Substitute Teacher Says She Hid Under Her Desk To Avoid Being Asked To Work Overtime
“I was ready to fake a neurological event or shamelessly crawl away.”
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock A substitute teacher on Reddit confessed to adopting an unconventional approach to dodge overtime and avoid workplace stress — hiding under her desk.
This substitute teacher hid under her desk to avoid being asked to work overtime in a ‘problematic’ classroom.
The woman admitted that as a sub she has the freedom to choose her schedule, including when she arrives, leaves, and what classrooms she teaches. “My position is naturally semi-flexible by nature,” she explained. “Pay isn’t great. No benefits, but I get to pick the assignment.”
On this specific day, she picked a relatively easy schedule, knowing she wanted to enjoy the nice spring weather and beat the horrible “carpool line” traffic after school.
fast-stock | Shutterstock
I had a "double lunch period and early release,” she added. “But, then I got a call over the intercom.”
After calling her name over the speaker in her classroom, administrators made the mistake of forgetting to turn off the button, allowing her to catch their conversation.
Not only did they want her to stay late without extra pay, but they also wanted her to take over for a particularly problematic classroom after a teacher left sick.
While it varies state by state, substitute teachers are generally paid a daily rate. On the occasion that they are paid hourly, overtime is an option, but in this case, she was under no obligation to take on more tasks than she was contracted to do.
After she heard she was going to be asked to work overtime, the substitute teacher shamelessly locked her door and slid under her desk.
"The door was locked already as per policy. I made a quick decision," she wrote. "I sprang up, turned off the lights, and hid under the desk."
She quietly finished her sandwich and anxiously awaited their knocks on her door. After they arrived, knocking a few times, they were interrupted by a teacher next door who let them know she’d “probably left for lunch.”
Andrey_Popov | Shutterstock
"I know they could open doors (with the master key), and I [prepared] myself to curl into a ball and fake a neurological event or attempt to sneak-crawl away like a shameless, sneaky little newt," she admitted. "But it never came. No one opened the door."
After overhearing administration tell a nearby teacher “not let her leave” if he saw her, she quickly arranged her things and waited for the lunch bell to ring and the students and faculty to disperse.
"I frigging BOOKED IT out the back door and ran as fast as I could (without being suspicious) to my vehicle," she continued. "I tore out of the parking lot and down the road like the office ladies would be behind me in hot pursuit any minute — but they never were."
Despite the abnormal way she enforced her ‘boundaries,’ many commenters celebrated the teacher for refusing to be overworked without compensation.
While not everyone approved of her methods, teachers and other professionals under the post admitted “they’d do the same thing” if they knew it’d help them avoid extra unpaid work.
Andrey_Popov | Shutterstock
Considering how many teachers are leaving the profession due to the low salary, unhealthy workload, and toxic expectations, it's unsurprising that many districts are turning to part-time substitute teachers to fill the gaps. These substitutes deserve the same pay, respect, and acknowledgment that full-timers are begging for.
"Sounds like you pulled off the perfect escape plan," one commenter wrote. "Sometimes, you’ve just got to protect your sanity and lunch!"
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.