by Ernest Smartt

Created on: July 27, 2010

If you are a Substitute Teacher, you deserve a great big “thank you.” You are called upon on a daily basis to do a very tough job. If you are effective at that task, you will be called back over and over by the schools who appreciate what you do. So, what is it that you do that makes you effective?

You come to the school early to have time to review the lesson of the day. You know that if the material for the day is not completed the teacher will have to play catch up. You look at the lesson plan and the materials that go with it and figure out how you can best introduce it so the students’ interest is sparked. You might even attempt to add a touch of yourself, your knowledge, or talents to the presentation so the students see that you are interested in the subject and the them. You make it interesting enough to take the minds of the students away from the fact that you are the “Sub.”

An effective substitute teacher will try to accept jobs where they know the subject, and hopefully have an interest in the subject. This makes things like discipline and other classroom management easier to deal with. You have enough knowledge that you can create a little bit of excitement or drama to the lesson. Usually when this is done effectively the students are drawn into the material and will do the assignments left for them without too much complaining.

By entering the school early, you have a chance to meet some of the other teachers and get any questions about the lesson cleared up. You will not be as likely to come up with surprises or unexpected problems, like not enough materials, missing importantant information about the assignment, or not knowing what books to use. You also have time to check out any equipment that you will use, like overheads, or projectors, or CD players, to make sure they work. The fewer interruptions the better.

Arriving early allows you to meet some of the students and make some helper assignments ahead of time. You can get to know a few students and ask questions about the class as well. Your comfort level will be more at ease when you know that this is a well behaved class, or maybe you find out in advance that there are some discipline issued to look for. Be sure to ask the students you meat  questions about the personality and behavior of the class. They will tell you about the students who disrupt the most, and even the ones who will be most helpful.

As an effective substitute teacher,

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