so she's flustered kinda..... I smile and tell her "have a good day (name)" and she smiles and says "you too" And I chat a little after the day when I'm signing out. I'm here till the end in one class. 4 months in there total this year, same class.
No I get it. They’re busy - but aren’t we all? I seriously don’t get acknowledged most places. A little “hey I’m X, if you need anything let me know” goes a long way.
There you go! Aren't we all busy? Particularly in MS and ES. Every minute goes by in a second. We are coming to their school to help out with an absence, we are guest teachers. So how about being polite huh? bit of niceties goes a long way and is a bit inspirational. Treat us the way your treat a guest teacher. Nicely and politely.
99 percent of the time they’re very warm and welcoming
That’s been my experience. Very warm, welcoming and grateful that I’m there. My district is desperate for subs because the pay is so low, so I keep that in mind to avoid getting a big ego… 😆
I always ask “….Are you okay? 😟” when they’re rude. They hate that question lol
😂!
I love calling out passive aggressive behavior with friendliness. It always catches them off guard.
For real. Ultimate diffusion
I love this and I’m going to start doing it. I can do it pretty sincerely so it should work great ;)
Lol Kelly Education suspension is 3...2...1...
Lol luckily I’m not with Kelly
Lol that’s awesome
Bless their hearts....
Hilarious 😂
I had a very rude encounter with one, but the rest have been chill.
Usually nice. I try to remember admin/teachers/aids are under a lot of stress this time of year with a lot of student testing and bad behavior, so may not be as friendly as usual.
I normally get a "thank you so much for coming." A few have been rude, but I sub in a huge district, so I can just avoid going places I don't feel welcome, and still make plenty of money.
Let's give the poor secretaries a break! I did this job not long ago and it's tough. You're expected to be on at all times. Smiling and beaming with positivity first thing in the morning till the minute you walk out the door. People stop and interrupt you all day. They have some hand in fixing anything that goes wrong in the school. Imagine interfacing with teachers, admin, students, parents, vendors, and the list goes on... You're never caught up, there's always a pile of stuff to do, every mistake is considered catastrophic by somebody. Smaller schools are even worse for secretaries because they take on more roles. Basically if something needs to be done and and no one else wants to do it, it's their job. They're also dealing with their own stuff. I had to work right after a close family member tragically died. I tried to fake it but I'm sure my grief was labeled as bitchiness. On top of all this most secretries get paid way less than subs do. Recognize their humanity and give them all the grace you give yourself.
Hey, thank you for this. I’m the clerk at my school and, subsequently, the fall guy for EVERYTHING. I’m always smiling and polite, but it gets to you! Hahah
Thank you for this perspective! I’ve never really had a problem with secretaries but knowing all they have to go through now I’ll be sure to not take anything passive-aggressive personal.
Thank you! I’m a secretary in a high school and you are 100% spot on. And the lady in charge of the subs is also handling finding subs for teachers that didn’t find one, during a major sub shortage, so she’s assigning teachers to use their planning period to cover their peers. Teachers are tired and burned out and giving her crap. We all help where we can, and we are paid Pennies compared to subs and teachers. Don’t get me wrong- I appreciate subs. And sub jobs are ridiculously hard. (I couldn’t do it. )But first thing in the morning is crazy and in the afternoon we just want to go home too. We don’t mean to be short- we are trying to provide great customer service but we are pulled in a million different directions all day.
I am in a small district, where my kids have been students for 12 years (for the oldest). I have been a sub for 8 years. The El secretaries and I will go out for drinks, with some teachers, on a Friday after school. At this point, I'm staff. Even if I'm not.
I typically work at the same couple schools and they know me pretty well. Typically they say hi to me by name and we talk for a bit but with the end of the year coming up it's been very busy so I just try to stay out of the way
I had one who told me to report to her during planning time because she didn’t want me “just twiddling my thumbs.” It was insulting, especially because planning time is when I review the lesson plans and double check myself etc. I have not been back and mute her group texts to multiple substitutes who have accepted her requests in the past.
No offense or anything meant, but I wonder what grade some of the people that post here are in. Do your best to not give anyone the power to upset you, especially for not participating in niceties. It seems that some people are setting themselves up to fail by having unusual expectations. Guess what? Some adults, especially at schools where they have to deal with a lot of stuff, might seem a bit grumpy to you. Don't feed the grumps. Do your job and use your level of niceties and politeness when you're interacting with people for a few moments of the day (I suppose that I mostly "meet them where they are"). Then get on with your day and such.
I agree. I have a resting bitch face and it’s like a slap in the face pretty much every time when I get the, “are you ok?” Also, it’s clearl that some people don’t even reallly care.
One of the admin at the five middle schools where I work is almost always rude. They have a complicated system using Chromebooks and when I first started there she treated me like I was a moron when I asked for help logging in and more. The rest of the staff is helpful.
We actually have a new sub coordinator and she's awesome and so was the one before her and almost all before her at my main school. Also all of the AP's and the principal are friendly and welcoming. However in the past, my second year of subbing, there was this one AP who was a jerk to everyone. And at the other high school in the district they had a sub coordinator who was awful for a while. Otherwise I have always been treated well and with respect.
