Last updated on August 12th, 2023 at 04:26 pm
It’s essential to stay organized as a substitute teacher— how else will you be able to show up on time to be your very best part-time teacher nomad self?
Imagine you’re finally all set up to substitute teach. The job notifications start flying in, and you excitedly accept. Before you know it, you’ve committed to cover multiple grades at several different schools, and your quickly filling schedule is starting to seem dizzying.
Maintaining an orderly schedule
Welcome to one of the most important aspects of upholding professionalism as a substitute teacher: Keeping the schedule straight. Not many school staff have to contend with the random mixed bag of a schedule that subs have to deal with. (I find the flexible, everchanging, unpredictable schedule to be both a blessing and annoyance of the job!)
Some school districts will even show subs the door for missing their assigned jobs. It’s crucial to get this right.
You’ll need an effective system for keeping on top of your schedule. Mine looks like this:
- Setting: A place to record job acceptances, such as a phone calendar.
- Action: Putting into practice the action of immediately recording job acceptances into my calendar. I do this until it becomes a habit.
This sounds simple, right? But if something gets between accepting a job and recording it, that means I’ll likely forget about the job. (Which I haven’t done yet, but I’m totally scared of this happening!)
Say I get a notification for a job at a school I like that agrees with my schedule. I punch the Accept button on my app. At that same moment, my dog vomits on the carpet. I go to clean that mess up, then something else happens as is usually the case in our busy household, and… the job doesn’t get recorded in my calendar. It might as well be a unicorn floating in the ether at this point, because though the job is very real and requiring of my presence, it has become a forgotten fantasy in my mind.
Don’t skip on the calendar. Don’t try to remember or even rely on faithfully checking the absence management website.
Because I have to find childcare each time I take a sub job, my routine also includes immediately texting my babysitter with the date I signed up for to check her availability. If she’s not available, it’s no big deal. I go back in the system and cancel that job. (I can cancel the job I took as long as it’s more than 12 hours before.)
As far as the type of calendar goes, go with the format that is easiest and most natural for you to use. If you need it staring you in the face each day, you could go with a paper calendar attached to the fridge. I’ve used the calendar on my phone. I also keep an online calendar in Google Sheets because I use the Google programs daily.
Maintaining timeliness
I’ve never completely missed a sub job, but I’m embarrassed to say I’ve been late a couple of times.
Being late as a sub is always the worst feeling because: a.) I feel like I come across as an unprofessional nitwit and 2.) Instead of a good 15 minutes to get acquainted with the room and the lesson plans, I have 0.5 seconds to make sense of this new world and its inhabitants and it makes me feel like I’m going to die.
I entreat you to learn from my mistakes. Show up on time for your substitute jobs:
- Give yourself ample extra time (like extra extra) every time you go to a new school. There’s nothing like being hit with the surprises of weird traffic patterns or congested parking lots or unfamiliar routes. I got lost once, with no GPS, when headed to a new school. A very gracious secretary gave me directions over the phone that included turning left at an Olive Garden. I arrived just in time to walk in the door at the same moment as my fifth graders.
- Make a list of travel times and start times for each of the schools you frequent. You may be venturing to schools with different start times. Make note of these. Also record the travel times so you know when to leave the house. I keep all of this handy information in my substitute planner spreadsheet.
If you make yourself available to substitute at any school in your district, and that includes 10 or more schools, you’ll have to ensure you’re organized. Draw up a list. Get the spreadsheet. Don’t be late.
My subbing sweet spot includes narrowing my range to about five schools. That way I’m more familiar with the schools, the start and end times, and the routes. That makes the whole gig a lot less stressful.
Note-taking for happier substitute teaching
My final organizational recommendation for substitute teachers is taking notes after a job assignment.
I know, it’s exhausting, and the last thing you want to do is reflect on your long day of work.
But taking a few moments to record certain classrooms that you loved or despised can help you weed through more jobs that fit you best.
There are some classes I would sub for on Christmas day, I loved them so much.
There are others I wouldn’t go back to if I were the last teacher on Earth and they were the last class and for some reason there was an urgent need for traditional schooling to take place.
Because of my note-taking habit, I can steer clear of the disaster rooms and sub my favorites over and over.
I’ve also got a section for this in my digital planner for subs. It’s super quick inputting the data: School, grade and classroom, would or would not return, and a line for any extra notes. Sometimes I enjoyed subbing for a class but have a note about a particular student that could help me if I sub there again. It goes in the spreadsheet as quick as a wink.
The well-organized substitute teacher
Gone is the stereotype of the fumbling, struggling, generally unaware substitute teacher that doesn’t notice the “Kick Me” sign taped to the back of her cardigan, let alone which period she’s supposed to be teaching.
We’ll be organized subs. We’ll show up early or on time, with enough latitude to have a thorough study of the lesson plans and a lay of the land. We’ll be prepared when that first scholar appears in our doorway. We’ll be confident when we say: “Good morning, everyone! My name is Mr. or Mrs. So-and-so, and I’ll be filling in for your teacher today.”
Whichever tools you choose to use, decide now to take action and set them up. Prime your environment for success. Before you know it, these actions will build into habits that carry you through a successful year of subbing. Best of luck, my friends. We need all that we can get.
