How to Substitute Teach as a Super Young Adult
Each new substitute teaching assignment brings with it a new day of possibilities. The day starts when a sea of young faces stare at you from their desks, testing the first introductory...
Charmaine
Journalism school + editing + university newspaper 2010-2013
Education grad school + full-time teaching internship 2013-2014
Teaching elementary grades + Substitute teaching 2014-2023
3 Keys for Effectively Teaching All Ages as a Substitute
I’m lucky to be teaching all kinds of different ages of students in various schools. In fact, there’s only one age group I haven’t taught-- and that’s high school. I’ve subbed for...
A Year in Review: Substitute Teaching in 2023-2024
I'm hanging up my substitute teaching hat for the rest of the year, folks. Summer break has officially started for me! The announcement is a little less climactic than, say, the official...
It’s Gonna be May: A Substitute’s Survival Guide to the End of the Year
One might think that nearing the finish line of a long and busy school year would be a smooth-paved path of ease and simplicity. One might think that-- but the complete opposite...
Summer’s Coming: What to Do as a Substitute Teacher
What's that in the air? Unbearable heat, humidity, and the excitable chorus of children soon to be released from the daily constraints of modern schooling? Whether you're rejoicing over the end of...
Leaving a Sub Note: Examples and a Free Template
After another breathlessly chaotic day substitute teaching in a new class, I slumped into the worn office chair loitering bedraggedly behind the teacher desk and poked under piles of papers and half-sticking...
Before Quitting: A Brief History of My Teaching Experience
Though this blog is now mostly dedicated to chronicling my stories and advice from substitute teaching and motherhood, my roots reach all the way back to classroom teaching. If we pan back...
3 Ways to Help Kids After Quitting Classroom Teaching
One of the hardest parts of leaving teaching after five years was telling my favorite students I wouldn't be coming back. I had just "looped" with most of the class from third...
How to Show Appreciation for Your Long-Term Substitute
"Being a long-term substitute is a scam." -Reddit user. The job of a long-term substitute is never easy. These adventurous, and often naive, people can get gobsmacked with an avalanche of classroom...
Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas for Every Type of Educator
Right before a teacher packs up his clsasroom for the summer, something glorious happens. (Or-- depending how it's celebrated-- a week of lackluster attempts at fanfare comes and goes.) However a school...
Secrets to Summer School Success
It's possible you've found your way here because you've decided to teach summer school this year. You've taken up a noble quest. You will join the ranks of myriads of other tough...
Surf’s Up: A Free Summer School Behavior Management Resource
"Hi! Come on in!" I cheerfully intoned as I swung open the door amidst the sweltering summer heat to a squiggly line of bouncy almost-Kindergarteners. My summer school students were eager to...