Why Is It So Hard to Get Subs?

Why is it so hard to get subs these days?

I saw a great discussion over on Twitter where people were speculating about the different reasons that finding a sub when you're out sick or when a teacher's out sick is so difficult.

And I think there are a couple of things that are causing this, that are contributing to this, that we should be paying a lot of attention to because if we don't, these issues are going to get worse.

One of the worst issues to me is when other staff have to be pulled from their duties to cover for someone who's absent.

This is bad because it creates resentment, right?

Like, why weren't you here?

I couldn't do my job, I had to do your job instead.

So if you're like an ELL specialist or a reading specialist or a coach or an interventionist or you have some other job where you're not necessarily a homeroom teacher, then it's very tempting for whoever makes that decision to pull you from those duties and put you into a classroom And that is not what you are here to do.

And of course, I was a secondary teacher.

Secondary teachers often get pulled during their prep period, so they don't get their prep period because they're having to cover for someone else.

And yet we know people need to be out when they're sick, right?

People need to have subs.

We need to have subs in order for education to function.

So what can we do about this?

First thing, We've got to pay more, right?

It is just no secret.

Like a lot of places, fast food now, pay better than subbing.

So districts have to raise their pay rate.

That's the first thing.

The second thing is the same.

They have to raise their pay rate even more.

Even in districts where the pay has gone up, it has not gone up enough.

And I think there's a temptation for people to say, well, we did something that should do it.

Well, if you're still not able to get subs, you need to raise pay more.

The third thing I think we need to do after raising pay and then raising pay some more is provide support with behavior and not just like strategies, here's training, but we actually need to follow through as schools and have consequences for students because nobody is going to sub no matter how much it pays.

If student behavior is just unacceptable, right?

Like we have to have good student behavior.

And even in schools where behavior is normally good, there's always going to be a tendency for students to test the sub and to give the sub a hard time.

Students have to know that there are going to be consequences, that rules are going to be enforced and that they need to respect subs.

because the adults in the building are going to make them.

So those are the things that are at the top of my list.

What would make it easier for you to get subs when you need them?

Or if you are a sub or if you're thinking about subbing, what would make it a better deal?

Because I can tell for a lot of people right now, it's just not a good enough deal.

And that's why we have these shortages.

Let me know what you think.