Author: Cathy Crocco

Cathy Crocco (She/her) has been a substitute teacher in the Chicago Public Schools since 2017. While she wishes that she could say that what drew her to substitute teaching was a love of teaching random subjects and a passion for educating the next generation the truth is that she was drawn to the steady paycheck and flexibility that substitute teaching in one of the largest school districts in the US provides. She enjoys her job most days and finds it is not all that dissimilar from her true passion of working in theater as a director, stage manager, and performer- both jobs provide ample opportunities for her to say “no” and be ignored no matter what she says. They also provide her the opportunity to lead and guide minds of all ages and help people discover their own passions and strengths.

This CPS Sub Will Be Keeping Her Masks On, And Hopes Others Will, Too

We’re all struggling with heightened anxiety these days. And for subs, the nature of our job is not conducive to relaxation. Simply being a substitute teacher in Chicago Public Schools is not a job for someone who relies on order and predictability. Most of the time you are expected to just jump in and get to work, making sure that 15 or 30 or 50 children somewhere between the ages of 4 and 21 have a relatively successful school day and learn something, and that nobody gets hurt or dies in the process.