Today I taught half a day for a music teacher. Imagine my surprise when I went into the room and found another music teacher there. It was a couple of music teachers who team teach. They put two classes together and work together. Consequently, he had everything planned and I basically sat there for three hours.

This is frustrating for me for three reasons:

First, and I don't say this to brag, but just because it's true---Usually I would do a better job than they are doing, and it kills me to sit there and watch. Occasionally I get a few good ideas, but not often. Today the teacher had good classroom control using a few gimmicks and the "candy box," but the kids spent most of the time listening to him recite the words of a silly program they'll be doing in the spring. He would say the words, then they'd listen to the song, then the kids would sing. Over and over. I hated to think of all the times they'd be doing this before SPRING!

Second, they don't need me, so I sit there like a dummy. This particular teacher told me he had everything planned, and they really didn't need me, but it was a rule that they had to have me. Sometimes, he said, when they can't find a sub, the teacher agrees to teach the whole class, and gets paid the sub pay. He sounded a little remorseful that I'd showed up. It makes me mad that teachers can't just cover once in a while without getting a sub OR getting more pay.

So that gets me to the third frustrating point. I start thinking of how rotten the system is that forces these rules upon teachers and subs and kids, and how if people were only generous on the one hand, and didn't take advantage of others on the other hand, we wouldn't need these rules that botch everything up.