Yesterday I was in the school office signing in on my way to the volunteer thing I do there, and the two secretaries were trying to figure out the staff situation for the day. Some teachers had known they would be out and so substitutes had already been lined up; but several other teachers were unexpectedly out. “This is going to be rough,” one secretary said to the other. Then her eyes rested speculatively on me. “Mrs. Thistle,” she said. “What’s your schedule like today?”
This doesn’t end with me being a spontaneous substitute for the day: it turns out there are a few little details that need to be taken care of before you can be unsupervised in a classroom with other people’s children, such as criminal background checks, fingerprinting, resumés that aren’t 18 years old. But it put the idea into my mind.
It satisfies several of my current job-based needs, all of which have proved difficult to fulfill with any other kind of job:
1. It can’t be during the summer
2. It has to be during the school day
3. It has to allow for me to be out when my littler kids are sick
The pay is okay. My fellow volunteer said the last time she checked, it was $70/day. That’s about $10/hour.
The qualifications are easy: you can’t be a criminal. Check!
This leaves the last issue: Would I hate it? Paul sighs when I ask this, because he knows I know as well as he does that the ONLY way to answer that question is to try it and see. But I seem to think that if I keep wringing my hands and fretting, the answer will come to me without having to try it.
I can’t even really ask other people about it, because one person’s ideal is another person’s hell. My mom, who was a teacher, would hate subbing or assisting: she wants her OWN classroom and her OWN rules and her OWN lesson plans. Whereas the idea of making lesson plans makes me shudder, and I’m not good at being consistent or sustaining interest: the first week of school, I’d be a GREAT teacher. After that, it would be worksheets and ennui.
Also, people differ spectacularly on preferred age groups. Just as some parents love newborns and suffer toddlers, and others are exactly the opposite, some substitutes find their niche with kindergartners and some with high schoolers, shuddering at the thought of the other.
So any advice I might solicit would be misleading and/or useless. Really, the ONLY way to know is to apply for the job, check allll the boxes for grade-level availability, and try it.
Instead, I wanted to ask you about it. Because the thing is, even if the advice isn’t helpful in one sense (“Ug, I hated it, it was the worst job ever” doesn’t tell me if I’ll hate it, any more than “Middle school is the BEST age!” tells me that I should choose middle school), it’s helpful in another sense: I find a GROUP opinion ends up giving me a fairly good picture of what something is like. If someone says, “I hated middle school subbing: all you do is hand out worksheets; I like elementary school, where you get to do the lesson plans,” then I will think, “Hm, I might prefer middle school.” If someone says, “I hated subbing: at first it’s fun to sit and read a book, but the hours go by so slowly,” I might think, “Hm, that does sound non-ideal.” If someone says, “I hate the way I don’t know until 8:00 a.m. if I’m working that day,” then I know more about how the process works.
Former middle school teacher here (although I flamed out after two years and decided that teaching is not for me, so take my qualifications with a grain of salt). Even though I preferred teaching older kids to teaching littles as a regular job, I think that being a middle or high school sub would be pretty terrible. My primary reason for thinking this is that older kids are much more likely to try and push the envelope with a sub to see what they can get away with behavior-wise. You’re also less likely to have to do any real teaching with older kids (in my experience teachers would usually leave worksheets or other independent work when they were going to be out), so the job would primarily entail trying to keep everyone in line without any of the rewarding parts of teaching. Subbing in younger kids’ classrooms would probably involve more teaching work, but less of the discipline and enforcing limits. A lot of this will likely depend on the school, but I went to pretty good schools and I remember my classmates being rude to subs pretty regularly in middle and high school.
When my son was a kindergartner, he and a group of boys made a substitute teacher cry. It’s not just the older kids that try and take advantage. However, when the principal called to tell me about it, my main remark was that the kids were not behaving as expected, but it didn’t seem that the behavior was bad enough to make the sub cry. The principal responded, “She won’t be a sub at our school again.”
Sounds like you need a thick skin to be a sub at any level. Good luck!
