I'm thinking about doing this next month. I have my teaching license, I'm just not ready to get a "real" job just yet. My question is, has anyone ever done this, and if so how did you like it? Any suggestions on how to manage the class, etc.? Because I know I never listened to subs when I had them in school..
And how often did you work per week? It seems pretty inconsistent so I'm thinking maybe I should look for another job too

12/12/2006 12:12:47 AM

I did it when I first graduated and I enjoyed it. If you already have your teaching license then you should already have some classroom time and experience with classroom management. I never had any problems with any class, mainly because I remember being the kid who would cause trouble for a sub and I knew how to prevent it early. For elementary and middle school, it also helps that you are male since students are so unfamiliar with having male teachers. I really didn't ever have a problem with consistency, just select enough schools early so that you will have something everyday. Once you have worked a while and made a name for yourself at a few schools, you can scale back your list and not have to worry about getting jobs.

12/12/2006 6:39:41 AM

I appreciate it. Good stuff. Thanks a lot

12/12/2006 11:39:01 AM

^ Have you already gone through the 'training'? It is a joke but its not offered all the time from what i remember. If you haven't had it, i think that you are only allowed 3 or so days as an 'emergency sub'

12/12/2006 11:40:40 AM

Quote :

"mainly because I remember being the kid who would cause trouble for a sub and I knew how to prevent it early."

what were some of your strategies in prevention? i ask cause i've done some substituting and took teaching courses, and i'm always interested to hear people's ideas on discipline and prevention.

12/12/2006 12:19:32 PM

let em know you mean business.

I teach fulltime and I've told all my classes that if a sub leaves me a note about them (individual or whole class) being disruptive or causing any problems then there will be consequences.

Sure enough they tested me on it and i got a bad sub report on one of my classes and half the class served 3 detentions with me. They've been angels ever since. Now they get rewarded with good sub reports. (candy and homework passes work wonders)

if the teacher has poor classroom management and no consequences in place then it makes it a lot harder for a sub to maintain control.


okay so that probably didn't help you.

12/12/2006 1:29:32 PM

you give them candy for not acting up?

12/12/2006 1:34:34 PM

^she probably comes from a school like mine. Our kids were terrible when subs came in.

12/12/2006 1:41:00 PM

Ski Salomon: I have yet to do the "training" for substitute teaching. Ive been trying to get into contact with someone who can tell me when these dates are but I havent received any info yet. Do you (or anyone out there) know who or where I could go to to get this information? thanks a lot

12/12/2006 4:34:50 PM

I don't think I ever had a substitute teacher that I didn't moon

12/12/2006 5:00:19 PM

A similar dilemma if someone has info, what is required to get your teaching certificate? My parents keep bugging me to get it, and I tell them I'll do it after I graduate. Now they just want me to go to grad school for teaching. Suggestions? How in depth is it? I just kind of want it as a fall back for when I have kids so I'm on their schedule.

12/12/2006 5:00:44 PM

candy works wonders. if you are at an elementary school, which is where i work, then stickers are also pretty useful, at least through 2nd or 3rd grade. and where candy and stickers fail, threats can succeed... but only if you follow through on them. otherwise they will run you down and back over you once or twice just to make sure you're dead.

just ask yourself, "what would Viola Swamp do?" and you'll be fine...



[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:09 PM. Reason : duh]

12/12/2006 5:06:27 PM

Quote :

"otherwise they will run you down and back over you once or twice just to make sure you're dead."

thats what i feel like after today.
2 of my 1st period students (junior and senior boys) are doing their best to make me absolutely miserable. and the more i try and follow protocol (involve admin, contact parents, document, write-up, etc...) the worse they get.
they really ruined my day and make me wonder why the hell i teach in the first place.
it's such a thankless job with long hours, too much stress, and not nearly enough pay.
/rant


but good luck subbing. the paperwork can take a while especially this time of year.
Durham county (where i work) needs subs BAD. we have to use department coverage a lot. and for the pay it is worth it.


and yes i bribe my students with candy for good behavior. (these are high school students).
dum dum and tootsie pops are always good

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:26 PM. Reason : i need a drink]

12/12/2006 5:24:53 PM

Quote :

"candy works wonders."

