There are a plethora of different substitute teachers that have come to Central Hardin, some beloved by students and some that are loathed just from the mention of their name. No matter which sub you get, they all follow some sort of stereotype when it comes to how they run the classroom while the teacher is gone. Some are social, some introverted and most don’t want to be there as much as you. That’s why I believe among them all, the more common type of sub is the “I don’t care” sub.
“I don’t care” subs are usually beloved by students not because of their personality or wit, but because they simply don’t care. They give you the work that the teacher left you and then they leave you alone for the rest of the class. Subs like this usually aren’t bothered about where you sit, if you talk with your friends, or even do your work at all. They’re just there to supervise you, do their job, and leave. Having one of these subs guarantees you a free period that you can use to catch up on work, finish assignments for other classes, or just take a well deserved break.
Another type of sub less relaxed than the previous that seems to be becoming more rare as years go on is the “boot camp” sub. These subs are strict and all about business. They follow teacher instructions down to a T and have a zero tolerance for anything outside of that. Having a class with one of these subs usually results in multiple people being sent down to the principal’s office and it can be hard to breathe in an environment such as this especially when you finish the teacher’s work for the day and you try and finish something from another class. These subs might not be the most fun to have, but at least they’re passionate about their job.
“Unnoticed” subs are some of the nicest and sweetest people that are completely disregarded by students. In fact, I dedicate this entire paragraph to one of my favorite subs-turned-teacher at West Hardin Middle School, Rachel Witten. These subs attempt to make your class fun by interacting with students and Witten would even play games with students when they were finished with classwork. However, these subs are usually treated with the most blatant disrespect that I’ve ever experienced and I make an effort to show that I am listening and participating whenever I have one of these subs so that they know that they aren’t being completely ignored. These subs are by far my favorites even if most students don’t care for them.
A final sub stereotype, and definitely among my favorites of all of them are “life story” subs. Subs like this are typically listened to by students, but not because they’re trying to teach in an entertaining way, but because they have some of the most unique and out of the ordinary stories that they share about their life. These stories are usually brought on by the sub overhearing students talking about certain topics and the entire class is entirely taken over by their captivating tales of adult life after high school. Subs like this can make a boring free period turn into a free period with a free podcast.
These stereotypes cover almost all, if not completely all, of the stereotypes that apply to substitute teachers and if you have any other categories that you think fit feel free to comment them on this article and provide your opinion I’d be happy to read your feedback.
