Effective Teaching...
by Harry and Rosemary Wong
The Effective Substitute Teacher
As soon as the March Gazette column was posted, the letters of anguish from substitute teachers began to arrive. "What am I to do as a substitute teacher when, as often happens, I find that the regular teacher has not left any instructions? The teachers like Melissa Pantoja with her 'Daily Class Routine for the Substitute' http://teachers.net/gazette/MAR03/wong.html are rare. When I walk into a classroom where the children are responsible and well behaved, I look up, smile and say, 'Thank you.'
"Most of the time, I walk into a classroom and within a few seconds I know that I am in for a trying day. I look up, grimace, and say, 'Why are you punishing me today?'"
On any given day, approximately 274,000 substitute teachers serve in this country's classrooms. By the time a student graduates from high school, that person will have spent the equivalent of a full year being taught by a substitute. The potential of a substitute is often wasted because many districts do not have any form of a training program for these teachers, just as they have no training program for their new teachers.
But, the reality is that you are a substitute TEACHER, something you have chosen to do. So,
- First of all, arrive on time,
which probably means at least one-half hour before the first class is scheduled to begin. You should check in with the principal or secretary and sign in on the sign-in sheet that is available at many schools.
- Second, always dress professionally.
A Phoenix teacher says, "I dress to the 'T' as a substitute teacher. The kids hold the door for me. One on each side! That's pretty scary and wonderful that they are influenced so easily by appearance. My daughter's been on her job for only two weeks and she says they hold the door for her, also."
- Third, follow the teacher's lesson plan as given to you.
Most all teachers are responsible and want their students to learn. You are expected to carry on with the academic program.
- Fourth, always have a backup plan.
This is your way to engage students in meaningful learning activities just in case no lesson plans have been left for you.
How to Begin
As stated in The First Days of School, the most important day for a teacher is the first day of school. How a teacher begins will determine that teacher's success for the rest of the school year. Good teachers, like Melissa Pantoja, have scripted their first day of school and come prepared to start correctly
http://teachers.net/gazette/JUN00/covera.html,
http://teachers.net/gazette/JUN02/wong.html,
http://www.teachers.net/gazette/MAR03/wong4.html.
All effective classrooms have a basic set of procedures that organize and manage a classroom. To refresh your memory on this subject, please refer to Unit C, especially Chapter 20, in The First Days of School; tapes 3 and 4 in the video series, The Effective Teacher; the new CD set, How to Improve Student Achievement; or any of our past columns in www.teachers.net.
If you ascertain that the regular teacher has not left you with any semblance of procedures, then as an effective substitute you should be ready to install a basic set as soon as you take over a class. The two most important procedures are:
- how the students are to come to attention and
- what they are to do when they enter the classroom ("bellwork").
How these two procedures are taught is explained in the above resources.
Classroom management overarches everything. You should not begin teaching until the classroom has been organized, no more than you would begin a surgical procedure in an operating room until the preparations have been organized.
Prepare a SubPack
A printable version of the SubPack is available here.
A SubPack is like an emergency preparedness kit for the classroom. It should contain a variety of useful and necessary classroom supplies and materials. Check the pack at the end of every day, refill it with what is necessary, and have it by the door or in the car ready for the next day.
The contents of a SubPack can be organized into three categories:
- Personal and Professional Items
- Activity Materials
- Everyday Stuff
Personal and Professional Items
Clipboard
Pen, pencil, and colored (non-red) marking pen
Substitute teacher report (to leave for the permanent teacher)
District information (maps, addresses, phone numbers, policies, starting times, etc.)
A coffee mug or water bottle
A whistle (useful for P.E. and playground duty)
A small package of tissues
Snacks (granola bar, pretzels, bottled water, etc.)
An individualized Hall Pass
A small bag or coin purse for keys, driver's license, money (enough for lunch), and other essential items.
Band-Aids®
Headache medicine (for you only)
Small sewing kit with safety pins
Activity Materials
Tangrams
Bookmarks
Picture books and brainteasers
A number cube or dice for games
Estimation jar
Timer
Copies of a 5 minute filler (or early finisher) activity
One class set of a short activity
Everyday Stuff
Crayons
Rubber bands
Colored markers, pencils, and/or crayons
Labeled ball-point pens (red, blue, black)
Pencils and small pencil sharpener
Transparent and masking tape
White board markers and dry eraser
Chalk
Scissors
Glue sticks
Paper clips, staples, and a small stapler
Post-it® note pads (various sizes and colors)
Ruler
File folders
Calculator
Lined and blank paper
Name tag materials (address labels or masking tape will work)
Professional Substitute Teacher Checklist
A checklist is provided so that you can plan, keep track of, and reflect upon your day.
