The most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done in my life as far as earning a living is concerned has been substitute teaching. I substitute taught in the Iowa City/Coralville/North Liberty area in 2010 and 2011. The reason I left is because it was not lucrative enough for me at the time. I vowed that if I were ever in a position to substitute teach again, I was going to do it. With some loans out of the way, my best friend Joel Straube as my roommate helping me pay bills and being able to UBER at night and on the weekends, I’m in that position now.
March 3rd, 2016 will be my last day at Iowa One Call. It is extremely ironic, circumstantial and surreal that, that is the day that my boss asked me to stay till. March 3rd, 1998 was the day my sister Sydney died and for nearly 18 years that date has represented negative/pessimistic feelings. I am hoping that this is a sign, a premonition of change. A change for the positive, that says March 3rd, now represents a positive/optimistic time in my life.
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
Many reasons. I love substitute teaching. I want to put more time into reading and writing. I want to put time and energy into learning and perfecting my writing so that I can finally become a professionally published novelist. This will allow to me do that. I want to go to the gym more often. This will allow me to do that. I want to be more involved in things, theatre, comedy, story telling events, ect. There may be some opportunities to get back into professional wrestling. This will allow me to do that.
I have made decisions and sacrifices in my life, so that I could one day live the type of life I wanted to live. I have a college degree, and I’m currently not using it. This would allow me to use it. This would be me putting my college degree to use, in a way that benefits me most. I walked out of college $48,000 in debt. I’ve paid off $32,250 already and I have $15,750 to go. I don’t want to look at that number in vain anymore. I want it to have meaning and purpose. Substitute teaching, gives it meaning and purpose.
I also made up my mind to never get married and to never have kids, which lead to a very heartbreaking and depressing breakup between myself and my last girlfriend Melissa. I didn’t go through that for nothing. I didn’t lose my cats for nothing. That will also not be in vain. I decided I didn’t want to have kids because I wanted a life where I could put my time and energy into being who I wanted to be. I want to as I said before put my time, energy and focus into improving as a writer, to one day be professionally published. This will allow to do that. I also want to put more time and energy into takedownwrestle.com and be more readily available to attend and cover events. This will allow me to do that. I also want to have more time for Ashley. This will allow me to do that.
HOW DO I KNOW I”LL GET WORK EVERYDAY?
Between Des Moines, Martensdale St Marys, Ankeny, Urbandale, Norwalk, West Des Moines, Southeast Polk, Johnston, Dallas Center Grimes, Earlham, ADM, PCM and Colfax Mingo community school districts, there are 166 schools within a 40 minute or less drive of my house. According to a study done in May of 2015, in the Des Moines community school district alone, they were short between 30-35 substitutes a day in both 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. I’m not too worried about it. If school is in session, I’ll have the ability to substitute.
THIS WILL BE A PAYCUT RIGHT?
Yeah, maybe, but not nearly as significant of one as you might imagine. Licensed Substitutes (Which is what I am) in this area make $130 a day, which I imagine will equal out to be about $110 a day. (I say that because it was $100 in Iowa City, and after taxes/IPERS/ect I made about $85 a day.) If I Sub everyday I’ll make $2,200 in a month from subbing. Plus, I’ll be able to UBER a lot more. Only working 15 hours a weekend right now, I’m averaging about $200-$250 a weekend. I plan on putting in more time, like 20-25 hours a weekend and hoping for an extra $100-$150. If I can make $300 a weekend, that’s an extra $1,800 a month. I can potentially make $4,000 a month. I make $2,544 a month right now from Iowa One Call.
YEAH BUT THAT’S NOT STEADY INCOME…..WHAT ABOUT THE PERIOD OF TIME WHEN SCHOOL IS NOT IN SESSION?
Schools in this area operate from August 25th to June 2nd. Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March, April and May I’ll be ok. I’ve also been informed that schools do anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks of Summer School, and they are often looking for people to help teach. I hope to be able to get on as a summer school teacher. According to many people I’ve talked to, teachers don’t like dealing with Summer School and they are always looking for help. Theoretically, if the summer school deal does not work out, I’ll have a period of 13 weeks where I will not be able to sub. That is scary and that is what makes doing this a risk. It makes me wish that schools in Iowa operated year round. They don’t.
As I said before my hope is that I can get on teaching summer school and turn that 13 weeks into 9 or 7 weeks.
If not, this is where the risk comes in. I plan on being a bit more frugal and saving up and I will also be relying on UBER being good for me. Between the middle of June and the middle of August I may have to UBER my ass off. In order to make ends meet I’ll need to make the equivalent $75 a day or $525 a week. I don’t think that’ll be a problem. I really don’t. Unlike Iowa City, which relied heavily upon college kids for business, I think UBER will continue to be good on the weekends throughout the summer. I have faith and I have confidence that it will.
I still may be employed by Iowa One Call in January and February. I told Craig that I loved doing the ESAP meetings and if they needed someone to help out with them, I’d be more than glad to. He told me that he would seriously consider that as a possibility. So, there is a chance next year in Jan and Feb of 2017, I would work for Iowa One Call a couple of times a week.
WHAT ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE?
Actually, Iowa One Call doesn’t offer me health insurance. It never has. If I substitute in the Des Moines Community school district (which has 75 schools) at least 3/5 days a week (which I think is very doable) I am eligible for their health insurance program.
Yes, I am well aware that there are no guarantees here. I’m well aware that this could blow up in my face and not work out. It is why they call it a risk! Yes, I’m scared and yes I second guess myself, BUT I know what I want out of life. I know who and what I want to be. I know the type of life I want to live. This is it. I want to be a substitute teacher, UBER driver, writer/radio co-host for takedownwrestle.com and hopefully one day a professionally published novelist.
As far as I’m concerned this is the only life I have, so I might as well do everything I can to get as much out of it as I can, and to achieve as much as I can.
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