Free Advice for Teachers about Substitutes

Whether you plan to or not, as a teacher, you will probably need the services of a substitute teacher at least once during the school year. If you're really unlucky, you may even need to plan for a long-term absence. A few teachers (who I work for regularly) have asked me what things they can do to prepare for a substitute. Thinking back to all the times I've been in other classrooms, here's the things I happen to think are helpful to me as a sub.

1) A sub folder with basic information: the school schedule, a list of classes you teach, a current list of your students, and general information about your class routines. Exceptionally useful sub folders have included class rules, seating charts, color ID photo print outs from ESIS, and useful information about students (such has who has an IEP that will need specific provisions while they are in class, anyone who is pulled out of class at a certain time, anyone that has unusual medical needs, and anyone who is an ELL).

2) Lesson Plans (that are clear). I've seen a lot of variations on clarity or total lack thereof in lesson plans. They don't necessarily need to be shining exhaustive examples of something you would have submitted to your professor during your teacher education days, but the more specific you can be about what you want done in your absence, the more likely your wishes will be carried out.

An examples of what I mean by vague lesson plans are statements like "have them read in their books". (Which books? For how long? Which pages? Silently, or out loud? Are they supposed to do anything afterward?) Don't assume that just because the kids seem to know what to do everyday when you're in the room, that they will "know what to do" when you're not there. Kids have an amazing way of "forgetting" what page they're supposed to be on, or having "total amnesia" about what it is they do in class every day. As a sub, I will have no way of knowing what they're supposed to be doing, and trust me, I'd much rather have them working on something that moves them forward than have yet another "free period" which for me means an extended babysitting opportunity.

3. What kinds of things are useful to a substitute teacher?

* Current seating chart: YES! Even if you only have 10 kids it's still nice to know who they are. A seating chart is more useful than an attendance roster.

* Detailed lesson plans-An absolute must if you want your absence to be a productive time and you want things done YOUR way. What happens when teachers leave vague or minimal lesson plans is that I end up having to make a lot of executive decisions about what we're doing for the day. It doesn't bother me, but the kids usually prefer "business as usual".

* Class schedule-Most useful for self-contained classrooms, but still worth having in the upper grades if you have a really structured classroom routine, or teach a lot of different subjects. In the upper grades, a bell schedule is nice to have because the kids like to "make up" their own start/end times and if your school doesn't have audible signals, it makes it hard to figure out when to release the class.

* A list of students who leave the classroom for any reason (pullout programs, special ed., etc.): Especially in the upper grades because kids will say all kinds of things to get out of class. It's nice to have some idea which reasons are valid (Johnny takes his meds every day during third period), and which are novelties dreamed up by the students.

* Class roster: a seating chart is better, but a class roster is also useful.

* List of Procedures (for the beginning and ending of the day): If you want them followed, otherwise be willing to tolerate some impromptu variations. Sometimes the kids will actually help you, but don't bet the farm on it.

* Extra work for emergencies or for when the students finish early: Recommended, but only if you are willing to give the students academic credit for doing the work. Students usually refuse to do busy work unless it "counts".

* A description of where the teacher's editions and other important materials are located: If it's not on your desk, trust me, I need to know where to find it.

* A list of classroom rules and disciplinary procedures: This is probably the most important information you could give a sub. Since kids universally "take advantage" of subs, it's good to know what constitutes "normal behavior". I can always institute my own version of "the way things are" if your wishes are not communicated, but I'd vastly prefer to stick with what the kids are familiar and comfortable with, than have to "train" them.

* An office referral form for discipline problems: If you think I will need one. To be honest, I rarely have to write referrals because I rarely have serious problems with most kids. In a typical year, I might write one or two at the very most. However if your class is the sort that you have to write referrals for on a regular basis, then maybe you should leave a few for your sub as well.

* Procedures for using A.V. equipment: Older subs appreciate this a lot. I usually can figure it out, but if I can't, I often just ask the kids. They always know how to use A/V equipment. If that still doesn't work, I just improvise and we just do things another way.

* The name of a teacher the substitute can go to for help: always good to know who you can go to if you have questions. Even better is to have a pre-arranged reciprocal buddy system with a neighboring classroom teacher for those times when you need to remove a student from the classroom. I remember one time in my early days of subbing (when I was subbing for a paraeducator), the classroom teacher was 30 minutes late from an IEP meeting that ran way way over. I was a green sub in a room with EBD kids who were getting restless, and the ship was sinking fast, when lo and behold, the teacher in the classroom next door came to my rescue and "took care of things".

* The names of helpful students: This can be good or bad. Sometimes helpful and responsible kids are a godsend. However, it's not a sure bet that the same kids that are "good" for you, will be all that helpful to a sub. Sometimes the "smart-straight-As-quiet" kids are the ones who are the most devious and cruel to subs. As a pretty good reader of kids, I decide pretty quickly who I can trust.

* The names of students who may be a challenge: Again, like the above, it can be subjective. If a kid is an absolute menace to society, and has multiple suspensions on their record, it's good to know. But sometimes, the very same kids that drive you crazy, are strangely good with subs. If a kid has really serious issues, it's worth mentioning them, but in general, as a sub, you can tell who the bad ones are pretty quickly. They usually don't waste any time making themselves known to you. Probably more useful than merely knowing who they are, is knowing what "works for them".

* Procedures for Emergencies: This is required by most districts.

* Floor plan or map of the school: Most useful for floating teachers or paraeducators who move around a lot during the day.