A printable version of the Professional Substitute Teacher Checklist is available here.
At Home
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Organize several appropriate substitute teacher outfits in a section of your closet. |
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Compile a set of note cards containing pertinent information about the schools where you may be assigned. |
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Keep a note pad and pencil by the phone you will be using to answer early morning calls. |
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Answer the phone yourself. |
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Assemble a SubPack. Keep it well stocked and ready. |
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Leave early enough to arrive at school at least 30 minutes prior to the beginning of school. |
Prior to Entering the Classroom
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Report to the administration office. |
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Ask about student passes and special procedures. |
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Ask if there will be any extra duties associated with the permanent teacher's assignment. |
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Ask about any special school-wide activities planned for the day. |
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Find out how to refer a student to the office. |
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Ask if any students have medical problems. |
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Obtain any keys that might be necessary. |
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Find out how to report students who are tardy or absent. |
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Find the locations of restrooms and the teachers' lounge. |
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Ask the names of the teachers on both sides of your classroom and if possible, introduce yourself to them. |
In the Classroom Before School
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Enter the classroom with confidence and your SubPack. |
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Write your name (as you wish to be addressed by the students) on the board. |
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Review the expectations, or rules, if any are posted. |
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Locate the school evacuation map. |
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Read through the lesson plans left by the permanent teacher. |
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Locate the books, papers, and materials which will be needed throughout the day. |
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Study the seating charts. If you can't find any, get ready to make your own. |
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When the bell rings, stand in the doorway and greet students as they enter the classroom. |
Throughout the Day
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Greet the students at the door and get them involved in a learning activity immediately. |
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Carry out the lesson plans and assigned duties to the best of your ability. |
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Improvise using the materials in your SubPack to fill extra time, enhance activities, or supplement sketchy lesson plans as needed. |
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Be fair and carry out the rewards and consequences you establish. |
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Be positive and respectful in your interactions with students and school personnel. |
At the End of Each Class Period
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Make sure that all classroom sets are accounted for. |
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Challenge students to recall projects and topics they have studied that day. |
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Remind students of homework. |
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Have students straighten and clean the area around their desks. |
At the End of the Day:
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Complete your Substitute Teacher Report and leave it for the permanent teacher. |
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Neatly organize the papers turned in by the students. |
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Close windows, turn off lights and equipment, and make sure the room is in good order before you lock the door. |
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Turn in keys and any money collected at the office. |
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Check to see if you will be needed again the next day. |
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Jot down a few notes to yourself about what was accomplished, how things went, and ways to improve. |
Resources for Substitute Teachers
The SubPak and the Professional Substitute Teacher Checklist have been modified from the Substitute Teacher Handbook, which is available from
Substitute Teaching Institute
Utah State University
6516 Old Main Hall
Logan UT 84322
435-797-3182
http://subed.usu.edu
The Substitute Teacher Handbook, for grades K-12, is a compressive book for all substitute teachers. It includes
- how-to information for classroom management and teaching strategies,
- analysis of legal issues affecting substitutes, and
- over 100 pages of activities and lessons that can be used in a variety of classes and grades.
Additional Resources for Substitute Teachers
These resources are just a mouse click away:
Substitute Teachers' discussion chatboard at
http://teachers.net/mentors/substitute_teaching
Substitute Teachers' e-mail discussion group at
http://teachers.net/mailrings
Monthly peer moderated chat meetings for Substitute Teachers on the first and third Mondays of each month, 9:00-10:00 p.m. Eastern Time in the Meeting Room at
http://teachers.net/meetings
Archived chat transcripts at
http://teachers.net/archive/substitutearchive.html
You Are the Teacher
It's inevitable that teachers will be away for the classroom. It's the wish of most classroom teachers that learning will continue to take place and that procedures will continue to operate. This can happen when the permanent teacher and the substitute teacher are both effective teachers.
You may have the label of a substitute teacher, but you have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child when you become the TEACHER in that classroom. Seize the day, be prepared for it, and milk each moment for the possibility of helping your students continue to grow and to learn.
For a printable version of this article click here.
