Member-only story
What Len Taught Me
My Mediocre Career Substitute Teaching
There was a time when I thought I might make a pretty good teacher. People told me I was kind and patient, understanding, and knowledgeable. They told me I had so many qualities of one. Then I worked as a substitute in a public school district. With most kids, in most classes, I was short-tempered, impatient, and had no idea what I was doing.
But there was one class I did pretty well in, middle school special ed. It was a whole different vibe. For one, I was not the only adult in the room. I was usually placed as a substitute aid to support the teacher, and there were always several other aids. I had a lot of help.
Two, the kids did not follow the typical school routine. They all stayed together in one room for most of the day; a few periods excepted like gym and lunch. Instead of a flow every forty-five minutes through the day of new classes who each thought it would be funny to harass the substitute, it was the same core group mostly all day. They had the first period to gawk and wonder about the substitute, but then the novelty ended, and we had the rest of the day together.
Third, I was usually the only white person in the room. Didn’t white kids have special needs? And I was always the only male adult. I frequently substituted in these classes because the women, the…
