Supplemental

I didn’t know what a supplemental position was when I accepted the call. Sometimes it is called student advisor or campus supervisor. Warning: avoid these positions! Even the men who have worked this job complain of sore feet. You have to walk around the campus all day with a radio and encourage stragglers to go back to class.

I saw a couple of students walking around holding hands, like they were going for a stroll in the park. By this time – it was the end of the day – I was too exhausted to do anything. I was literally sitting in the rain feeling the cold in my bones. I just smiled and nodded at them as they paraded past.My objective at this point was avoiding the principal myself!

When I accepted the job, I thought I would be relieving teachers who had to go to meetings or attend IEP conferences. I was not dressed for outdoor work. It was cold and rainy. I walked all day. My fingers felt cold inside my gloves. I was not given the keys to the campus supervisor’s office. I imagined on cold days she would have ducked inside occasionally to sip some warm coffee.

The principal and vice-principal would go out at breaks and lunch and walk around smiling and greeting the students. But I was the only one who stayed out in the rain and cold for the entire day. I wondered if anyone really grasped the significance of what was happening to me.