No way - what if you had a diabetic kid? Or someone allergic to peanuts? Even if the kid remembers that they can't have that type of food, they're going to be pissed that they're being left out.

I liked junior high best, easier to scare. The main thing with them is that you absolutely CANNOT start off nice, in any way. You can start off strict and then ease up, but vice versa and they'll eat you alive. Some of them can be pretty nasty. My method - write "Detentions" on the board, a no-talking rule (since the teacher usually just leaves you with busy work anyway), pick out the first kid that misbehaves and make an example out of him (office, detention, etc.) and the rest will learn that you're serious. Start off with a "zero-tolerance" attitude and then you can ease up from there if needed.

I'd stay away from high school...I've been called a bitch (all sorts of varieties of bitch) more times than I can count, half the guys were taller than me and the girls were even scarier - one threw scissors at me. That was the class where I called security 3 times in a 1 hour period.

Elementary school kids are great - just be nice and they'll draw you pictures.

The job is really entertaining though...I once had an 8th grade kid in art class draw a mask. I had to take it away because it wasn't the elephant mask he insisted it was - it was a penis mask with holes in the testicles for eyes. It was also peeing. While hilarious, I had to confiscate it. And try not to laugh.

I think I have a picture of it too...

12/12/2006 5:44:36 PM

I get my middle school class for student teaching starting Jan 10th or so.
6-8th grade technology education here I come.

12/12/2006 5:57:31 PM

oh yes, the drawing of the pictures....

here is something one of my third graders drew for me last week. it's pretty cool, i mean, there's a pop-up tutu on there if you can't tell. but maaaaan it was all i could do to contain my gutter-minded giggles until i got back to my office.

12/12/2006 6:10:05 PM

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA that is AMAZING



the penis mask in all it's half-colored glory

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 6:20 PM. Reason : the penis mask]

12/12/2006 6:19:02 PM

NICE!!!

we should start some kind of official collection of twisted children's artwork. i bet there are teachers all over the world with things like this stashed in their desks or at home just because the shit's too funny to throw away. and i bet they would all be willing to pay money to see more just like it.

12/12/2006 6:29:31 PM

^A book like that would make millions.

My mom taught first grade for many years...the kids had to draw a picture of their dads one day. One kids (whose mom TAUGHT in the school) drew his dad normally, but then drew a HUGE penis that hit the floor and kept going for several "feet". The teachers were in tears over it in the lunchroom.

My roommate has a Halloween card that was drawn by one of the kids she works with at her job - the girl left out the "n" in "Knock Knock" on the front.

The other good ones I have are "Incident Reports" I used in elementary school. Maverick1024 - take notice of this!!!!! It cuts down on tattling!!! If a kid comes to you with a complaint (and they will!), tell them to fill out an Incident Report. They have to write a detailed account of what happened (first graders have to draw a very detailed picture) and THEN come to you. Most kids start, lose interest after 5 minutes and say "Nevermind, it's not important." The half-done incident reports I have are hilarious...

12/12/2006 6:39:58 PM

^^^ that is a great idea. i might steal it from you. like, starting tomorrow. tattling makes my head hurt.

12/12/2006 6:41:26 PM

YES - use the incident report. It cut down tattling to nothing within a DAY for me. The teacher was so impressed that she implemented it for her classroom. Refuse to listen to any tattling until the Incident Report has been filled out (unless someone's bleeding, etc.).

Oh then there was the kid who brought in a used tampon to my mom's class for show and tell...he called it a telescope.

12/12/2006 6:43:32 PM

the school XCchik teaches at has this huge ass vice principal that would scare the shit out of trouble students if a sub has problems. i was often that kid.

12/12/2006 6:45:41 PM

This thread ispired me to put a who cd in.

12/12/2006 6:58:42 PM

It's actually part of the handbook for my elementary WCPSS school to not bribe with candy...it is "against the rules."

We ignore that rule as does half the school.

