So you are looking into the employment section of the classifieds 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 eyes so you continue to read on. Substitute/Para needed in so and so district, for elementary, middle, and high school. As you read on, it lists the requirements needed; a minimum 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 needing the individual to have an actual Bachelor’s degree, training through a GCN program or perhaps the substitute must become a full-time teacher within a certain given time. There is one requirement that remains the same. You must have experience working with children. In this article, I will discuss the process it took for me to become the substitute that I am today, deliver 20 helpful tips, and 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. The bottom line, I made the student’s day. I absolutely love being a sub-teacher!  It wasn’t always like that. In fact, in 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 throw crazy comments (OMG, not her again!!!). That was a hard pill to swallow because I will soon learn that I needed the students to “like me” in order for them to behave for me.

My sub career expands a 14-year period. I was in my late 20s, a recently 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 B.A. 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 gig, I just 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 totally 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, the children had to deal with their own personal baggage called life. I had to first convince the children that I was not their enemy and that they were safe around me. How can I get them to trust me if I asserted 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 back 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 at 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 a few tips I picked up about substitute teaching in my 14+ years.

1. Try to bring your own supplies. Teachers spend enough of their own money, so be considerate. This would include pens, pencils, erasers, expo markers, stapler, etc.; paper if applicable.
2. Arrive early so you can become familiar With the classroom dynamics, routine, and teacher instructions.
3. Read through the teacher’s instructions/ textbooks as if you teaching right now.
4. Have the administrator’s numbers on hand for assistance.
5. Give incentives for each grade level.
6. Have the most difficult student be your personal helper. If the difficult student is busy, then they are not disrupting the class. Plus, they feel needed and thus are willing to help.
7. Greet students at the door.
8. Learn the student’s name fast!
9. Grow eyes in the back of your head.
10. Practice patience, take a deep breath, and develop a sense of humor!
11. 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 isn’t completed.
12. Be kind but stern only when necessary. Remember that yelling is only a temporary fix.
13. Give expectations at the beginning of class and follow through with said consequences.
14. Remember that you are a stranger and that some children are uncomfortable with change.
15. Don’t take their behavior personally. It’s not about you, the student just misses the teacher.
16. Never take away their activities as a punishment, only postpone until their behavior settles down.
17. Have an emergency plan such as USB materials, worksheets, and educational websites.
18. Walking around the classroom keeps the children on task.
19. Stay abreast of grade-level materials
20. 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 levels. 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 we 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 have in the sub to do their job. And last but not least, If a sub happens to page admin for assistance to remove a student, please do not return the disruptive student back to the classroom 5 minutes later. It only gives them permission 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 personally 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!

And that’s Cathy’s Perspective