This is my first time writing something on r/stories. Feel free to comment, I welcome constructive criticism. Thank you!

I’m currently a substitute teacher, been one for the last four years. This story also includes my brother, who himself was a substitute teacher for three years.

I didn’t alway want to become a substitute teacher. I hated school, from elementary school to college. I just wanted it to be done and over with. It was a daily chore that had to be done.

I graduated from college in 2014, a full 10 years after my high school graduation. Shows how much I hated school, right? Yes mistakes were made, I could have addressed my motivations, the balance between work and school and my mental health. Most likely I would have been in a better spot after graduation or perhaps had graduated a lot sooner than I did. I could go on in detail about all of this, but that’s for another time.

After graduating in May of 2014, I spent the next year and a half working my retail job that I had for the last 7 years. I had tried applied to a county job multiple times, and even taking the test to advance in the hiring process, but ultimately failed. My next option was to apply to state government jobs, I decided not to apply as I was not ready to make the move to the state capitol.

Around the spring of 2015, I remember my brother taking the cbest test. The cbest exam is a requirement for potential substitute teachers. It consists of writing, reading comprehension and mathematics. For someone who hasn’t taken a test in years, this can be a challenge. It was at this time my brother practically begged me to take the test. I was reluctant for much of the spring and summer. It was around early fall of the year that I caved, though I still had no interest in becoming a substitute teacher.

Come October, I was registered for the test. I even paid the late fee since I missed the initial registration date. Like I mentioned, if someone hasn’t taken a test in years, that they would be challenged by the cbest. My brother had yet to pass any section of his. He had taken it 3 previous times. On my first try, I passed the reading comprehension section. Which meant the second time I would take the cbest I would only have to take the math and writing sections.

I have to commend my brother for being encouraging of me, even as he struggled with the test. Come December, we were once again registered for the test. Once again, I paid a late fee for missing the initial registration date. The second time was the charm for me, I was ecstatic when I received the results. My brother on the other hand had to retake the test a few more times before he conquered it himself.

We wouldn’t go through the actual process of becoming substitute teachers till the summer of 2016. This included registration fees and orientations to get on with certain districts.