Last updated on August 10th, 2023 at 03:09 pm
Substitute teaching is a flexible job, which I find translates into refreshingly elastic Augusts each new school year. I get to wave casually at the school buses shuttling by instead of scurrying around my classroom before they arrive. I feel free to saunter right past the school supply section of the store instead of feeling pressure to drop an entire grocery budget on items my students need.
In spite of the drawbacks of substitute teaching (and there are quite a few), relaxed and self-paced back-to-school seasons top my list for joining the gig.
Still, a substitute will need to enter a classroom eventually. Here are some ways subs can ready themselves for a new school year:
1. Ensure your administrative ducks are in a row
If it’s your first year substitute teaching, you might need to go to your school board to fill out paperwork or attend a new hires orientation. As a returning sub, all I need to do on this front is collect my new badge, updated for the fresh schoolyear. Same unflattering headshot, new technicolor years shimmering across the ID.
Next up is to decide and set up how you’ll receive jobs. In my district, I can mark my preference online: Do I want an automated system calling me with job openings? If so, do I want to restrict the calls to certain days and times? Or do I simply want to check the system online? And do I want to narrow down a selection of certain schools I’ll sub at?
2. Set up systems for job sign-ups and recording
I like to use an app called SubAlert. It sends me notifications on jobs as they come, and I can accept, deny or ignore each job. Since it’s connected to my district’s absence management system, whatever filters I applied in that system are carried over to the app.
This means that if I don’t want to substitute teach middle school (I generally don’t), the app won’t send me middle school jobs.
Finally, you’ll want somewhere to note your jobs schedule. This could be a calendar on your fridge or on your phone. Just make sure you have a system for recording jobs– a sub not showing up for an assigned job can be grounds for dismissal in some places.
I like to note each job I sign up for in my online planner using Google Sheets. The planner also has a tab dedicated to school notes. If you’re juggling several schools, keeping them straight is key. You’ll need a list of their start and end times, as well as how long it takes to get to each school. Being on time for your sub jobs will depend on getting this information correct.
Since I don’t have to substitute teach very often (about once a week), I’m choosy about my assignments. If I feel the need to note something about a particular class– whether it’s something great about the class or a warning never to sub in that room again– I record it in the digital planner as well. It’s nice to have all of this information in one place. You can purchase the Substitute Teacher digital planner from my Etsy shop!
3. Make plans to effectively weave home and work
In a stunning revelation of adulthood, I noticed this: The more we go to work, the less time we have to devote to home tasks.
My family and I still need to eat, wear reasonably clean clothes, and live in a reasonably clean home. My child needs care. That means arranging for these tasks to be completed while I’m substituting. It no longer works to act completely surprised that these things aren’t getting done when I’m spending all day at school.
Building routines help to more seamlessly incorporate work into family life. Routines such as:
- Grandma babysits every week on the same day
- We get a quick dinner on days I work (favorites include: grocery store subs or take out)
- I make a huge meal one day that can be used for leftovers the day I work (such as a big pot of soup)
- Laundry doubles up and my husband and I both tackle it on Saturdays
- etc.
No, I haven’t mastered that elusive perfect balance. Yes, I still get overwhelmed with trying to fit it all in and occasionally end up turning to a jar of Nutella in my grief. But having plans for the mixing of life and work beats winging it by a landslide.
4. Prepare a capsule of substitute teaching outfits
If you’re wondering, substitute teaching outfits bear an uncanny resemblance to regular teaching outfits.
But as the stranger in an unknown classroom, I’d advise dressing to accommodate a wide variety of activities.
I once reported for duty on what was apparently Kindergarten waterslide day in a flowery rayon dress. Needless to say, I did not partake in water sliding that day.
Or the time when I was assigned the task of working one-on-one with a student, and she was a runner and I had worn nothing fitting for athletics.
The ideal substitute teacher outfit is professional, modest so as to signal your lowly status as a sub (just kidding, kind of!) and comfortable enough to accommodate a range of actions as diverse as a Marine Corps boot camp. Have this small collection ready, and you can save time poking around your closet on busy mornings.
5. Gather low-cost incentive favors and other supplies
While this step isn’t mandatory, I find it helpful.
It doesn’t mean I drop entire paychecks on bribery items (er, I mean supplies). But when things come on sale that may be handy, I consider it a worthwhile investment.
Hear me out: You don’t have to buy things and give them away like a traveling Santa Claus to be a successful substitute. In fact, please don’t do that.
But in my experience, there are certain classes or individuals who really respond well to prizes. At times, these motivational tools can be the difference between surviving the day or descending into utter chaos.
These items can be inexpensive, such as a booklet full of hundreds of stickers. (I’ve found these at dollar stores.) Other favorite incentives for my stash include: coloring sheets, fancy pencils, teeny shaped erasers, tickets, and sometimes even an allergen-free treat like Dum-Dums lollipops.
I also bring inspirational mascots in the form of a stuffed animal pigeon or elephant. I enthusiastically puppet master these animals into cheering and dancing when the students demonstrate good behavior. This is incredibly effective for Kindergarten and first grades. It has not been tested with high schoolers.
6. Prepare mentally by taking classes… or not
My school district allows substitutes to participate in most of its professional development (PD) classes and workshops. I’ve attended a few of these, and it’s sort of enjoyable to brush up on my teaching skills, learn new techniques and meet teachers from a smattering of schools.
(Though it’s always a little awkward in those ice breakers in which we have to introduce ourselves and say which grade we teach.)
The beauty of this is that substitutes can take the classes or not. Consider it a perk of the job that you don’t have to sit through back-to-school PD week that really feels like an entire Congressional session.
Ready to get back at it
Everybody must prepare themselves for back-to-school season— even substitutes. While a major benefit of the job involves handpicking the day you actually do need to go back to the schools, there are ways to prepare and put one’s best foot forward in the new school year. I hope you find this helpful– I’m rooting for you, teachers and substitutes! If you’re interested in learning more about substitute teaching, I have a whole series on it here on the blog.
