For the past couple of weeks I've been feeling sick. Not 'can't get out of bed' sick, but I have a runny nose and cough that never seems to go away, for a few days I had a nasty intestinal virus that made me weak and nauseous, and the constant changes of schedule have made me tired and sluggish.
Had I been in a normal teaching situation, I probably would have called in sick one of those days to recuperate. I often found that taking one day off just to sleep and relax often did a world of good for me, both physically and mentally.
But as an ATR, I can't do that. I'm told that wherever I go, I have to make a good impression. And a good impression means of course, showing up to do whatever the school wants me to do on that particular day, whether it's lunch duty, covering for a para, making photocopies, anything. On top of course covering the 5 (or 6) classes of an absent teacher. The fact that I'm sick as a dog doesn't really matter in light of this constant warning to never leave a bad impression anywhere.
I realize I'm working against a pre-conceived notion that is prevalent among teachers, administrators, and students, that since I'm a sub, I must have been a "bad" teacher. I had an administrator who outright asked me whether I hit kids or showed them pornography. I've had a teacher tell me that SHE didn't want me teaching her classes anything. Maybe they think being excessed is the same thing as being in the rubber room. I don't know.
So every day I drag myself to work, ready to make that "good impression."
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