12/12/2006 7:03:13 PM

The "incident report". I like that. I don't know if I should use it for substituting, but if I ever decide to get a real job teaching, it's a good idea.

So those who have subbed before, were you expected to actually teach something (lesson plan, etc.) or did the teacher you were subbing for already have something laid out for you, movie, lesson, etc.?

Yeah I just hope I sub for teachers who have good discipline policies. Then I could just write a note or something saying the class misbehaved. Sounds like it should work. Also I was thinking about giving them 10 minutes or so of 'free time' at the end of the class if they've done good. Talk, do whatever, as long as there's no rough housing, etc. Think this will work?

12/12/2006 9:05:05 PM

^ NO! no free time! you're just asking to pull your hair out.
keep them busy every minute they're in there.

and of course i have an alternative to candy. stickers or some other little prize.

[Edited on December 13, 2006 at 11:45 AM. Reason : f]

12/13/2006 11:43:57 AM

^ Man, I loved collecting stickers when I was younger. Remember having all sorts of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ones.

So, it was probably Elementary school. If I remember right, it was a small bin that you got to choose one out of.

12/13/2006 1:45:25 PM

As was mentioned earlier, establish dominance early and it will make your life easier. I don't mean doing anything over the top, just letting the kids know that you won't take their shit. Like was mentioned earlier, make an example out of the first kid that acts up. This is particularly good in middle school because the class will get the message and they will pass that message along to the later periods.

It will be very clear from the start whether the teacher has control of their class or not. Once you have established a good reputation with these teachers, you can virtually eliminate having to take random jobs off the hotline. It will make your life easier. I was always a fan of subbing for my friends that are teachers because they knew me outside of the class and vice versa. They would always give me a no BS assessment of their class and I would give them no BS feedback. Plus it is pretty demoralizing to a troublemaker when you can call the teacher from your personal cell phone.

Giving free time is great in theory but as XCchik pointed out, it is not a good practice. It may work for a lot of classes but many will get out of control fast. That said, I like to use 'free time' as a carrot. I typically put it in the class' hands whether or not they get free time. If the ENTIRE class completes all of the assignments, then the entire class gets to decide what they want to do with their free time. This typically motivates the class to get their work done and it results in the students taking responsibility for keeping each other on task. FYI - Most good teachers leave far more work than can realistically be completed in a period/schoolday so you will rarely have a class finish all tasks.

As far as how much actual teaching you will have to do, it depends on the grade level and the individual teacher. At the elementary level, you can expect to do quite a bit of 'real' teaching in the sense that you will be doing more than just passing out worksheets and pressing play on the vcr. it is hit or miss at the middle or high school levels. I found that when I subbed for teachers that knew me, they gave me more responsibility than simply babysitting. It is more fun for you and easier to keep the kids on task.

Oh yeah, about the training, I dont remember off the top of my head who to get in touch with or when they offer the training (i think that it is once a month). Since I live in sweden now, i dont have that information nearby, but I will be back in raleigh next week and can dig through my stuff at my parent's house. If you send me a pm sometime next week I will get all of that information for you. when i did the training it was not during the scheduled monthly session, for some reason they made an exception and held a small session for me and one other person. the training is a joke really, just learning how to use the automated system, and what things are against the law to do in a classroom (basically just common sense stuff, but they wouldnt be teaching it if no one had done it before)

[Edited on December 13, 2006 at 2:16 PM. Reason : o]

12/13/2006 2:12:46 PM

Quote :

"This is particularly good in middle school because the class will get the message and they will pass that message along to the later periods."

Exactly!!! And once you've been doing it for awhile, you'll get a rep in the school, not just a few classes. If it's a rep as a really strict sub, you won't have any problems.

I subbed one 7th grade class during the last week of school (a hell time to sub) and I did the "start of nasty, make an example of the first kid that acts out" routine. They looked at me in horror and respected my "absolute silence for the whole period" rule, working on their projects. The funny part was that everyone could hear the class next door (NOT a sub) being rowdy and not working. The teacher kept saying "Come on guys, work! Please?" After a few periods he came over and asked me what my secret was, and what the heck I was doing to these kids...they were coming into his class (after mine) saying, "You won't BELIEVE the bitch of a sub we have for English!!! She has no soul!"

