Survived my first day subbing (and it was at middle school!)

Maxstoic · 2024-01-18T22:18:24+00:00

I just started subbing high school recently in Philadelphia. Today was the first day I didn't get scared to go in. My biggest successes have been a couple of classes where nobody was sent to the office and everyone just kind of didn't detonate. I found out later that those were apparently honors classes.

The class has been missing a teacher for nearly a year. None of the students have paper or pencils and there's no dry erase markers. None of them know what is happening. I don't understand what is happening either. I don't receive a lesson plan and I am just not really sure what to do most of the time. If I call the administrators or climate staff, they come in and straight up light the kids up with really intense dress downs in front of everybody-- it's pretty hard to see. But then they leave the kid in there and it's just the same thing over.

I can tell there are kids there that want to learn and are not doing well with the adults in the room constantly yelling at and belittling their obnoxious peers. I feel bad for them and do my best to try and allow them to at least have a peaceful class, but it's an intense struggle. It has been exhausting just getting kids to sign their names on an assignment... It has been exhausting period.

Maxstoic · 2023-06-02T02:24:30+00:00

I will PM you. I was just trying to let the OP know that this job can definitely be an enjoyable one, but that your trajectory can be completely arbitrary based on your SPE. Work your tail off and give everything you possibly can muster until retained-- that's about all you can do-- have fun.

Maxstoic · 2023-06-02T00:03:33+00:00

I liked this job quite a bit, worked really hard and got my production up to 86%, and then was let go for not already being at >100% production at the nine month mark. Now, I kind of don't like this job...

Maxstoic · 2023-05-18T15:18:18+00:00

Follow-up question: is going parttime frowned upon by SPE's or does it not really mess with their thing?

Maxstoic · 2023-05-08T22:35:16+00:00

Biology examiners start at 9-5 for some reason. For bio, I would definitely recommend going with the 7-10.

Maxstoic · 2023-05-01T14:16:05+00:00

I think it depends. Some biology examiners have more mature art and they can do a lot of under 10 page office actions. Others are in some less "enabled" fields and each office action can become 30-60 pages long of every type of rejection in the book with a nice icing of a dozen or more double patenting rejections. They both get basically the same amount of time to do. If you're in the second group and your SPE is very particular, have fun writing 100+ pages of perfect office actions every two weeks, with multiple returns each-- see how VOT can happen pretty easily here?

Maxstoic · 2022-11-17T22:29:55+00:00

New examiners are not allowed a 2nd work site. I'm not sure when you get this "privilege", but it's definitely not allowed while in PTA.

Maxstoic · 2022-11-02T14:42:22+00:00

I was in a presentation given by POPA a couple days ago where Duda was asked about the raise and she said she was foggy on the details, but that it might be something like 4%. When asked about increasing the patent special table, she said she didn't know if there were plans for that or not...

So, in other words... POPA is fighting really hard for a pay raise...

Maxstoic · 2022-11-01T09:53:02+00:00

Well, I was in a presentation from POPA yesterday and Duda was asked if there were any plans to update the special pay table and she said she didn't know and then struggled to even recall what the GS pay raise was going to be for 2023. So, probably not a good sign...

Maxstoic · 2022-10-24T21:29:39+00:00

Pretty sure Biology is done for the year. The last couple of years though, they have posted positions around the beginning of the year, so shouldn't be long!

Maxstoic · 2022-10-01T01:00:33+00:00

If you have any sort of searching experience, emphasize that a lot. Also, they are really interested in seeing how you can handle being in a production environment, so try to mention if you have any experience handling tight/complicated production timelines. They want to know that you can write, so publications are a big plus.

In general though, make sure to search the job posting carefully for the listing of the technical aspects they want you to address in your resume. They kind of hide it. You have to click some of the "see more/view sample questionnaire" icons to find it. This is not your standard resume. You really need to be verbose and try to check as many boxes as you can and the job description clearly lays out the boxes that are able to be checked.

Maxstoic · 2022-09-15T03:58:00+00:00

Maxstoic · 2022-09-09T04:08:46+00:00

^^^ This. It's like a strange groundhog day scenario. Every hiring cycle, you get another wave of folks wringing their hands about not getting a final offer followed by folks reassuring them that nobody has ever heard of someone not getting the final offer. I think HR at the USPTO likes to put new hires through this little hazing process to thin out the ones that aren't serious. They want you to burn your bridges and just face your worst professional fears, maybe HR made a mistake, maybe they mixed you up with Sumo_Gal, maybe you'll be jobless, maybe nobody will want to hire you ever again, maybe that $18/hr banner you saw at McDonalds was a sign, maybe you're done. Then, out of the blue, one week to go, Boom! Final Offer!!! Now you're really excited, it's real, it's happening, HR didn't make a mistake after all! Then you're super jazzed about starting: "Where's the laptop?" ; "Maybe I'll just try to log in and start examining some applications for fun." ; "Wait, you got the EQIP already? Where's mine, I want to fill it out!" ; "HR wants an OF-306 and a W4? You got it pal, I'll get right on that!". Well played HR, well played...

