Whenever I accept a sub assignment, I am given the expected assignment length. It ends up being something like 10:55-2:30 or 11:46 to 3:15 or 7:20-2:30. Given these odd numbers, it's hard to gauge how much prep time or concluding time is factored in. Generally, I aim to arrive fifteen minutes before a given assignment time. This continues to prove quite helpful in two particular ways.
The first is the obvious reasoning: creating a good impression and giving one a safety net of prep time. In one instance, the start time was 7:45. At 7:30 I was in the classroom reading over the sub notes. There I found that the teacher had an AM duty at 7:45--which I would have been late for had I gotten into the classroom at 7:45 AM. In another instance, the teacher was leaving for a half day meeting which meant that I could have a little face-to-face action with the teacher, as well as get some instruction verbally rather than just through the sub note. I was early for her class again a couple days later and received a gushing "You're early again! I love that about you!"
The second way in which being early is helpful is a little less suck-up-to-the-classroom-teacher-ish. Being early is extremely valuable because you never know what will happen. The life of a substitute is completely based on variable. Someone is called for jury duty, has a meeting, has a sick child, etc. etc. and needs a sub. I might have a teacher ask me to sub for her two weeks in advance, two days in advance, or have a phone call me about subbing at 7:45 AM when it's already 8 AM. I am employed in multiple districts and could be with a different age group, subject matter, and/or district any day of the week. These are all fairly obvious aspects of being a sub.
Here's another obvious truth: it snows in Minnesota. A lot--and Minneapolis isn't particularly good at clearing snow out promptly. About a week ago I speculated as to whether I really needed to leave as soon as I'd intended. I decided that it wouldn't hurt and began my drive, finding the school readily. It was situated on a one-way street in Minneapolis, and I missed the turn in to the parking lot. I turned into a residential street in order to loop around again. The roads were white with snow and I saw clusters of hipsters at regular intervals digging out their cars from the weekend snowfall. Between the parked cars and the rest of the street, each residential street could only really accommodate one-way travel. I prepared to turn right to loop back to the school and I saw a van coming from that very street. Knowing that the roads were made especially narrow by the snow, I made my turn quite sharply--into a mush of tire-induced peaks of snow. I had significantly slowed into the turn and found myself stuck.
Apparently the Minnesota Nice was turned down that day, and many people passed me as I analyzed the situation of my car--stuck on the corner of a residential street in the snow two blocks from my substitute assignment. I retrieved the shovel my father had graciously placed into my trunk and began digging around the tires. Some clever digging around each of the tires was all I needed. I entered my car again and successfully navigated it out. Just in time--for a man had slowed his truck and was about to offer his help. As much as I felt helpless at the beginning of this event, I really don't like help from strangers. So I'll judge them when they don't offer help and refuse their help when they do (but at least I'll think them nice).
I then successfully drove my car to the school and parked it in the appropriate lot and fell on the ice as I walked to the school. But all of that aside--I was signing in at the office five minutes early.
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