Education experts were ask questions and express concerns about the shortage of teaching long before COVID-19 appeared on the scene, but the pandemic exacerbated the problem. With stressful working conditions, low wages and health risks, many teachers have been making his exit — and with a particularly acute shortage of substitute teachersIt has been difficult to find long-term solutions.
Many schools and districts, including mine, struggling to find quick solutions to keep the doors open during the height of the pandemic and after.
In an agreement reached between the New York City Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers, a new position — paraprofessional classroom manager (PCM) — was created as a temporary solution to allow paraprofessionals (paras) like me to fill in for classroom teachers. This gave attendees the opportunity to step up and cover a class when necessary, and gave administrators a cushion to fall back on for coverages.
The role of the PCM was an additional responsibility for paras. A PCM maintained all of his responsibilities as an assistant while critically expanding his role: he could teach a class without a supervising teacher in the event of an emergency. The title came with a stipend and if the PCM was asked to do more than five emergency coverages in a term, there was additional compensation.
I applied for the position, was accepted, and served as a PCM from October 2020 to June 2022. During that period, I continued my duties as an assistant, ensuring that the students I worked with met the goals and mandates of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). ). If there was a class to cover, they would ask me to teach it. That happened frequently (according to the records I kept while I was a PCM, I covered 97 classes).
He was excited about the new job. After all, it offered me the opportunity to see how I would feel about leading a classroom, and it came with a pay raise. But I soon learned that the position had little support and quickly led to burnout.
This experience gave me a glimpse into the challenges that substitute teachers face and I am convinced that things must change. Educational leaders must reimagine what it means to be a substitute teacher, design systems and resources to support the people who do this important work, and take additional steps to foster a sense of belonging and community for substitutes in our schools.
Substituting
Living life as a para and sub was difficult and the first year was the hardest. Health and safety guidelines changed daily. Some teachers were leaving and others said they were sick. Every day it seemed like we were putting out fires and there was no time to breathe.
But it was not only difficult because of the pandemic. Even once the dust settled and we weren’t facing daily emergencies, work had obstacles. I was expected to change my daily schedule at the drop of a hat, it was difficult to set expectations with students when they knew I would only be there for a short time, and there was a real lack of support.
My time as a substitute gave me an inside look at the ways educators are thrust into situations for which they are not adequately equipped or prepared. One of the first signs that this new role was going to be exhausting was the fact that I rarely knew in advance if I would cover a class. It was common for me to be notified that I was needed as a substitute the day and, in many cases, just a few minutes before the children entered the classroom. Each day was drastically different from the last, especially in that first year.
Fortunately, I had several factors in my favor. First, I was able to draw on my experience in the classroom to help inform my practices as a substitute teacher. Additionally, she already had pre-existing relationships with most of the students before substituting for them in her classroom and knew what classroom management style worked for them. These are luxuries that most submarines cannot afford. Still, I struggled to form deeper connections with students, engage them while implementing lesson plans on the fly, and hold them to high standards when they knew I likely wouldn’t be there next time. day.
However, what really stood out to me was that even in this very specific case where a role was created to solve a critical problem, there was a lack of preparation. I did not have to attend training or professional development to become a PCM. I remember wondering: How can schools and districts expect to retain substitutes if they don’t equip them with the tools necessary to set them up for success?
Amid the chaos of 2020 and its aftermath, I found reasons to come to work every day. Mostly, I found purpose in knowing that the teacher shortage was hard on students and that I could help. If a substitute could not be found, classes were often split; special classes that students loved like music, art, and physical education were canceled; and too often, special education teachers in co-teaching settings were pulled for coverage and students lost out. By stepping in, I was supporting the students and they were excited to have me there. Hearing them shout “Today we have Mr. Parra!” when they realized I was going to be a substitute was what got me through the day.
My colleagues were also a source of comfort. I was at the end of my rope and in my conversations with my colleagues I began to understand that I was not alone in what I felt. Being under constant pressure to perform at pre-pandemic levels was proving too much. The world had changed and my job was fundamentally different. It seemed as if the only ones who didn’t seem to get that memo were the district leaders.
In the fall of 2022, about a month into the school year, my principal told me that the PCM position had effectively been dissolved. The additional compensation I depended on to help support my family was withdrawn quickly and without official notice, and my time as a teacher came to an end.
In my eight years as a paraprofessional, I have often felt undervalued, underpaid, and all too often forgotten, but education is the field I have dreamed of working in for as long as I can remember. This opportunity gave me a taste of what it would be like to have my own class and opened my eyes. Some days I could imagine becoming a teacher and other days I wondered if I could realistically continue down this path without substantial changes to workforce conditions.
Time to change
After this experience, I can say that it is no surprise that the shortage of substitutes has gone on for so long. As it exists today, it’s not a very attractive job.
If school and district leaders want to retain the replacements they already have and attract strong new candidates, they must start thinking about bold changes that could lead to long term solutions. These could include offering comprehensive training and continuing professional development; increase salaries and benefits for substitute teachers; and establish a support system to foster a substitute teacher’s ability to develop stronger bonds with students and colleagues to better equip them to enter the classroom.
Unfortunately, these changes are not happening quickly enough. Educators at all levels are being pushed to the limit. Many are even leaving the profession and shortage persists.
I often hear district leaders and education policymakers praise the work educators do day after day and talk about how our children deserve the most qualified teachers. My request is that you back up your words with actions. And my hope is that as you work hard to find solutions, you recognize that substitute teachers are an integral part of the educational system and that our children also deserve the most qualified and prepared substitute teachers.
