Substitute teacher likes having choices

When she’s not working as a substitute teacher, Amber Cox enjoys spending time at the park with her daughter, Sophie Vasquez.

“I substitute teach. The school district has a portal where you can log in and pick your jobs. Every morning the schools post whatever teachers they have out. You kind of never know what you’re going to get.

“I try to avoid elementary school and junior high at all costs. In elementary school, they are a little too needy and you have to walk them everywhere. I spend enough time keeping up with my own, so I don’t really want to have to do it all day and then come home and do it some more. Junior high is hit or miss. You have good days and bad days with them. It depends on the mood that they wake up in. High school, I like them the best. They’re the most self-sufficient. And for the most part, they listen pretty well.”

Would you like to teach full time?
“Nooo. I like things just the way they are. It gives me something to do and a little extra income. Plus, I still have time to stay home with her. Like recently, she hasn’t been feeling great, so we’ve stayed home from school some days. It’s nice that I don’t have to use sick days. I just don’t sign up for anything that day. It’s all good.”

— Amber Cox