"You Don't Have a Real Job"

August 13-17
Current Place of "Residence" The Belden Stratford. Though, most of my wardrobe is in my car.
Subbed? No.
Total times I wanted to say "fuck" Astronomically high
Total times "fuck" was said Too many to count


I'm going to start this blog off with a complete cliche because that's what this blog is about: a teacher who doesn't make enough money. If I had a nickel for every one who told me that I shouldn't be a teacher, I would have enough nickels to build half of a statue of Jefferson. If I had a nickel for every time someone laughed when I said that I am trying to teach Social Studies I could complete that statue of Jefferson and every other president in Mount Rushmore, so to say that I am surprised that I don't have a full time teaching would be a complete and utter lie.  This does not change the fact that, to use very non teacher language, it blows.

I have two main goals right now and I intend to write this blog until both are complete:
1) Make enough money to find a place to live in the city I intend to teach in (Chicago)
2) Make connections to attain a full time job in Chicago Public Schools.



Currently the job that I have is called a "Day-to-Day Substitute Teacher." What this means is that every day I have to call in to a hotline to say that I am available to work the next day and the following day I might get called in to a school to sub. I would like to highlight a few parts of that sentence so that they really sink in. I have to call in every day to let the main office know I can work the next day. Once I make that call there is only a chance that I work. There is no guarantee. The final twist in the game that we call "Day-to-Day Substitute Teaching" is that I can get called into any school in the entire Chicago Public School district. At six-twenty in the morning I could receive a call that tells me to go to 3400 S Archer and the next day I could get a call at seven telling me that I need to be at 4200 N Clifton the very next day. The reason that I make this point is to illustrate the necessity of staying in the city.

However, as I've pointed out previously there's the whole money issue.

This is where the nomad part of the title comes into play. Since my last lease ran out (around the same time that my student loan money ran out) I have been staying with friends on their couches. First off, thank you to those kind enough to house me. Your generosity will be repaid, though likely not monetarily. Sorry about that. Currently I am staying with a friend at the most luxurious apartment complex that I've ever been in. I walk in and feel like a lost hobo.  The rooftop has an amazing view of the city, it's right by the zoo, and there is a doorman twenty-four hours a day. Don't worry, they hired the most judgmental one to work the graveyard shift so even if I class it up to go out, when I get back I'll have someone to put me in my place. Next time he sees me stumbling home around two in the morning I'm going to tell him that he can either judge or join. I won't actually say that, but I'll think it. Just like I think it every time.

This has been an overly-long introduction to my blog and I hope that I've accurately set the stage. Expect posts from every day that I end up subbing. They will be more teaching-focused and probably more entertaining. I also want to close each of these with the lesson that I learned on that particular day.

When trying to find a place to stay once I left my apartment, I initially felt timid. I never desired to be a burden on someone else. However, when push came to shove I realized that I will never get that which I don't ask for.

Lesson 1: Closed mouths don't get fed.