* Duty schedule: If you have duties, make sure to note them. There's nothing more embarrassing for a sub than to have a principal come storming in the room wondering why you're not somewhere else.

* List of students with special medical needs: Most useful for Special Ed, but if you have kids with seizure disorders or severe life threatening allergies that you're aware of, it's nice to know about that.

* Field trip and assembly instructions: Classroom teachers won't want to hear this, but about the worst time you could possibly do is take the day off on a field trip or an assembly. Honestly, I'd even rather have them during state tests (mind numbingly boring) or fire drills (highly disruptive). Leaving your kids in an unstructured situation (like an assembly or field trip) with someone who doesn't know them at all is just asking for trouble. It's very challenging to supervise kids when you don't even know who they are. If you need the coverage for these times, you're better off postponing the field trip until you can be there or finding in-building coverage for that assembly. If you can't do that, make sure to request someone who already knows your kids well...If you can't do that, then make sure you alert anyone who is likely to be affected.

4) What is the most common problem that you deal with concerning student behavior?

A: Students taking advantage. This is totally preventable if you provide details of your classroom expectations and school rules. Believe it or not, not every school has the same rules (some schools allow kids to wear hats, some don't. Some teachers allow their students to listen to music during class, whereas some schools do not allow cellphones in the building period). And as a sub, my standards may be quite different from yours...and if your standards aren't known to me, I'm going to go into default mode (mine).

B: Work refusal/Off-task behavior. In other words, the same kinds of behavior you probably get all the time...the difference is that I'm going to see more of this because I'm a sub. For your convenience, I'll make a note of anyone who wasn't using their time wisely during class.

C: Testing: Some kids have a need to "test" subs to see how they'll react. They'll say and do things that are mildly outrageous to see how you respond. I have a sense of humor, so what usually happens is they get it out of their system and we move on.

D: Lack of respect: This is rare, but occasionally I'll have to deal with individuals who really don't do well with subs. Maybe they don't do well with school period. Maybe they don't do well with life in general. I don't take it personally. When I run into these types, I remind them what they're supposed to be doing, what I expect, and what the consequences will be if things keep going in this direction. I tend to ignore their verbal offensives, and make a note of anything noteworthy. What I don't do is play their game.

5) Do you have your own consequences for student misbehavior, use the individual teacher's plan, or some combination?

I always use the teacher's plan first (if it's known to me). If this doesn't seem to be working for me, I implement my own. Naturally some students will complain, "You can't do such and such!" or "Mr. So and so never makes us...". It is these times when I get to say one of my favorite sub lines, "Do I look like Mrs. So and so to you?" or "Do you want to do an experiment and find out?" or if I'm in an especially fine mood that day, "Oh you better believe I CAN, and I WILL."

6) What specific things do you do to make your day go well?

I start each class with my spiel (my five basic rules for a lifetime of happiness--no electronics, raised hands make things happen, fun depends on you, etc). I let them know that I do have expectations and what they are, so they don't need to "find out" through experimentation.

I put a list of everything we're doing that day on the board if there is one, and go over it. I hint that if they use their time wisely we'll be probably be doing something "fun" and unexpected.

I walk around the room and talk to the kids...just little short things--is that book any good? I love that band, nice hair, you like that sports team too? nice drawing, did you do that? If we have time at the end of the class period, we might have a whole class discussion or play a game like hangman.

I rarely if ever discipline anyone in front of the whole class...that usually keeps things from escalating. The one exception is if someone is surreptitiously using an ipod or a cellphone I bust them early and tease them in front of the whole class so that others who are thinking about it will know it's a waste of time to even try.

I also pretend that everything is "DUE TODAY" (whether it is or not)--a little built-in accountability is good. So I usually take the homework assignment and arbitrarily make that "due in class". I tell them everything's due before they leave...and only at the very end of class give them the option of "finishing it at home". I find that makes our time together MUCH more productive.

7) What concerns do you have for the current substitute program that is in place in your district?

Each school does things differently, which is to be expected, but sometimes it can be confusing. Some districts are much better than others in terms of how they deal with subs. At one district, I've had trouble with a lot of really basic things like getting paid, not getting any calls (when I should have been...that took a long time to get fixed). There's a central sub office down at the district office, but they're not really all the helpful. Usually I have to take matters into my own hands, or figure out things for myself. The trouble is, as a sub, you often have to advocate for yourself a lot more than that most other school employees because no one really cares all that much...you're considered expendable.

8) What can classroom teachers and other staff do to make your experience more positive?

One thing I wish all teachers would do is prepare their kids for having a sub. All teachers should discuss how they expect their students to treat guests in the classroom...preferably each time they expect to have a planned absence. This is especially critical when the absence is going to be a long-term absence. From what I've seen, kids do a lot better if they've been prepared for what's coming. If you can, communicate with the kids about the circumstances around the absence because trust me, they will miss you and wonder where you are. If you can, send them some updates from time to time. Probably the most important thing I can say about this though is that students also need to know that they will be held accountable for their actions.

9) Do you leave the teacher a note telling her or him how the day went?

You better believe it. I figure if they're anything like me, they'll want to know what the day was like and how things went. It's also an important piece of leverage--I tell the kids I'm leaving a report, and I'd like it to be full of good things. Also if a class has been rather nightmarish, about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way through the period, I create a list of the kids who were on task and walk around and have them sign it. The others wonder what I'm up to, and often decide they want to be on that list too.