I substituted way back, 20 years ago, when I first got my teaching credential. I was young, smart, and had worked in industry before going into teaching so I could take on the world. Also, I think kids were a lot easier 20 years ago. Maybe not.
Fast forward to 2009: I look for good substitutes for my department (and my own classes), and I usually look for young, high energy, smart people who can take on the world. I like to get a sub who will keep coming back to our department because we are certainly a different species in that we have computer labs that must be maintained.
I prepare my students for a sub. I am very stern about how they are to treat the sub and how they are to do their assigned work or there will be hell to pay when I return. If the sub leaves a student’s name, I immediately call the parent, and if the violation was bad enough, I write a conduct referral. My students know to behave, both with me and with subs.
Because of that preparation, and the lesson plans I leave, I have subs wanting to come back to my classes; some will only sub for me and/or in my department as we are all pretty much on the same page.
On the other hand, because I teach in a very difficult inner city high school, I have heard of subs who have said they will not return or they would never come in the first place. The school has a very bad reputation amongst subs. The administration is finally realizing it needs to work on this reputation and help subs with unruly students.
What do you do when you have to be out of the classroom?
3 responses so far ↓
Paul Bogush // January 3, 2009 at 3:43 am |
I always prep the kids the day before also. I give them the assignment and all the directions. I usually “leave them in charge.” They know that they will be responsible for what happens. They know that they are in charge of getting started and finishing. By this time in the year I will tell them that the sub will not be left with detailed directions, they need to be able to continue on their own. Since we are project based and always in the middle of something it is really hard for a sub to step in and “take over.” I figure if I can empower the kids, I get more out of them than if they walked in waiting for the sub to give them materials, tell them what to do, etc.
Melissa B. // January 3, 2009 at 9:54 pm |
I’m a favorite of subs, too, specifically because I leave pretty decent lesson plans. I’m so not interested in the kids acting up while I’m gone…it’s worth it to spend that extra time making sure everyone’s prepared! BTW, I’ve got 2 other things on my mind today. First off, don’t forget Sx3 tomorrow…it’s a stitch! And I’ve got a pretty good chance of snagging a superior blog award…thanking you in advance for your support!
lynnjake // January 5, 2009 at 3:08 pm |
I leave very detailed sub plans that are easy to follow, and always leave an extra activity or so, in case the sub blows through it all faster than I might have. I try to always get the same subs by calling them personally. I don’t like to leave it up to the automatic caller. I too usually prep the kids ahead of time. Sometimes I forget to do that, but most of the time I do. I also read the sub’s note to them the next day so they know what I know. I like the idea of calling parents of misbehavers and will adopt that in 2009! Thanks for this post.