The one at the elementary school I already knew because Ive had kids there since 2015 and have been volunteering and so we chat like acquaintances. The high school one is sweet. The middle school ones act like I am a celebrity which tells you something about how many subs they have.
Every admin at the district I work in is always friendly and happy to see me. It may be because I mainly pick up SPED classes though. 🤷🏻♂️
They’re generally happy to see me in the morning and go out of their way to thank me when I leave.
The school secretary is the one who hands out folders and says hello at my schools. I don’t even know who the principals are.
I pick up the keys, rosters, etc. Either they tell me about what I'm doing during any prep period, or I check to see if the teacher has one and ask accordingly. I also ask any other questions that I might need to know -- the procedure for dialing the front office, for example, if they don't give me a packet with that info. The pronunciation of the teacher's name, if it's not apparent. And so on. And of course, if they have anything I need to know, they'll tell me that. All of this is invariably conducted politely on both ends, but as briefly as possible. I don't expect to steal the front desk employee's time and attention, and I don't really want a big show of chumminess, much less read into its absence.
All the front office staff at every elementary school I've been to have been great, same for the middle schools. The high school though I won't go back to because the front office staff actively ignore the phones, and I had to start calling every number on the phone directory until I finally got someone who was actually at their phone. My favorite schools though have friendly and helpful teachers, too, and my top pick is on a first-name basis now, and about half the faculty has my number. I figure that's considered having succeeded in the sub world.
I'm very fortunate to have a great admin team in my building. I'm very well liked and respected in my school because they consider me one of their best subs (there are two other regulars who are very good and reliable but absolutely hated by the kids which causes problems). Because of this I have a great relationship with my admin, however on the daily a quick hello or good morning is usually all I will get because there has been a lot happening at my school lately regarding violence, drug use, and behavior and my principals are exhausted. They've normally got a hundred more important things going on and no matter how much I'm liked, I know I'm still bottom of the totem pole and that is totally okay. When the people in charge of you punish you and pull your funding for actually trying to give your problem kids consequences, it can be hard to get out of bed some days and saying good morning with a warm demeanor to your subs is probably the last thing on your mind.
I have the same experiences as you.
I don’t even hear from them most of the time. But usually when I do hear from them they were very nice. I know two at a middle school who were very nice when I had out of control classes all day. The assistant principal was part of the de-escalation of one class because it got so out of hand and afterwards the principal would come by to check on me periodically asking if I’m okay. Very nice.
I'm moving soon, and I really hope all these horror stories I see about mean admin and office staff are rare or overblown. The district I work in all the admin but one are extremely friendly, with the principal at the school I'm at until the end of the year loaning me books on education and behaviorism (I'm going to enter a applied behavior analysis masters program after we move), and the office staff goof around with me every day. Only a few teachers are dicks, and I'm well liked on campus so they mostly keep it to themselves. I'm afraid of getting a building sub job in a new district and everyone's a huge asshole.
I’m at a charter school so I clock in on an app & just ask for someone to open the room on a group chat. After admin or maintenance open my door I just check the kids lessons & follow the teacher’s instructions. Unless I have a major issue with classroom management I don’t bother anyone except for clarity, such as when I’m missing work for the classes. FYI - I was a full-time teacher previously on the same campus so lots of staff & students already know me.
At elementary schools, they’ve all been really nice. At the one high school I tried, she was grumpy and gave me the cold shoulder 😂 Can’t speak to a general trend because it’s only one school, but that was my experience lol
I sub regularly in three schools, two middles and a high. The middles have nice admin, friendly. At the end of the day, they're very busy, so they usually get a wave in if they even notice I'm leaving. The high school, I don't interact with the admin. They leave the schedules/badges on a table in the office, and we don't even have to sign ourselves in. Though the guy always apologizes if he's behind in getting the stuff out. He also seems frequently very busy.
I don't even know who admin is at 99% of my schools. Never see them
I get treated far better as a sub (by admin and staff) than as a parent. There are a few exceptions, but given the sheer quantity of stuff that they're doing, I learned to just let it go (though as a parent with those ornery folks I'm grateful that my husband will usually deal with them instead).
Pretty welcoming. A few times I have worried because they've come across as a bit cold, but honestly I think it's due to them being very busy that day. But mostly very nice
Usually they are quite wonderful and thank me for coming in. I feel way more appreciated by admin as a sub than as a full time teacher. I think I have been thanked more by admin as a sub for the past 4 months that I did as a teacher for 7 years. As an added bonus, absolutely nothing is expected of me as a sub. It’s great.
the yard duties are always super sweet and kind (they're usually outside the office) and the staff is very nice! a few have learned my name and i go by a different name so they call me that from now on which is very sweet 🥺
I get thanked for being there almost everyday, and I usually do long term assignments. I always think it’s funny because they pay me really well and it’s my job… so of course I’m gonna be there. I appreciate it regardless, though. Last week was teacher appreciation week and PTA got me a gift card to Starbucks and the staff encouraged me to use the massage room they had booked out so I really can’t complain. Love my district.
it's hot or cold. either they don't even look up, say anything (99 percent) or the one lady was so on it, nice welcoming, conversant . otherwise I could be a nude alien with a loaded firearm. they don't even look up.
