Re: substitute teaching in Tacoma area

On 7/16/08, Hawaii teacher wrote:
> Hi, I am an elementary teacher in Hawaii, currently
> teaching kindergarten. I have my MEdT degree (Master's of
> Education in Teaching), and a BFA (Fine Arts - Ceramics).
> I'm entering my fourth year of teaching.
>
> I will be moving to the Tacoma area in spring or summer
> 2009. Recently I was looking at the Tacoma Public School
> site, and I think the Office of the Superintendent site to
> gather information. I did come across online application
> information, as well as email addresses for more info. I
> see that I can apply for a substitute teaching certificate.
>
> What is the process like, for substitute teachers? Do you
> apply to the district? The schools themselves? Are there
> priority substitute lists (like we have in Hawaii)? Is
> there a limit to how many substitute teachers they take?
> Can you get steady work being a substitute?
>
> I'm just thinking that substituting will be a way to see
> what the schools are like.
>

> Thanks for any help any of you can provide. I appreciate
> it!

I'm currently a substitute within the Tacoma School District.
The process for becoming a substitute is found on the
district website and is fairly uncomplicated. The easiest
method is to do the online application, make sure that you
have a placement file, fingerprints, transcripts,etc. Once
your application is complete and they check your references-
which takes about 3 weeks, you will be contacted to do a
short training at the HR office. Immediately upon
completion of this training you are in the substitute system
and you will either be called by phone, or you can check for
assignments online. I personally have had great success
within this school district. I enjoy being able to book
assignments in advance online. Since the school year has
started in September I have had the opportunity to work each
day. I too am new to the Tacoma area so this has been a
great way for me to get to know the area as well as each of
the schools! I have also spoken with other subs who have
been doing this longer than me and they mention that you can
pretty much work everyday, also most teachers that I have
met say that they were able to get hired because of the
connections they made while subbing.