As a substitute teacher, you see so many strange things haha! I have a ton of stories to tell! First though, I want to share with you some tips for that rainy day when you need to call in a substitute for your classroom.
Thoughts from a substitute:
- "The early bird gets the worm." - If you have a particular substitute teacher in mind that you know does a great job, call them as soon as you know you need someone. Chances are, this person will get many calls from other teachers for the same reason. If you call them asap, chances are you can get them! If you wait, then someone else might snap them up for the same day. I cannot tell you how many times I got multiple calls for the same day. It was always hard to tell a teacher that I'm already taken too.
- Leave your materials in an easy to find spot. - One time, I subbed for a science teacher, and it took me forever to find the plans and materials. In that time, the 8th grade class got a little crazy. If you make the materials easy to find, then your substitute will be able to start class promptly without distractions.
- Leave a schedule for the day. - At the end of the year, when things are crazy and you use different schedules.. it is difficult for the sub to know what is going on. This leaves them to rely on other teachers that may be on different schedules, or on the students (if they are older).
- Make your plans extremely clear! - If the sub has no idea what you want for them to do, then don't expect for it to be done right. There were a couple of times that I had to wing it because the teacher didn't leave anything for the students to do or the plans were unclear. Provide step-by-step plans with specific details. There's no such thing as too much information! Not to mention, the students can sense when the sub is unsure, and they will take advantage of that.
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