10 Tips for New Substitute Teachers

Substitute teaching has its challenges. I should know--I substitute taught for a number of years in various school districts, grade levels, and subject areas. If you're a substitute teacher or plan to become one, there are specific things you can do to make your day as a substitute teacher, a positive one for both you and your students. Here are 10 tips for new substitute teachers.

Know the location of all the schools in your subbing area. The last thing you want is to get lost or not be able to find the intended school. Who needs that kind of stress? Also, know the best way to get to each school--either by practicing the route beforehand or by using Mapquest. A substitute teacher on time is a substitute teacher who will likely be called back again.

Arrive early for a sub job. Before students arrive, you want uninterrupted time in the classroom to read teaching plans, cut or staple needed work, read the school rules, find teaching supplies, put down chairs, find seating charts, and put your name on the board. You also want time to locate bathrooms, the teacher's lounge, and talk with administration or other teachers about school procedures.

Don't drink too much liquid before school. Morning coffee, tea, or other liquids--particularly those with diuretic tendencies--will require restroom breaks. In a new school situation, you'll not know when your scheduled bathroom breaks will occur.

Always check the teacher's mail box. Look for lists, letters home with students, or letters of importance for the substitute.

Seek help from school staff. Get the assistance of other teachers or administrative staff. You'll need to know where students line up for recess, meals, or the bus, and where you need to be to collect your students. Discover necessary procedures before you need to know them.

Carry a sub bag. You may be called in for a teacher suffering a dire emergency. That teacher may not have had time to plan. Just in case a teacher leaves no plans, doesn't leave enough work to keep students busy, or leaves plans you simply can't understand or can't make happen, you're going to want a backup plan. Be sure to carry extra pencils, a red pen, grade appropriate writing prompts, journal topics, puzzles, and brainteasers. Fillers can make an uncomfortable teaching situation, bearable.

Wear comfortable shoes. A smart sub spends most of the day on his or her feet. One of the best ways to maintain classroom order is to circulate, to move around the classroom. The closer you walk or stand to a student who appears off-task, the more likely that student will correct behavior. You won't even need to speak a word.

Carry a spiral notebook. Record ideas you get from effective teaching strategies used by classroom teachers. Many of the strategies can become tools or management techniques you can use in other situations. Also, be sure to leave notes about student behavior and full reports of what you did and didn't do. Remember to leave your full name and contact telephone number, and thank the teacher for the opportunity to sub in well-ordered classroom.

Follow the given plans left by the teacher. As carefully as possible, follow the teacher's plans. Teachers are counting on certain subjects being covered, so they can move ahead the next day. It's important that school days are not lost when it comes to covering an entire curriculum. No teacher will think favorably of a sub who disregards his or her plans--plans that took that teacher precious time to prepare.

As a sub, it's also important to correct work for the school day, so the teacher doesn't need to add paper-grading to the list of things to catch up on. With the exception of subjective writing tasks, subs can usually grade work using a teacher's key. Want to get a return sub call? Find ways to cut down on tasks the teacher must do, tasks you might have done.

Visit the teacher's lounge. Go to the teacher's lounge when other teachers are gathering. Introduce yourself. Be sociable--it might just get you more jobs.

If you're a new substitute teacher, incorporating these 10 tips will help relieve the stress involved with a new substitute teaching situation. Plus, it will enable you to be more successful in your new line of work.