OT walks into a room and . . . is expected to hit the ground running. What can we do better to flip the script from “movie day” and “just a supply” back to “A vital part of the team”?

Louise Allison, Daily Occasional Teacher (By Choice), Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Thank you for this not unchallenging question, Louise. Admittedly, it took me a moment to figure out what “OT” meant. Till now, that’s not a term I’d heard. So, thank you for expanding my vocabulary.

The occasional teacher. The guest teacher. The substitute teacher. 

What to do? What to do? What to do?

Some OT’s want to fully fit the function, to be a vital part of the team. Some want, it seems, to be somewhere in between–not too involved but not not involved. And some, frankly, just simply want to hit play on movie day. 

And the same is true on the other end. Some T’s want a fully-invested proxy. Some want the Goldilocks “just-right” stand-in. And some–no less frankly–want the “play” pusher.

I have been all three of these teachers. And I have had all three of these occasional teachers.

And, as such, it makes me wonder if it’s not a matter of fitting the script to the occasion(-al teacher). 

That said, I think it can/should be more, but I’m not sure how we get there. 

~sy