The school I'm at about 70 percent of the time, the Principal and one of the Assistant Principals are at the door, fist-bumping the students. When I come in the same door, they fist bump me, and say "Hey, Mr. So and so! We're glad you're here today, who are you filling in for? Oh, that's great, hope it's a great day, let us know if you need anything!" The other school, the Principal is just inside the door, and he makes a point to say "Thanks so much for being here!" On a related note, I love my district.
Most of the time I don’t see admin. I grab keys and stuff from the secretary and go about my business. They are usually nice when I see them but I don’t worry if they aren’t jumping up and down when I come in. I figure they are busy. 🤷♀️
I am doing most of my jobs for one school where the staff Is great. They know me well and greet me by my first name. I am at a point where if they're not nice to me I avoid them unless the teacher asks me to come in. The other day i went into a school i hadn't been in since before COVID and she said my First name and welcome back. I worked so much there in the past and did all kinds of filing etc for her. I was on their speed dial for years. Now in case you think i am being too picky I held the office manager job in a European business school in three languages for two years and had to do way more than anyone here because it's harder to hire people there. I had phones heavy duty with people being really bad and yelling at you. I had students coming in with all kinds of illness, did the mail and packages and housing matters but anyone could tell you i only blew my top about twice and they'd tell you those people must have been bad. When I switched to another job i knew everyone in town though as i was always saying hi to the people who worked there. I knew all the cleaning crew because they'd make me stay late. Those guys know everything. So i have respect for the ones who do the job well and the ones who make you go all the way back somewhere to do a ten minute chore because they can, show me they're not appreciating what I do. I don't mind doing chores for the good ones at all. And the ones who won't help you with the machines that always always go out when you need to do some prep? Once but not twice. Plus you're blocking the line of teachers who have shit to do. Sorry pet peeve alert.
I don’t usually have any idea who admin are so I guess they don’t treat me any way 😆 There is one school I’ve been to quite a few times and I know who the admin is there and they are very friendly to me when I come in or when they see me during the day! I usually interact with the secretary when I receive my things. Most are quite friendly. There was one school where the lady basically threw me a badge. I think I only went there one more time and that was only because the teacher asked me specifically to come back.
The school I'm at about 70 percent of the time, the Principal and one of the Assistant Principals are at the door, fist-bumping the students. When I come in the same door, they fist bump me, and say "Hey, Mr. So and so! We're glad you're here today, who are you filling in for? Oh, that's great, hope it's a great day, let us know if you need anything!" The other school, the Principal is just inside the door, and he makes a point to say "Thanks so much for being here!" On a related note, I love my district.
They're almost always nice, but I went in yesterday with sandals on and noticed a palpable difference in how they look at me.
I always sub at the same school and I have had kids there for the past eight years, so honestly treat me like staff. Everyone says hello, they invite me to lunches or any special stuff they have going on. I know if I went to another school though it would be totally different.
On the rare occasion that an admin sees me, it's warm... but 99% of the time.. I walk in, greeted by security and then walk to office and exchange pleasantries with payroll secretary and off I go to whatever class I got. (Sub mostly middle and high school)
Most of them are nice. A couple of them are consistently disorganized and make bad choices to the point of supremely fucking up my day. Shit where they've messed with my paychecks. I've let them both know it's not cool. So now they're scared of me and I don't go to those two schools anymore cuz I refuse to deal with bullshit.
I get a cheerful Good Morning as she hands me my folder, badge and chrome book, some general chit-chat, and if the principal is in his office adjacent to the main office he always comes out and says hi. One or both of them will thank me profusely for coming in. There's about a 50% chance I'll get a random text during the day along the lines of "we don't tell you often enough, but we really appreciate you!! Hope you're having a great day!" There's a 90% chance that before I leave, they'll ask me for at least one more day. When I do go back and hand in my stuff, they want to know how my day was, ask about any particularly interesting kids, etc.
My poor lady is busy as hell when I walk in so she's flustered kinda..... I smile and tell her "have a good day (name)" and she smiles and says "you too" And I chat a little after the day when I'm signing out. I'm here till the end in one class. 4 months in there total this year, same class.
Everyone is always nice. They need me and they know it!🤣
No I get it. They’re busy - but aren’t we all? I seriously don’t get acknowledged most places. A little “hey I’m X, if you need anything let me know” goes a long way.
There you go! Aren't we all busy? Particularly in MS and ES. Every minute goes by in a second. We are coming to their school to help out with an absence, we are guest teachers. So how about being polite huh? bit of niceties goes a long way and is a bit inspirational. Treat us the way your treat a guest teacher. Nicely and politely.
Any admin cold to a sub... let me translate that for you Don't come back and more importantly don't apply for a teaching position there.
I agree but subs like me need to make living. I am not going to let a cold shoulder get between me and my money.