Substitute Teaching in Large Classes: The New Norm?

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By Felice Barlett

It’s Monday morning. I arrive at the middle school at least 30 minutes early. I’m checking in at the front desk. Then I receive the day’s student rosters in a folder. I walk to the classroom and set my stuff down and find the sub plans on the teacher’s desk. When looking at the student roster for the first period, I notice that it is two pages long! There are 32 eighth graders in this class, and I am slightly panicking. I quickly count the number of seats and desks. Yes, they can all fit. But there are 32 students in this class! I check the other periods and there are 30-31 students in each period! What’s that going to be like?

In today’s schools, having a large number of students in classrooms may be out of the ordinary, but nowadays it is the new normal.

But why is it normal? Aren’t there enough teachers? Aren’t there enough classrooms in schools? How can learning happen when there are too many students in one small classroom with only one teacher? Doesn’t a crowded classroom make it difficult to manage behavior?  Why is this the new normal?

Challenges of a Crowded Classroom

The largest class I taught as a full-time teacher had 28 fifth graders. I thought that was way too many kids at one time. Little did I know, that there are schools with as many as 34 students in one class! 

Some schools have students who have to sit on the floor of the classroom. Even if there is a paraprofessional or in-class support person present, it can be a huge challenge for teachers to manage that many students at one time. 

Some schools like the ones I routinely sub at don’t have lockers for the students to use. Therefore the students must have their backpacks with them all the time. Thirty-two backpacks on the floor near their desks make it nearly impossible to walk around to check on a student’s work and provide assistance to those who need it. I have nearly tripped on backpacks trying to help students with their work. These classrooms can sound very loud when most of the students are talking to each other, especially with older middle school students. Their voices are naturally deeper and louder than elementary school students. Getting their attention takes awhile and that equates to instructional time lost. I have had to use the microphone many times because my voice is not loud enough to cut through all the noise. Having enough supplies for the students is another challenge. The classroom teacher probably figured out the quantities of pencils, paper, etc. they need on a daily basis for these large classes. As a sub, I always bring extra pencils and erasers just in case they need extras. 

Routines and Check-Ins

As a substitute, we may not know how many students will be in the classes until we check in. Unless we have subbed for a particular teacher a few times, we really don’t know what we are in for. And it’s possible that not all classes will have as many as 32 students. So we must be prepared as best as we can for subbing in those large classrooms. 

Greeting all 32 students as they come into the classroom is important. It shows that you are willing to get to know them and sets a positive tone. The teacher should have set routines and expectations for the students to follow. However things can change when there’s a sub. Students may feel like they can choose not to follow those routines and expectations now that there is a different person in the classroom. I remind them that the same expectations apply when the teacher is absent. Calling out 32 names to check attendance can be a big job. Sometimes I count the number of students and ask them who is absent. Sometimes there’s a seating chart available so I can verify which students are absent. 

Once the instructions have been read the students are usually eager to start. If there is room to walk around the classroom, I will do check-ins to see if the students need any clarification on the assignments. A lot of times students will ask each other for help and that’s ok unless it gets too loud or they get off task. If students try to talk across the classroom it becomes distracting especially when other students join in. Most of the time when I ask them to stop they do. Sometimes the students will go back to trying to talk to their friend across the room so I use proximity to try and stop this behavior. 

I like to use the timer application on the Promethean board as a count down to the end of class. I know the students have digital clocks on their chrome books, but I think just seeing the timer countdown creates a sense of urgency and time management to get assignments done. Or sometimes I’ll use the timer to countdown until the last 5 minutes of “free time”. That’s a big incentive for most students to focus and not create disruptions. 

How Many Students Can Fill a Gym?

Subbing middle school physical education can be chaotic, even with help from a coach.

Once, I picked up a sub job for PE and when I got to the gym, I realized there was another sub already there. Luckily for us there was also a coach present to give directions on the microphone and use the basketball timer to keep track of time. All we did was take attendance at the beginning of the class while the students were sitting on the gym floor in alphabetical order. For the rest of the period, we helped monitor students while they were doing exercises or playing volleyball. Most of the periods had around 80 students but one period had over 140 students (3 classes combined)! During one period the coach had her planning time so I used the microphone to give directions and to get everyone’s attention. The other sub and I figured out the basketball timer and we were able to provide a countdown with a buzzer for the students. 

Navigating this “New Normal” as a Substitute Teacher

While having more than 25 middle school students in one classroom may seem chaotic, it can be manageable with help of a paraprofessional and/or in-class support. Getting help from the teacher next door can make a difference. He or she can look in and see what’s going on and help a sub manage the classroom. I think having an extra adult in the room who knows the students should be the new normal, especially with the larger classes. If you are subbing a large class, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Use that class microphone. Use proximity. Try to move to different areas of the classroom to monitor students. And try not to trip over those backpacks!

A Substitute’s Survival Guide to Large Classes:

• Use proximity and circulate the room as best you can (don’t be afraid to ask students to move their backpacks!)
• Utilize help from other staff members (paraprofessionals, the teacher next door, etc.)
• Use a microphone or other amplifying technology if you need
• Make seating charts quickly using the help of a student if none are provided
• Get through it one period at a time, using helpful behavior management strategies