Debating on getting my sub license
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (13369)
United States
July 24, 2026 12:43am CST
I got an email today through the agency I'm hired through (I work at an elementary school, but I'm hired through an agency as a full-time paraprofessional), and they are seeking paras to get a sub license. It's not a requirement, and it's something I've always known I could do, but I have never wanted the responsibility in case they yanked us from our assignment to sub. I couldn't be a long-term sub but could sub for a day here and there. A long-term sub needs a bachelor's degree; a part-time sub only needs a high school diploma (at least in my state).
I am starting to seriously consider getting my sub license, but I wouldn't want my room teacher/teachers to know unless it was an emergency. I wouldn't mind subbing for my room; my issue is subbing for teachers I don't know well, which is why I've always hesitated on getting it. Last year I realized how much I already did when the room teacher was out, because subs often have no clue what they're doing and I end up taking over anyway, because the kids don't listen to subs; they don't always even listen to me. Whenever a teacher has a planned absence, they go over everything with me prior to their absence so I can help out if there is confusion. I don't even know where I'm going to be at next year, and even if I'm with the same kids again, I don't know the 5th grade teachers very well.
This past year a lot happened, and there were times they used me to watch the kids for brief periods of time until they found a sub. We had a teacher leave/get fired this past year, and I had to go into the classroom and handle her class and send them to the rooms they needed to go to because we had to split the class (making each of our classrooms over 30 kids). The kids didn't know she wouldn't be there, and I wasn't allowed to talk about the situation (I'm still not), not that I know much to talk about. I know a handful of things about what led up to it, but ultimately don't know the full situation. I just know that the day after, there was absolutely nothing in her classroom it was completely cleared out, and the kids didn't know what was going on and had a bunch of questions I couldn't answer. They started speculating things for themselves. I just remember standing in there and sending them with their things to the classroom they were supposed to go into while telling them I couldn't talk about anything, and that the principal would be in later to talk to them.
Our 4th and 5th grade classes rotate between three classrooms during the day so the kids have all of the teachers, but it was the homeroom class I had to deal with. In times like that, I feel like I could have helped a bit more if I had a license, but I also really didn't want to have to be put in that situation. I also really hate dealing with the computer stuff for dismissal and everything. I wish I were more outgoing than I am; it would make my life easier, but that just isn't me.
I guess I'll have to think about it some more. Right now I don't have the money to get my sub license because I'm not getting paid for summer break, and with everything going on with my husband, we have just enough to pay the bills. We haven't done much all summer; we did a few things towards the beginning of summer, but they were free/very cheap
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3 responses

@sissy15 (13369)
• United States
25 Jul
Yeah, the only thing that has stopped me from getting it is the idea that if they knew I had it, I could be pulled at random, and I don't want to sub in just any classroom. I'm ok with subbing in my room, but definitely don't want to sub in a classroom I'm unfamiliar with.
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