Last updated on September 16th, 2023 at 02:40 pm
I’ve had some pretty memorable substitute teaching experiences (hello, surprise water day!). My two stints of long-term substitute teaching were no exception. Here’s the lowdown on my time covering for a planned leave:
How I started long-term subbing
I’ve taken two long-term sub positions, and both fell in my lap. It certainly doesn’t have to happen that way, but it did for me. (It probably helps that I’ve been a full-time teacher already.)
A friend who worked at the school called me about the opportunity, and I told her I would be interested. From there, I was shuttled in to meet and talk with the assistant principal about the particular job and my qualifications.
After passing this interview/introduction, I was given the job. I was to cover for a teacher going on maternity leave, and the logistics seemed straightforward– we would have start and end dates of the term (later, through another long-term sub position, I’d learn that this is luxury information!)
There was no contract for the position and no need to fill out additional paperwork for the school district– I was already in the system as a substitute teacher. The switch from regular, short-term substitute to long-term substitute would prove to be simple and without much fuss or fanfare.
Why I took the job
First, I’ll admit that it’s hard for me to turn down an opportunity someone (especially a friend) brings my way. So I’m sure that was a factor in accepting the role.
Another piece to the decision was that I was slowly leaking funds.
I had quit teaching first grade after three years to travel, write something (go far back enough, and you’ll find that this was the original goal– I majored in journalism), and generally find myself and regain sanity.
That October, I had just returned from a trip to India, and my savings was diminishing. I was subbing here and there to stay afloat.
Teaching for a day in a new classroom for a completely new group of students day in and day out can be both energizing and depleting. I found that the goods and bads of such a transitional job were tethered to extremes, and I had little control over which end of the spectrum I landed. One day I’d have a student picking wildflowers for me, the next picking fights.
This opportunity to spend three months in the same classroom became a glittering promise of stability for me. No more waking up to complete surprises– I could be their teacher for a little while.
Preparing for the role
I can’t emphasize enough how good I had it with this particular position. I was equipped with ample information and teacher preparation, and that’s not the case for every long-term subbing gig. Not every leave of absence can be planned.
Before I took over, the school scheduled a day for me to shadow and observe the teacher I’d be covering. This was a paid day, and one of my favorite paid days to date. I got to not only talk with the teacher and ask her all of my questions, but I was also able to witness how she handled each minute of the school day.
I studied how she started the day, how she called the class to attention, how she redirected students and began the math period and gave each student a high five before recess. The students also got to know me, and I’d like to think they were able to take comfort in knowing who would be at the helm in their teacher’s absence.
I familiarized myself with the school, how I’d sign in each day, how to use the copier. This teacher could focus on having her baby, and I was prepared to take over the second-grade classroom.
Long-term subbing days 1-50
The teacher I was covering for was detailed, organized, and focused. (A true gem of a find!) An entire bookshelf in her classroom was filled with stacks of materials and workbooks for the length of her absence and beyond. I would barely need to make a copy.
She also provided lesson plans for the entire leave. Once I got a good grasp of the classroom’s schedule and lesson framework, even the simplest of plans containing various book page numbers was enough information for me to work from.
The first day came one fall morning without too many hitches– after all, I’d had a practice run already. But even with ample resources like the three months of plans, there comes a time when a teacher just needs to wrap her own head around things. Attempting to do this, I stayed late after school the first few days, feeling the weight of this overwhelming new puzzle of a classroom just like I’d felt every August as a teacher. I had the information on paper, but I’d need to develop systems for how I would actually perform each task, each lesson, each day.
By week 3, I had found my sea legs and was teaching as comfortably as I could as a long-term substitute.
Compelled to share my love of stories with the kids, I added in a beloved read aloud to our schedule: The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo. Every day, we cracked open the book and were transported.
In December, we celebrated holidays together. We discussed Christmas wishlists and played board games and sipped hot chocolate. Feeling festive and motivated, I decorated the classroom door to look like a winter scene of Charlie Brown’s Snoopy resting on top of his celebratory dog house.
By January, it was time for the regular teacher to return.
It was tough to pry myself from the room I had called my own for three months. These eight-year-olds had left their mark on me, and I would miss them.
My experience long-term substitute teaching
This particular long-term subbing experience was as positive as it could have been. It was cut and dry with very few curveballs. Not every maternity leave is as predictable, but this one happened to go according to plan. And I was sufficiently stocked with all of the resources I needed as well as a teacher willing to field my questions as they came.
I appreciated the security of knowing, for the most part, what the day would hold, as opposed to the sheer randomness of regular substitute teaching, where each day is a pinata filled with sometimes unsweet suprises.
I enjoyed the classroom culture we were able to create, the coworker friendships that blossomed, and the opportunity to get to know a school better for potential future work purposes.
This experience was a good one, and would flavor my perspective on long-term substitute teaching. It was such a great job, I jumped a bit naively into the next one, which was beset with completely different variables. Not all long-term substitute jobs are rewarding, but this was certainly was.
Other long-term substitute resources on the blog:
- 6 Key Tips for Success as a Long-Term Sub
- The Complete Guide to Long-Term Subbing
- Is It Worth It to Long-Term Substitute Teach?
- Considering a Long-Term Sub Position? 3 Reasons to Pause
- My Experience Long-Term Subbing for an Unplanned Leave
- Free Introduction Letter Template for Long-Term Subs
