Boot to Da Head...

Late this afternoon, I received an e-mail from one of the districts I sub for telling me that they were removing me from their sub pool. "As a result of administrative discussions regarding expectations and fit within our substitute pool, we have determined that your role is not the best match moving forward."

One one hand, I'm kind of relieved. Working with certain students and administration this District has been difficult. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.

On the other, I feel that this was done behind my back with no warning and no discussion. They are more than happy to talk amongst themselves about expectations, but not to the teacher in question. (Yeah, I get that I can be let go for any reason--maybe I expect too much in the way of character or integrity.)

I've had a few sessions where my classes ran as smooth as glass with adequate notes for the class, seating charts, and reasonably well-behaved students. Mostly, however, I've been dealing with problem classes. The last session was icing on the cake--I won't go into many details (because I could write a novel) but the best description would fit under the military designation "Charlie Foxtrot."

I replied to the e-mail asking for some clarification and information. I don't expect to be asked to come back, and I'm not sure if I would anyway.

Anyhow, I've still got work opportunities coming, so while this is a disappointment, it's not Earth-shattering. I'm doing Emergency Substituting as kind of a test-fit to see if I want to go back to school and get my full credentials. At this point, I'm still considering it; unfortunately, fiscal reality may kick in. If I have to give this up, I want to do so knowing I tried my hardest and it just didn't work.

Now that I've got that out in the open, I've got a couple of questions:

For those out there who've dealt with this before, how did you handle it?

Am I expecting too much with Administration working with teachers and providing assistance and feedback? (This district expected me to provide detailed feedback on the classes I subbed in, but was very "Meh" when I asked about my performance and how I could do better.)

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Any information, encouragement, or general critique would be appreciated.

I shall now crawl back under my rock...