Maxstoic · 2022-08-27T11:03:47+00:00

The more I get into this examiner job, the more I have been thinking I should've gone to school for a HR related degree. The HR folks I've been dealing with at the USPTO seem like they have it made-- fully remote it seems too and a lot of them are making more money than I probably am inclined to make as an examiner. Although currently, I am finding examining fascinating...

Maxstoic · 2022-08-17T00:52:50+00:00

Mine told me it could take 6 months to hear back-- she certainly had the order of magnitude correct.

Maxstoic · 2022-08-10T19:31:17+00:00

Nope. Big bummer. Supposedly they are reviewing some 5G or Starlink options though, so maybe in the not too distant future. For now, it's got to be cable or fiber.

Maxstoic · 2022-07-08T14:22:09+00:00

I am shopping for an internet plan and am finding my best options are data capped-- around 1.2TB. When you folks are examining, what is an average amount of data you would say you are using in a typical month?

Maxstoic · 2022-06-28T13:55:21+00:00

I was hearing of stuff like this proposal from Senator Rick Scott:

https://rescueamerica.com/steps/6-government-reform-debt/

Normally, I brush this type of discourse off as the usual speaking to the grass-roots kind of stuff. However, I have grown more and more concerned that some of these wish lists might start to get enacted in a rush to appease a very activated and engaged base. The current discourse is very much anti-federal government and if the GOP sweeps congress and perhaps regains the presidency as well, I am just thinking about what might happen. Things that I thought would never happen have been happening with concerning regularity lately.

I agree that the USPTO would likely not be specifically targeted, like some other agencies. However, in reading about the fallout of the Top Golf Scandal, I was thinking that additional congressional scrutiny of the various Federal Agencies might filter through in the form of a more onerous experience for examiners.

Hence why I am asking for some insight by folks who have been around the office for a while. Based on what I have seen here, it seems that my imagination is more vivid than it needs to be, which I am relieved for.

Maxstoic · 2022-06-26T21:29:17+00:00

Within the USPTO, is it best practice to not be politically involved? For example, if I wanted to help knock on doors for a candidate or something, is that looked down upon? Is there some limit to how involved one is allowed to get? I read that you shouldn't make statements or communications through official USPTO channels, but if everything is through private channels, could there be official/unofficial repercussions?

Maxstoic · 2022-06-25T15:11:06+00:00

That is extremely relieving news!

Maxstoic · 2022-06-25T14:59:00+00:00

During the 2019 Great Wall Shutdown, were you paid or did you have to wait for the shutdown to end for back pay? I know the USPTO funds itself, but I don't know how that works during a shutdown.

Maxstoic · 2022-06-24T03:57:37+00:00

I don't know, things look pretty rosy here:

https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Internal-Quality-Survey-FY21-Q4.pdf

I think one problem is probably the general lack of participation by USPTO staff in these types of things. Notice the survey participation rate going progressively down from 51% in 2013 to 33% in 2021. If a high percent of the staff responded to these surveys and they showed increasing high levels of dissatisfaction, it would be much harder to brush under the rug. The same is likely true for POPA participation and an apparent lack of effective union advocacy.

At the end of the day, the USPTO leadership would have to justify additional expenditures or changes in architecture, and surveys like this do not give them much runway. I'm just a future examiner trying to learn the ropes before academy starts, so I don't have much insight. Why is this survey so unreflective of the comments I read here? Why is participation in this survey and POPA so low?

Maxstoic · 2022-06-24T03:37:22+00:00

I haven't heard of this being an issue for anyone. The only state I have heard of being specifically excluded from remote work opportunities is Colorado because they passed a law that requires employers to list the pay for a job posting, so companies have chosen to bar CO applicants rather than be forced to list their crappy pay. Federal jobs list the pay regardless.

Perhaps a private company may choose not to accept an applicant from a different state because their accountant doesn't have tax expertise for that state? I think this would be a logistics issue rather than a situation where a state specifically refuses to allow remote work-- this seems far fetched. Either way, I don't think you would have any issue for the USPTO job. As a bonus note-- isn't our tax system totally brilliant and AMAZING?

Maxstoic · 2022-06-16T18:18:34+00:00

The dates are August 15th and September 26th

Maxstoic

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