So, you are looking into the employment section of the classified and turn to the page for education. There’s a huge sign that reads “Help Wanted, Substitute Teacher” in big, bold print. The font alone catches your eye, so you continue reading. Substitute/Para needed in so and so district, for elementary, middle, and high school. As you read on, it lists the minimum requirements of 60 college credits from an approved accredited school, a criminal background check (including fingerprints), and experience working with children.
Although the requirements may vary from state to state, with some districts requiring the individual to have an actual Bachelor’s degree, training through a GCN program, or some sort of combination, and must become a full-time teacher within a certain given time. There’s one requirement that remains the same: having experience working with children. In this article, I will discuss the process it took for me to become the substitute that I am today. To hopefully inspire other would-be subs to follow suit.
Nowadays, I can’t seem to get through the day without a student coming up to me with the same statement, “Ms. T, you are a good substitute or a good teacher, or Ms. T is my favorite sub”. It’s always the same, in some variation. Bottom line, I made the student’s day.
It wasn’t always like that. In fact, at the beginning of my sub career, I was one of the most hated subs. Although it proved that I was doing my job in the administration’s eyes, when the students saw me coming, they moaned, whined, and threw crazy comments like (OMG, not her again!!!)
My sub-career spans 18 years. I was in my late 20s, a recent single mother to three toddlers, and I needed a job fast. That’s right, I had absolutely no substitute experience. But I have worked with children in various positions. So with my BA in Psychology and a cleared background/ fingerprint check, I was in! Let’s make this clear, I wasn’t trying to make a career out of this, I needed a job to take care of my three babies. You know, food, water, shelter, the basics, and by any means necessary.
At the beginning of my career, I was green. I was so happy to have a job making over minimum wage. I had no idea what I was walking into on the first day. I WALKED INTO a 4th-grade class, and the children looked at me like I was an alien. They were walking around, going in and out of their cubbies, talking, and ignoring my instructions to sit down. And so my first day anxiety turned into frustration, and I yelled at the top of my lungs, “SIT DOWN NOW”!! The base in my voice startled the children into submission. But by the end of the school day, I wanted to quit. By the end of the week, I was done. I had no clue how to convince the children to mind my authority, let alone follow the grade-level curriculum. That’s right, I had to actually teach; if I could get them to stay seated long enough. So I decided that if I wanted to keep my job, I had to learn double-time class management and teaching skills.
For the first couple of years, I had a difficult time, mostly because the district I was servicing had difficult students from the urban area. So, along with school, these children had to deal with their own personal baggage called life. I had to first convince the children that I’m not their enemy and that they were safe around me. How can I get them to trust me if I assert my authority by yelling? Yelling means I’ve lost basic control of my class management abilities. Plus it was counterproductive, and the students always returned to their unwanted behavior. On top of it all, yelling out of frustration was putting a mental and physical strain on my well-being.
I started observing and gathering class management tips from teachers I admired. Note, not all teachers are effective in their profession; some teachers should not be near any child, period. Back to my point. I gathered tips from great teachers, mostly seasoned ones. Here are 20 tips I picked up about substitute teaching in my 18+ years.
- Try to bring your own supplies. This would include pens, pencils, erasers, expo markers, a small stapler, etc., a ream of paper if applicable.
- Arrive early so you can become familiar with the classroom dynamics, routine, and teacher instructions.
- Read through the teacher’s instructions as if you were teaching right now.
- Have the administration’s numbers on hand for assistance.
- Read the emergency binder and locate the emergency exits.
- Give incentives (Do not bribe) for each grade level, and verbally let them know that you appreciate them working hard, even though their teacher is absent.
- Assign the most difficult student to be your helper.
- Greet students at the door.
- Learn the student’s name fast!
- Develop a sense of humor and remember you are working with CHILDREN!
- Remind the students that their daily routine hasn’t changed because their teacher is absent. Keep time for each subject and leave a note explaining why any work is not completed.
- Be kind but stern only when necessary. Remember that yelling is only a temporary fix.
- Give expectations at the beginning of class and follow through with said consequences.
- Remember that you are a stranger and that some children are uncomfortable with change.
- Don’t take their behavior personally; it’s not about you. The students just miss their teacher.
- Never take away their activities as a punishment; only postpone until behavior settles down.
- Have an emergency plan such as USB materials, worksheets, and educational websites.
- Walking around the classroom keeps the children on task.
- Stay abreast of grade-level materials.
- Always show genuine love and respect to the students, and it will be returned.
On a personal note, to the administration and other teachers, please do not approach the sub and tell them that the class they are about to step into is a class from “HELL”. It raises our anxiety level. Now we have to change our demeanor and mentally prepare for disruptive students. Please do not randomly walk into the classroom multiple times during the day and assert your authority, especially if I did not ask for assistance, and especially if that so-called class from “HELL” is quietly completing their assignments. It shows the lack of confidence the admin has in the sub to do their job. Finally, if a sub happens to page the admin for assistance to remove a student, please do not return that said child to class 5 minutes later. It only permits them to continue their unwanted behavior with little to no consequence, thus giving a signal to the other students to behave the same, causing the sub to lose control/ management of the class. And I will not be returning to your school again. I wouldn’t care how desperate you need a sub or if I was on my last penny. If there is no support from the admin, then I won’t be returning to your school AGAIN!