Harry & Rosemary Wong products: http://harrywong.com/product/
Email Harry Wong: harrywong@teachers.net
Gazette Articles by Harry & Rosemary Wong:
If you spot a link that appears to be out-of-date, please alert us at webmaster@teachers.net!
- A Grateful Goodbye After 15 Years (Jun 2015)
- Love, Marriage, and Babies, Oh My! (May 2015)
- Retention Rate Is 100 Percent (Apr 2015)
- Teacher Effectiveness and Human Capital (Mar 2015)
- Training Teachers to Be Effective (Feb 2015)
- Making Deals Is Ineffective (Dec 2014 / Jan 2015)
- Retrieving and Carrying Electronic Devices (Nov 2014)
- Sharing to Succeed (Oct 2014)
- How a University Prepares Its Students (Sep 2014)
- Effective Teaching (Aug 2014)
- Your Future Is in Your Hands (June/July 2014)
- The Classroom Management Book (May 2014)
- When Students Succeed; Teachers Succeed (April 2014)
- Teaching New Teachers How to Succeed (March 2014)
- Execute and Praise (February 2014)
- Shaping a Solid Foundation (Dec 2013 / Jan 2014)
- The Most Misunderstood Word (November 2013)
- How to Start Class Every Day (October 2013)
- Prevention: The Key to Solving Discipline Problems (September 2013)
- Planning, Planning, Planning (August 2013)
- Are You THE One? (June / July 2013)
- Practical Examples That Work (May 2013)
- A Disability Is Not a Handicap (Apr 2013)
- Totally Inexcusable (Mar 2013)
- Be Proud of Public Education (Feb 2013)
- Structure Will Motivate Students (Dec 2012 / Jan2013)
- Orchestrating the Classroom (Nov 2012)
- The Lasting Impact of Instructional Coaching (Oct 2012)
- Learning, Laughing, and Leaving a Legacy (Sep 2012)
- Twenty-two, First Year, and Legit (Aug 2012)
- A Master Teacher of Teachers (June/July 2012)
- Where Going to School Means Success (May 2012)
- A Nationally Celebrated High School (Apr 2012)
- The Highest Rated School in New York City, Part 2 (Mar 2012)
- The Highest Rated School in New York City, Part 1 (Feb 2012)
- The Importance of Culture (Dec 2011 / Jan 2012)
- You Can Teach Classroom Management (Nov 2011)
- Seamless, Transparent, and Consistent (Oct 2011)
- Coaching Teachers to Be Effective Instructors (Sep 2011)
- How a Principal Creates a Culture of Consistency (Aug 2011)
- Graduation Begins in Your Classroom (June/July 2011)
- The Inspiration of a Mother (May 2011)
- How to Be an Effective Leader (Apr 2011)
- Learning Objectives: The Heart of Every Lesson (Mar 2011)
- Even Shakespeare Had Structure (Feb 2011)
- Effectiveness Defined: It's Not a Mystery (Dec 2010 / Jan 2011)
- Surviving Without a Principal (Nov 2010)
- Achieving Greatness: Locke Elementary School, Part 2 (Oct 2010)
- Teaching Greatness: Locke Elementary School, Part 1 (Sep 2010)
- Effective from the Start (Aug 2010)
- Ten Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2010 (June/July 2010)
- The Success of a Culture of Consistency (May 2010)
- Training Teachers to Be Effective (Apr 2010)
- Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn (Mar 2010)
- Turning Teaching Dreams into Reality (Feb 2010)
- Dreams and Wishes Can Come True (Dec 2009 / Jan 2010)
- Success in a State Controlled School (Nov 2009)
- Inner City Is Not An Excuse (Oct 2009)
- Exceeding All Expectations (Sep 2009)
- Teachers Are the Difference (Aug 2009)
- Nine Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2009 (Jun/Jul 2009)
- Teachers Are the Greatest Assets (May 2009)
- The Tools for Success (Apr 2009)
- Assessing for Student Learning (Mar 2009)
- To Be an Effective Teacher Simply Copy and Paste (Feb 2009)
- The Sounds of Students Learning and Performing (Dec 2008)
- A School That Achieves Greatness (Nov 2008)
- Boaz City Schools: Professional Learning Teams (Oct 2008)
- It Was Something Close to a Miracle (Sep 2008)
- A Computer Teacher Shows the Way (Aug 2008)
- Eight Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2008 (Jun/Jul 2008)
