Substitute Survival Guide

Since I last updated:

• I have completed my student teaching, received my degree and teaching certificate, suffered unemployment anxiety, and I am currently working as a substitute in one of the local school districts
• Derek has completed his semester with flying colors, started a new job as an intern at Schweitzer, and began his new semester at WSU
• We have celebrated another wonderful Christmas together, visited my family for a couple weeks after Christmas, pulled off a wonderful (and quick!) wedding for Derek's brother and sister-in-law, repainted several pieces of furniture :)

This past week has really been a blur, and in the midst of it all, I have officially started my work within a local school district as a substitute teacher! While I had already subbed in the middle school I was student teaching, subbing in all of these different schools and age groups has been a HUGE learning experience. 

When I walked into my first official sub job at an elementary school, I was feeling super confident. After all, I had already been subbing for a few weeks in other classrooms as an intern....little did I know the little version of heck that awaited me. Within about half an hour, I had lost all of my confidence. I was embarrassed that my kids were loud, that they were out of their seats, and that they were THROWING THINGS?! WTFRK!? Everything I knew about classroom management and relationship building in the classroom was out the window. When a fellow teacher stopped in during lunch to see how I was doing, we chatted for a bit and then she asked "So, how do you think it's going?"

 I remember thinking if I should answer this question dishonestly and say everything was going fine... but then I remembered what another teacher had told me "There is no room for pride as a new teacher." So after a little bit of silence I smiled and said "I just cannot get them to do ANYTHING! They won't stop talking, they won't sit down, they won't pay attention! I have no idea what to do!"

She laughed at me while I explained all of this and said "This is why I am too old to sub. You are young and have lots of energy, just hang in there."


So I hung right in there. Then I started to have a little fun. I looked at what I was doing as an experiment instead of a perfect science. I wrote down things that might help me in the future. And I complained on social media. Then, the day was done and I got to go home with a wad of money in my pocket (or my bank account?).

After a few days of this I have already learned some awesome things that have enabled me to have a good time. Just in case any of you are interested, I thought I would list them here:

1. Accept that a classroom with a substitute will not be as productive as a normal class day. That very first 5th grade math class I walked into (the one I described above as being a hellish nightmare) was set up for failure from the very beginning, because I pushed for and expected productivity, when I should have promoted a smooth and organized class. I needed to accept that the lesson our teacher had planned was just too long, and the kids too rowdy to get through. Instead of rushing the kids and causing all sorts of complains (and rebellion!), I should have paid attention to the natural pace of the class. 
2. Bring Pencils. The most frequent request I have in almost every class so far is for a pencil. In my own class, I felt like my 13 year olds needed to be self-sufficient in that respect, and I brought that attitude with me as a sub. BIG MISTAKE. These kids don't know me, and are looking to take advantage of any "down" time I give them. If I ask them to ask their peers to borrow a pencil, it will take ten minutes and a LOT of heartache. Now, I have awesome NEON pencils ready, enough for a whole classroom to borrow if need be. It eliminates the time it takes for students to get situated, removes their excuse that they can't do their work, and the neon color makes them easy to spot so I can get them back at the end of the class.
3. For grades K-5, have a simple reward. Every kid on earth wants to be bribed to do a simple something. In a normal teaching environment, if all else fails, you can bribe not with a physical reward, but with something really sappy: respect. As in, "I've noticed that this assignment isn't super interesting to you, but I believe it will help you in the future. Will you do it? For me?" And guess what, that sappy stuff almost always works. BUT as a sub? Not a chance. They don't know me, and some of them don't care to. So instead I have bought a huge pack of stickers. Kids who are on task get a sticker. Suddenly, every kid is on task! Paying $3 for 2000 stickers is certainly worth it to keep my sanity. 
4. Get to know the SECRETARY. The secretary is your gateway to money and friendship. If she hears that someone is sick, she will be the one that calls! So I have learned to ALWAYS return my secretary's calls (even if I can't work the job), and say hello and goodbye to her when I am entering or leaving the school. And guess what, yesterday she left a message that said "Hey cutie! I just had a teacher leave sick, would you come in? I will even pay you for the full day!" Boom!
5. Memorize some filler activities/games. In a normal classroom if there is a little wiggle room after the lesson is over, you might just allow your students to complete an assignment or chat amongst themselves for 5 minutes. As a sub, I have found that this is the WORST idea. I have memorized some dorky little games like "do as I do, not as I say", "The ABC game", "heads up seven up" and other little time fillers. Even the older kids think its fun and it keeps the kids from running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
6. Create a list of things you WISH you had for students to do during free time. "I wish I brought my US State Capitals Flashcards" I thought as I subbed Social Studies yesterday. Just another thing to throw in my sub bag!
7. Radiate love and happiness. I had once heard that, as a sub, you shouldn't try to be liked at all. You should be firm, consistent, and sternly manage the classroom. While I think part of this is true, I just cannot bear to act like these kids do not matter or plan to make NO personal connection with them. While clear consistency should be established, I want both students and staff to feel like I am warm, approachable, and caring. When I recently subbed as a PE teacher for an elementary school, one third grade class walked in the door and they all shouted in their little voices "You look like you are really nice!" and came up and hugged me. I want to be the teacher these little ones think I am! They deserve to come to have a "nice", fair, and caring teacher.
8. Find ways to be true to who you are. Another piece of advice I have heard before was to use whatever discipline techniques the regular teacher uses. While I always stick to school policy, it's the little things that seem more difficult. I have found myself more out-of-sync with the discipline style of male teachers... I think it has more to do with the fact that while they think their techniques are just normal classroom management, their booming voices and larger frames throw intimidation into the mix. I don't believe that I, especially given the point made just above, will ever really intimidate a student. Instead I have chosen to give trouble students a chance to "cool off" (6-12 grade terminology) or "go to time out" (K-5) away from their peers. This usually isolates the problem, but I am still learning here too.
9. Let it go. Enjoy each moment, look for the humor in the absurd, and just LET IT GO!