As schools cope with substitute teacher shortages, I signed up for the job. Here’s what I learned.

IDAHO FALLS — Almost every school district in eastern Idaho is facing a substitute teacher shortage.

COVID-19, the job market and other factors have schools begging for teacher fill-ins and Karen Bass, who has been substituting for decades, hasn’t seen anything like this before.

“I started substituting in 1989. From the first day of this school year, unless I have taken the day off, I have worked every single day,” Bass tells EastIdahoNews.com.

Bass has taught every grade and every subject. She’s even been a full-time teacher with her own classroom, but substituting is what she prefers.

“I love to teach. I never want my own classroom again as long as I live,” she says. “I don’t have to do grades, I don’t have to bring papers home to grade, I don’t have to do parent-teacher conferences. … I can take time off when I need to, and if I ever get a class that I really don’t like, I don’t have to go back.”

School districts would love to have more substitutes like Bass. Districts have been forced to cancel school because of teacher shortages. Some days there aren’t enough subs to cover teacher absences so other staff members in schools take over classes, principals step in to cover and other teachers will give up their prep hours to fill in.

“Absolutely we need more. If we could add another 20, 30 would be magnificent,” says Idaho Falls School District 91 Assistant Superintendent Kelly Coughenour. “This year has been difficult and a challenge, but it’s also been a very awesome thing to see (staff members) just rally together and make it so our kids can come to school.”

Every school in D91 has its own substitute teacher plan, and just this year, the district increased substitute pay and introduced bonuses, and reimbursement options are now offered for training.

Certified substitute teachers make $12.71 an hour in D91 while those with a bachelor’s degree make $12.50, and subs with a high school degree make $11.88 per hour. Once substitutes put in 40 hours of teaching per month, they receive a $150 bonus, and if they work 80 hours a month, they receive $200.

My experience substitute teaching

After learning about the substitute teacher shortage and reporting on school cancelations, I decided to sign up and see what the job is really like.

The process was surprisingly simple. I went on the D91’s website, filled out an application and was called in a few days later for an interview.

The district did a background check, my fingerprints and photo were taken, I watched some instructional videos and completed training online.

Everything took about two hours total, and once I was cleared to teach, my information was entered into a secure website that let me know which classes were available to teach on specific days. I received an email every time a teacher requested a substitute, and there were a lot of options.

I could have easily picked up several assignments immediately, but I decided to go with a first-grade class at Fox Hollow Elementary.

The day before, I sat down with Bass for some advice.

“Be there 15 minutes early so you can look at the teacher’s lesson plans. When you introduce yourself to the kids, tell them you’re going to leave a letter for the teacher, and you really want them to get a good letter so they’ll behave and enjoy yourself,” she told me.

With that, I was ready and – I’ll be honest – a little nervous.

I did not want to distract the kids with a camera in the classroom and promised not to report any identifying names or information about the students or teachers at the school. After all, I was here as a teacher – not a reporter – so I’ll have to tell you about the day rather than show you.

My assignment had me arriving at Fox Hollow by 7:45 a.m. I checked in at the office, and the principal walked me to the classroom, where I was introduced to a neighboring teacher who told me she was there to help if I needed anything.

The lesson plans were sitting on the teacher’s desk along with packets, worksheets, books and other items I would need for the day. The plans were detailed with information about certain students with special needs, hour-by-hour instructions of what to do and helpful suggestions on how to handle certain situations.

I began the day by taking attendance and asking whether students were having hot or cold lunch. The kids were helpful in getting that information to the office, and I was not afraid to ask them for help.

We said the pledge of allegiance, worked on spelling and reading – and other teachers, aides and the principal were right there if I needed anything.

An aide came in to administer a test on the students’ Chromebooks, and they played some math games until lunchtime. There wasn’t enough time to leave for lunch, so I had packed one with me and enjoyed some quiet time in the classroom.

After lunch, the students were quite energetic, and we spent time working on a geometry packet – matching shapes and drawing squares, triangles and circles. As expected, some kids needed more attention than others, but most stayed focused on their work.

Before long, it was time for afternoon recess, and I, along with another teacher, were assigned to outside duty.

After helping a boy who fell on the ice, encouraging kids to share the ball and a fun game of tag, it was back inside for a Groundhog Day activity.

The kids figured it out more quickly than I did, and we had some time left before the bell rang, so we cleaned up. I told them some stories from my reporting career. Before I knew it, the bell rang, and it was time to go home.

I walked the class outside to the bus area and went back to the classroom, where I left a note for the teacher. I straightened things up and left the school around 2:15 p.m.

Substitute teaching for the day was a great experience and reminded me that every student learns differently, has specific needs and is special. I witnessed that teachers work hard, help each other, want to make each lesson count and at the end of a tiring day, there is always more that needs to be done (like lesson plans for the next day).

What surprised me most is how quickly I bonded with the students. Maybe it’s because I’m a dad of a first-grader, but I really loved the kids in my class. I’ve found myself thinking about them over the past few days and wondered how they are doing. I even emailed their permanent teacher and offered to come back as a guest speaker.

How you can substitute

If you are looking for a flexible job that allows you to choose your schedule and gives you some variety every day, substitute teaching is the way to go. Positions are available in nearly every school district in eastern Idaho and you can find out more at the links below:

• Idaho Falls School District 91
• Bonneville Joint School District 93
• Jefferson School District 251
• Madison School District 321
• Fremont School District 215
• Ririe School District 252
• Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25
• Blackfoot School Distirct 55
• Snake River School Distirct 52
• West Jefferson School Distdrict 253
• Teton School District 401