- An Amazing Kindergarten Teacher (May 2008)
- Schools That Beat the Academic Odds (Apr 2008)
- Academic Coaching Produces More Effective Teachers (Mar 2008)
- Coaches Are More Effective than Mentors (Feb 2008)
- Wrapping the Year with Rap! (Dec 2007/Jan 2008)
- The Floating Teacher (Nov 2007)
- Taking the Bite Out of Assessment—Using Scoring Guides (Oct 2007)
- Ten Timely Tools for Success on the First Days of School (Sep 2007)
- First Day of School Script - in Spanish, Too! (Aug 2007)
- Seven Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2007 (Jun 2007)
- Effective Teachers End the Year Successfully (May 2007)
- Training Gen Y Teachers for Maximum Effectiveness (Apr 2007)
- Classroom Management Applies to All Teachers (Mar 2007)
- Students Want a Sense of Direction (Feb 2007)
- Rubrics in Two College Classes (Dec 2006/Jan 2007)
- How to Write a Rubric (Nov 2006)
- Assessing Student Progress with a Rubric (Oct 2006)
- A 92 Percent Homework Turn-in Rate (Sep 2006)
- Effective Teachers Are Proactive (Aug 2006)
- Five Year Summary of Articles (Jun 2006)
- Hitting the Bulls Eye as a Beginning Teacher (May 2006)
- They're Eager to Do the Assignments (Apr 2006)
- The Success of Special Ed Teachers (Mar 2006)
- What Teachers Have Accomplished (Feb 2006)
- Fifty Years Ago, The Legacy (Dec 2005/Jan 2006)
- The Emergency Teacher (Nov 2005)
- Classroom Management Is Not Discipline (Oct 2005)
- A Successful First Day Is No Secret (Sep 2005)
- The Most Important Factor (Aug 2005)
- Four Year Summary of Articles (Jul 2005)
- Improving Student Achievement Is Very Simple (Part 2) (Jun 2005)
- Improving Student Achievement Is Very Simple (Part 1) (May 2005)
- Never Cease to Learn (Apr 2005)
- His Classroom Is a Real Life Office (Mar 2005)
- The Power of Procedures (Feb 2005)
- The First Ten Days of School (Jan 2005)
- PowerPoint Procedures (Nov/Dec 2004)
- The Saints of Education (Oct 2004)
- How Procedures Saved a Teacher's Life (Sep 2004)
- How to Help Students with Their Assignments (Aug 2004)
- Three Year Summary of Articles (Jun/Jul 2004)
- His Students are All Certified (May 2004)
- What to Do When They Complain (Apr 2004)
- A Well-Oiled Learning Machine (Mar 2004)
- The Effective Teacher Adapts (Feb 2004)
- How to Start a Lesson Plan (Aug 2003)
- Applying for a Teaching Job in a Tight Market - Part 2 (Jun/Jul 2003)
- Applying for a Teaching Job in a Tight Market (May 2003)
- The Effective Substitute Teacher (Apr 2003)
- A First Day of School Script (Mar 2003)
- How to Retain New Teachers (Feb 2003)
- No Problem With Hurricane Lili (Dec 2002)
- A Class Size of 500 (Nov 2002)
- Effective Practices Apply to All Teachers (Oct 2002)
- Dispensing Materials in Fifteen Seconds (Sept 2002)
- How To Start School Successfully (Aug 2002)
- Teaching Procedures Is Teaching Expectations (June - July 2002)
- $50,000 to Replace Each Teacher (May 2002)
- Even Superintendents Do It (Apr 2002)
- Impossible, No Job Openings? (Mar 2002)
- A Stress Free Teacher (Feb 2002)
- A Most Effective School (Jan 2002)
- Van Gogh in Nine Hours (Dec 2001)
- The Effective Teacher Thinks (Nov 2001)
- How a Good University Can Help You (Sep 2001)
- How to Motivate Your Students (May 2001)
- How to Recognize Where You Want to Be (Apr 2001)
- What Successful New Teachers Are Taught (Mar 2001)
- A Journey of the Heart (Feb 2001)
- The Miracle of Teachers (Jan 2001)
- It's Not the Students. It's the Teacher. (Dec 2000)
- The First Five Minutes Are Critical (Nov 2000)
- How to Start a Class Effectively (Oct 2000)
- The Problem Is Not Discipline (Sep 2000)
- There Is Only One First Day of School (Aug 2000)
- Applying for Your First Job (Jul 2000)
- Your First Day (Jun 2000)
Browse through the latest posts from the Classroom Management Chatboard...
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