Fingerprinting

I am not sure why this is so annoying to me.

Last year, I subbed at this particular school fairly often and I really like it.  I have been treated well there by staff, teachers, and students.  This year, they are going to a new system for getting substitute teachers.  First of all, I had to re-interview.  I was a bit surprised at that, but I understand why they wanted to do so.  Then, I had to go to an orientation session, which basically consisted of filling out about a dozen different documents.  Most of that was completely necessary - payroll forms, contract, retirement forms.

But there were more requests:  they wanted copies of my transcripts.  So I brought in my relatively fat folder of transcripts.  I am a frequent scholar.  I like taking classes.  Too bad I don't get mileage for that.  In the end, they only copied the two most important ones - my undergrad transcript and the one with all of my post-graduate degrees and a lot of the extra hours. 

They also wanted to photocopy my social security card, my driver's license, and my teaching certificate.  I don't particularly like it that they have a photocopy of my social security card, but the others seemed necessary.

Finally, came the request to get fingerprinted again.  When you are certified in this state, you are required to get fingerprinting done.  But this school wants their own set of fingerprints.  I will probably get them done, but I am not happy about it.  For one thing, it is expensive.  The place that I will go to have them done charges $11.  Then, after the school has the card, they send it off for processing, which costs $40.  The $40 is deducted from the first two paychecks from this school.  So the total cost of fingerprinting will be $51, which is around half of a day's pay - before taxes.  Subs get paid little enough anyway.  I was lucky to make $12,000 subbing one year - other years I have made less.

I almost understand why they feel all this is necessary, but it does make me feel a bit rebellious.  If I didn't like working at this school so much, I would be sorely tempted to just tell them no.  Sigh.  Off to get fingerprinted.