[In My Words] 10 Ways to Be an Awesome Substitute Teacher

I have been blessed to have had a job continuously right out of college. I applied for so many schools before I even graduated, sent cover letters and resumes to every.single.principal in the area (public and private elementary schools), and received my first job at the school I had attended growing up, population: small. But this school (this wonderful school that I miss SO much!) opened up so many more doors for me. It was a great first class for my first year of teaching, and helped ease me into the demands of being a teacher. Because of this, I was able to obtain a job in a bigger city in a public school. I taught first grade last year, and second grade this year. In my opinion, second grade is my favorite, but it was a fun challenge to teach first grade. You're SO important in teaching them to read, and it's WONDERFUL when they catch on and it becomes easier for them.

But on to my real topic. Many, many college graduates in the education field are not as blessed as I am. My first year of applying, I was informed that there were over 250 applicants for the Moorhead school district alone. This includes recent graduates, those that are getting back into the field, those that may have been cut and need to find a new position, and those that have been subbing.

So how do you get your foot in the door as a substitute? You keep getting requests for jobs.

And how do you get repeated requests for jobs?  You please the teacher, get on her "good list" (yes there is such a thing), and keep getting asked back and referred to other teachers.

Here is my say on what makes a good substitute teacher, according to what I appreciate and expect for my classroom. The following will probably (not guaranteed) move you to a teacher's "good list", and hopefully be added to other teachers' lists.

Top 10 Ways 

to be an 

Awesome Substitute Teacher

1. Show up on time.
Nothing says teacher material than someone who shows up on time, or best yet, early. As a substitute, you do not know what you are walking into and you do not know what is expected. An organized teacher will usually provide a lesson plan and information (I keep mine in a substitute binder.) You need time to go through this. Which leads to...

2. ... read the material.
Us teachers do not spend 4 hours on lesson plans just to have you "skim over it" or disregard it completely. We meticulously plan out every part of the day, in hopes to ensure that you are not left with your hands up in the air with no idea what to do. We include important information: what to do in an emergency, the kiddos that need extra attention/help, pullout schedule, medical info <--- this stuff is important, and you need time to read it before the students come in.

3. Establish a relationship with the children.
Students figure out real quick if they can walk all over you or not. One way to dissolve this a little bit is to establish a relationship with them right away in the morning. Tell them about yourself. Talk about your family, pets, life. Let them ask questions (after they raise their hand and you call on them.) I've known some teachers that even have an "introductory bag" that they bring to every new classroom. It includes items that they can use to "show and tell" about themselves.

4. Be authoritative. 
As mentioned above, students will figure you out pretty quick. If you nip behavior in the bum right away, it shows that you aren't going to let them walk all over you. If you're really quiet and timid, students will see this and act upon it.

5. Stick to the lesson plan as much as you can.
We get it. We understand that you try your best, and things don't move as smoothly because this isn't your classroom, and isn't your class. You're getting to know the kiddos while teaching while reading the lesson plan at the same time. But we also like when you a) show up early, b) read the lesson plan, and c) stick to it as much as possible. If you miss a section, that's okay. But what frustrates teachers the most is to come back to the classroom and see notes written all over the lesson plan saying, "Oops! Missed this...and this...and this...and this.." Also, like I said, time is a tough component of subbing, but we are also okay if you "run out of time" and stop the project, or if you use a little bit of the next block to finish up. What scares us and when we see something that we know the kids can do taking 3 times as long as usual.

6. Collect paperwork correctly.
When in doubt, have the kiddos turn it in. And make sure their names are on it. Self-explanatory.

7. Tidy up.
Nothing makes me happier than walking into my classroom after a substitute day and seeing that I have minimal tidying up to do. One time, I had a sub that paperclipped each set of papers together, with those incomplete paperclipped in a different pile. She then laid them neatly on my desk, in a pile. It was beautiful. Most kiddos love to clean, too. I use this magic phrase that goes like this, "Alright everyone, before we go out for recess, I need you to clean up 7 things that aren't where they belong!" and BAM our room is clean. Works at any time of the day. Also, to earn brownie points - if you see anything that needs copying (and I usually leave items for prep, with specific directions), do it. Sharpen pencils. Wipe down tables. Clean up garbage.

8. Learn how to think on the fly.
This is teacher life. You may think, "As soon as I become a teacher, I won't have to do this." But you do. Every day. When a lesson is too easy or too hard, you have to think on the fly. When you misplaced something (because it happens), you have to think on the fly When art is cancelled on the day you sub (it JUST happened to my sub this Thursday), you have to think on the fly. Another great thing to do is...

9. ... Have a back up plan and use the emergency sub plans.
I know of many subs that actually bring their own ideas with them, in case they need to fill time or they don't understand how to teach a lesson (P.S. I would rather have you teach something else than teach something you do not understand at all...it may be taught wrong). Many bring "fun sheets" and make copies at the beginning of the day. Others bring a book with an activity to go along with it. Want a hint? Children LOVE art.

And last, but not least...

10. Leave feedback.
I LOVE feedback. I love seeing who held it together and who needed extra help. I love knowing what was taught, what was skipped, what went well, what didn't go well. It makes me want to have you back, because you took the time to write something down. A teacher puts in way more time than the 7:25-2:40 time you put in. Better prepare yourself for the future :)

Hope you enjoy!


Love,
Mrs. Larson