(insert witty sub pun here)

Reasons for an Aspie not to be a substitute teacher:

• The job, by its very nature, is not at all consistent. There is little opportunity to develop a routine. Each day is new classes, new students, new schedule, new room, maybe even new school.
  
• It can be unsettling to be the official teacher for a subject she does not know well, creating some anxiety over not looking less than intelligent.
• It requires a lot of interaction with a whole host of people she does not know. Lots of small talk and processing new information quickly.

Reasons an Aspie (with previous, successful teaching experience) might be a pretty good sub:

• Previous practice has given her confidence in her ability to maintain acceptable order in nearly any classroom.
• She will already have a number of scripts to handle varying situations, both for conversations with people and for handling information outside her areas of specialty.
  
• Her attention to detail and need to get things right means that lesson plans will be followed closely.
  
• This also translates to a conscientiousness that means she'll do more than read a book and ignore all but the loudest outbursts. She will most definitely not lose concentration long enough that some students sneak out (as happened to a different sub on the day she was at the school for an observation).

Guess what I'm doing to make a little money!

I am the newest addition to the substitute roster for Springfield Public Schools. It was much easier than the application made it out to be. And they're definitely happy to have someone who is more than just a warm body.

Two of my classes today met in the school library to work on their research papers. The head librarian admitted to me that he usually dislikes it when a teacher sends their students to the library with a sub. But he also made a point of telling me that my previous experience as a teacher was quite obvious and that I had handled the students very well. Not that the students were all that troublesome--it was mostly an issue of keeping them from talking too loudly and gently nudging them back on task. The librarian was actually disappointed to hear that I wouldn't be the teacher's sub for the remaining days he'll be out.

It has been nice for me to find a way to earn something to stretch our savings for the time being, especially since subbing pays better than the minimum-wage jobs I would otherwise be after. I've also missed being in the classroom, so this is a way to sate that.

But boy do my feet and hips ache from a day on my feet!