Ideas for substitute teaching…?

It is very hard to be prepared for all grades K-6! The teacher should have her lesson plan book or sub folder on her desk. If there is none, check in with the TEACHER NEXT DOOR, she can be your best resource when no plans are available. (If for some reason I do not have sub plans, I make sure that the teacher next door knows so that she can share her plans).

You can also take a look at the student texts before the students come in if there are no teacher manuals. Check the classroom library for books that you might want to read to the students and then have them write a response. Look at the papers that are displayed on the walls in the classroom. This will give you some idea of the level of work they can do and what they are studying. Check with the TEACHER AIDE assigned to that room, even if she is there only for a short time, she will know what the teacher is working on with her class.

Yes, sometimes a teacher doesn’t have plans ready, but this is a rarity with No Child Left Behind. In my school we must turn our lesson plan books in at least once a month for review by the administration–that includes having emergency sub plans available. In most schools with more than one classroom per grade, the other teacher(s) will be more than happy to share their plans with you an share any of their worksheets if they are not from classroom workbooks which should be in the room.

Teachers also have horror stories about subs coming in and NOT following the lesson plans–I have had several subs who prefer to do their own thing–that is usually the first and last time they are invited back to my classroom, and if it happens with other classrooms, they are not invited back to the school.

If you do want to have your own emergency plans, you should have them broken up K-2 and 3-6. Go to your local teacher’s store and look through their selection of activity books. You will need to get any worksheets or other materials copied or made ahead of time; keep them in a tote bag (one for K-2 and one for 3-6) ready to take with you. Do not include candy treats for “good behavior” and such; many schools prohibit giving students candy or other “junk” food as incentives.

Come prepared with a bag of tricks. Any teaching store will sell books to keep the time occupied for a day or two. Most teachers prepare and if not you can find plenty of things to do in their classrooms throughout the course of a day. On rare occasions when teachers didn’t leave anything, always ask their grade partners who usually know. Also, the children are usually in the routine of doing the same thing each day and will be able to tell you what page they left off yesterday. For the most part, the month of September will probably not be the month where you’ll be getting a lot of calls. Once October, November and December come, teachers need days off, get sick etc. Good luck and stay strict with those kids, you don’t want to be the sub that all the kids take advantage of!

I’m sorry I can’t really help you answer this, but I have one bit of advice. Substitute teachers always threaten kids at my high school by saying that they have the seating chart when the kids get rowdy. However, in most cases, it is obvious that the teacher does not have the seating chart!!! It only then humiliates the teacher, and lets the kids think they don’t want to be respectful