But hey, all of my classes were wonderfully silent...great opportunity to study for the GRE while they got work done.

12/13/2006 3:03:25 PM

i did it last year and loved it. wish i could do it again. as mentioned above, you need to lay the smack down from the beginning and add as many schools as possible at first, also as many subjects. trust me, you don't need to know anything about ap european literature to sub for it. i did upper grades in hs bc i liked to teach. 5th - 9th grades are tough, esp the kids just fresh into high school, well you know how they think. make sure you do the training early on, but you probably don't have to do it bc of your experience.

in my experience, the kids all knew my first name and were pretty tight. btw, if you're a college-aged male, you WILL get hit on. :-)

12/14/2006 7:24:23 PM

Don't forget to apply to charter schools as well as county schools - charter schools have shorter sub lists and county schools often call longtime favorite subs.

12/14/2006 7:52:30 PM

I am not a fan of candy as a reward. Most school systems should have a healthy food law that they implement, and giving candy as a reward violates that law. It is the reason that many cafeterias had to change the foods they serve (at least the way they are prepared) in the past few years.

I definitely agree that a substitute should be strict, but I also think it is also important to be a human being. Many teachers and subs especially are gruff and standoffish to the point that they scare the kids, but I think that is counterproductive to the goal of education. The best subs are those that return to the same school repeatedly and develop consistency of expectation from the kids, but they also connect with them.

What everyone else has said about the strictness from moment one is true, but I would be wary of going too far. Not because of the implications legally, but because I have seen several subs who are rude, obnoxious, and have no respect for the kids or expectations for them to learn. They just want to get paid and leave. When the kids recognize that, they have no desire to work for you.

Maybe this is just my point of view. On the other hand, in five years I haven't missed a single day of school, and when subs come in for my fellow teachers, I just tell the students next door that if they have any problems, they have to deal with me, not the sub.

12/14/2006 7:59:54 PM

Subs should be strict, but not overbearing: unless you're a long-term sub, the kids know that whatever they do to you will have short-term consequences. They won't respond to a sub on a power trip.

12/14/2006 9:34:49 PM

i'd make my grades 40% in class participation/behavior.... little fucks would pay attention then, their grade depends on it.... and if they don't care about grades then get them out of the class/make it seem like they are gonna get ridiculed/ostracized due to it, like putting them all in a corner and having them do something incredibly stupid and slightly embarrassing like making paper dolls or something ridiculous like that...

12/15/2006 11:47:52 AM

Quote :

"I have yet to do the "training" for substitute teaching. Ive been trying to get into contact with someone who can tell me when these dates are but I havent received any info yet. Do you (or anyone out there) know who or where I could go to to get this information? thanks a lot"

If you are already a licensed teacher, you do not have to go through "effective teacher training" because you already have classroom experience. Once they do a background check and approve you, they just send you a hire packet that includes a health form. Once you complete the paper work, pass a TB test, and get all of the paper work in, you are good to go.

I am a licensed teacher and went through the entire process of being hired as a sub, but I never actually substitute taught because I found a job (not teaching).

12/15/2006 1:57:21 PM

I substituted. 7th-8th grade fucking sucks. The AP kids are good. I did more than half of my work at the "alternative school." That was challenging and rewarding. I welcomed the small classes.

HINT: Take an athletic whistle with you, especially to middle school. A. It's always possible you'll end up teaching PE. B. Nothing shuts a room of 13 year-olds up faster than a quick pop that makes them jump out of their skin. It saves a lot of yelling.

12/16/2006 3:45:49 AM

i have a cowbell for that purpose ^

12/16/2006 8:54:40 PM

12/17/2006 10:57:39 PM

1. Be Firm
2. Be consistent

if you say you are going to do something (write up, detention, etc..), then do it.
If you say it and never do it, they will just continue to eat you alive.

12/17/2006 11:26:38 PM

Quote :

"Don't forget to apply to charter schools as well as county schools - charter schools have shorter sub lists and county schools often call longtime favorite subs."

