How to Ace Substitute Teaching

Substitute teaching can be hard or easy, but it is always unpredictable. During my ten year teaching career I have observed just as many successful substitute teachers as unsuccessful ones. In some districts you will be called to work everyday regardless of your skills but in some school district where the competition is high your ability to work consistently will depend on your success in the classroom. Once you start substitute teaching and learn the basics, continue to develop your skills to make your job easier and stay in demand. Patience is the key whether you are subbing for Kindergarten or high school. Read on to learn how to ace substitute teaching.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Business cards

1. Follow the resident teacher's plans and methods since the students are used to these, but other teachers can give you pointers too.
2. Make a sub kit. Carry it in a briefcase or backpack. Put independent student work such as word searches, puzzles or other fun handouts in your briefcase. These can fill in small amounts of time or keep students busy when they finish their work. You can easily make many of these worksheets at puzzlemaker.com (see resources).
3. Place motivators in your sub kit. Use suckers, stickers or anything else you think can motivate your students to perform.
4. Explain your disciplinary procedures when students come into the classroom. Tell them you are following their teacher's procedures. However, if you don't know what these procedures are, tell the students you are implementing your own and explain them.
5. Write the schedule for the day on the board so students don't keep asking you about it. Point it out and read it to them.
6. Share your expectations for the day with the students. Explain exactly what it is they need to do and how they are to do it and then provide the necessary tools.
7. Manage behavior by reinforcing or praising appropriate behavior and redirecting inappropriate behavior. Keep students on task as much as possible to prevent them from misbehaving.
8. Leave the classroom cleaner than you found it and leave a few business cards with your contact information.

Tips & Warnings

• Walk around your classroom to keep students on task, monitor classroom progress and minimize disruptive behavior. Wear comfortable shoes.
• Avoid punishment as much as possible. Students respond better to positive rather than negative reinforcement.