Good Substitute Teacher Qualities

Good substitute teachers are hard to find. If the substitute is a good teacher, he or she is usually hired or every school tries to get him or her to work for them when a teacher is needed. What qualities make a good substitute teacher?

Substitute teachers have one of the hardest jobs. They come into a room not knowing any of the students. Sometimes the teachers do not have a chance to even leave the substitute plans or notes of what the class is learning. A good substitute will ask questions of the class and look for worksheets or educational materials the class can work on.

Here are a few qualities that good substitute teachers have.

Fair - A good substitute teacher will treat all children equally. A good substitute teacher will also hand out punishment and praise equally. If one child is aloud to do something, all students will be allowed the same privilege.

Outgoing - A substitute teacher should be outgoing towards the students. The substitute teacher should have a willingness to take on challenges.

Friendly - Any teacher should be friendly. A substitute teacher will need to be friendly to win over the class as well as any parents that may stop by the classroom.

Organized - Even if the teacher was not organized, the substitute teacher needs to be organized. The substitute teacher will need to find the schedule and try to follow the schedule's outline. The substitute teacher will need to organize supplies and work for the students. Organization is a big part of any job.

Alert/aware - Since the substitute teacher does not know the children, he or she will need to be alert and aware of what the children are doing. Any small distraction can immediately turn into a major disruption. A good substitute will know how to diffuse the situation or even avoid it.

Love of children (at the least like children) - Being a substitute teacher is just a job for some people. Even if it is JUST a job, the substitute teacher should like children and be able to get along with them. If the substitute teacher is going to be a good teacher he or she needs to be able to relate to the children.

Able to improvise - All good teachers, especially good substitutes, need to be able to improvise. There are going to be situations that come up, that teachers or substitute teachers may not be ready for. When those situations happen, the substitute teacher needs to be able to improvise.

If a parent or student meets a substitute teacher with these characteristics and the students like him or her, the principal should be aware that the substitute teacher is a worthy addition to the school. The principal may not want to lose a good substitute teacher.