How do you get the application for this? I can't seem to find it online...

1/21/2007 9:39:48 PM

I'm a first year teacher in Wake County. This past semester was tough because I definitely started off too nice. Veteran teachers told me to be mean but I had no idea what that meant. Now I know to have a short list of rules, a set consequences, and that I have to follow those steps. I also have rewards for students who do follow the rules: candy, stickers, free time, computer time, etc.

If you are subbing you do have to be incredibly strict because you won't be able to establish yourself with the students. They may not like you and think or call you mean names. Just remember you are there to give them the optimal learning environment, not to be their friend.

It's good that you are asking advice from other people before you get into it. However, you really won't know what works best for you until you get in and try it. I would also suggest reading Harry Wong's book on the first days of school. Read it before you get into teaching, read it while you are teaching, and read it after. Some things are hard to understand and see use in until you have messed up and want new ways to get classroom management right.

You also may feel a lack of support from the county level, you may feel like you weren't trained enough from NCSU, and you may think that other teachers could care less. You just have to get in and create your own community, as hard as it may be at first.

Good Luck!

1/22/2007 6:48:16 PM

Quote :

"we should start some kind of official collection of twisted children's artwork. i bet there are teachers all over the world with things like this stashed in their desks or at home just because the shit's too funny to throw away. and i bet they would all be willing to pay money to see more just like it."

I had a student once (5 years old) choose to draw her rendition of Christ's hand being nailed to the cross. She must have seen it in some religious artwork, but her take on it was a bit... on the bloody side. My boss and I just looked at it a little wide-eyed.

1/22/2007 8:13:57 PM

I actually started substitute teaching last week. I've only done it twice. My first class was a 4th grade class that was pretty bad behaved. I definitely was too nice and they took advantage of me, but they eventually calmed down. Next time I know to not try to be their "friend".

Today I subbed at a vocational high school for mentally and physically disabled kids. Going in I was pretty worried that it was going to be a rough experience (with never having worked with those kinds of kids before) but it was honestly a great experience. It was so weird to see kids who were actually EXCITED about being in school, and just so happy the whole day. It helped a lot that I was just an "assistant" and the head teacher was just a huge help.

The person who wanted information about applications, go here: http://schooljobs.dpi.state.nc.us/
You might want to check with the head of sub. teaching in the county you want. Some don't even refer to the online application (like Forsyth) and just do their own thing.

1/22/2007 9:03:18 PM

I remember we had a sub in the 4th grade, and he spent most of the day playing a game with us where we had to follow orders or we'd be discharged. I think I got the attention/at ease postures down pretty good. We actually had fun because we all secretly wanted to be the final one standing in his elite army, and we really respected him because it was our first ever experience in honor and obedience.

1/22/2007 9:07:32 PM

sometimes searching on tww is more effective than google - bttt for nuts

searching works if you use it correctly

to find this thread for instance - i clicked the lounge section and then for keyword i typed in "teach"

2/14/2007 6:38:31 PM

sometimes search doesn't work.

2/14/2007 6:57:30 PM

I dont really wanna be a substitute teacher, at least not a pc illiterate one.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/46925/

2/14/2007 7:17:01 PM

Quote :

"How does one go about becoming a substitute teacher in North Carolina? I'm looking for real information on this and not some ask.com website."

All you need is like 30? credit hours of college.

Go to the website of the county you want to work for and sign up. You'll go to a day of training, and then you're a substitute.


But for real-- don't sub.

2/14/2007 7:20:03 PM

I had a teacher who would give us candy for doing good things. One day we had a sub and she yelled at us the moment we walked in and told us we couldnt talk for the whole period. She just sat there reading the newspaper and eating our candy-- she would peel the wrappers under the desk (making a loud noise) and pop it in her mouth when she thought no one was looking. By the end of the day she ate all of our candy, an entire drawer full.

2/14/2007 8:30:43 PM

I'll ask my mom for specifics tomorrow but yah, I believe you just sign up and do it. without certification I believe it's 65$ a day.

2/14/2007 10:31:08 PM