Well, to begin with, I am an actual 3rd grade teacher, but right out of college, before I got a full-time teaching job, I subbed for two years in elementary classrooms. Here are some things I learned:
Pros: You can work only the grades/classes that you want. If you are busy or don’t feel like working, you don’t have to. You can turn down jobs – if they want you to teach Special Ed. or Music and you are not in the mood, then you don’t. Often teachers who know you will request you and then you have a familiar room and routine to return to. Some teachers are really good about leaving great sub plans or movies so that your day goes well. You learn a lot about teaching, teaching styles and have an insight into what your kids do all day. People are generally nice and accommodating because good subs are like gold.
Cons: Every day is a mystery – will you have a terrible kid who makes your day miserable? Will there be good sub plans or will you search helplessly for a worksheet or be unable to find the math supplies the teacher wants you to use? Will there be an assembly that day? A field trip? A test? Will the class be sweet and helpful or will they use the opportunity to act up, be loud and crazy and drive you crazy? It is hard for me to decide if I think this is a good fit for you or not. I was trained as a teacher when I did it and got really good at making quick decisions about how to teach a certain lesson and what to do if you finished up the math lesson and worksheets with 30 minutes left until recess. Plus you are around lots of kids all day, which can be really tiring. I guess like you said, you won’t know until you try it! But, I would recommend starting with elementary school – a middleish grade like 2-4. Easier than little kids who require a LOT of work, and usually nicer than older kids who might really know how to take advantage of your inexperience.
Where I am the school has it all automated and so you’ll get calls from a machine that you can press a button to confirm you want the job or say no. I liked that because then I didn’t have to personally tell someone I didn’t want to work that day or that I wanted to avoid that certain class. You can also call in to check a list of available jobs so you could find ones that interested you and not wait to be asked. I did get calls also the morning of, which at the time I had no kids and am not a morning person so I wasn’t just up at the crack of dawn already waiting to see if I got a call so it would make for some fast decision making and getting ready.
I tend to enjoy elementary through jr. high the most. The younger kids seem to still have a bit of fear or respect of a substitute where as the older they get, they lose that. I look young so when I ended up subbing for high school english one day because the school was desperate it wasn’t easy because I didn’t look that much older than them.
I would say that it is probably more work to do the younger ones because you are expected to teach more (which in some ways is good cause it makes the day go faster). In the older grades they tend to leave movies or worksheets etc for them to do and you just try to manage the class and keep them quiet.
My dad is retired but decided to sub at the high school in the small town he is living in. He loved it and since he was there almost every day all the kids started to know him and would say hi to him in town and didn’t give him a hard time in class.
I think you are wise to realize it is a very different and personal preference for everyone and so it will be best for you to get out there and try it yourself. There are just so many variables.
It seems to me (teacher in an elementary/middle school in the morning and high school in the afternoons) that subbing would be an ideal situation for you. It’s not great for people who depend on it for their primary income, due to the inconsistency, but for supplement and something to do it’d work well I think. Since you’re already up and sending kids off to school, not knowing if you’d be needed/working that day seems like it would probably not be too terrible, and you can always say no if they call and you have lots to do.
Where I am right now, teachers call subs off the approved list, or the secretary does in the morning if it’s a last minute thing. Lots of times there aren’t enough subs to go around. Marking that you’re able to do all ages might get you a nice mix of high-involvement younger subbing and less-teaching-more-supervising older subbing, and if you develop strong preferences you can change that. I think I’d rather do some of both just for the variety. Kids get to know the subs over time, too, and that makes the classroom control issue less. When they know what to expect they’re more likely to go with it.
Where I used to live, there’s a computerized system where teachers input the days they need, and subs can go on and claim the jobs. They still make calls for last minute stuff in the morning, but more often you know in advance or at least have more control over choosing jobs (versus whoever calls you first).
I’d go through the background check and whatever else to get on the list, and maybe try it for the tail end of the school year (though kids are the most crazy then! But you probably know that) if you can get on soon enough. That way, if you hate it, you have the summer to figure out if you’d like to give it another try or figure out how to get off the list.
I am a high school teacher and have spent three different years as a substitute . I love it because I liked being in different classes and courses (it appeals to my sense of being a Renaissance woman). It never bothered me to be called in the morning. And once teachers knew me, I frequently knew in advanced when I would work. I taught 5th grade for 3 years and would never want to sub in an elementary school or middle school (middle school kids can be mean). High school students tend to be more self-sufficient.
I subbed at an elementary school for a couple of semesters while finishing up my degree and hated it. HATED IT. The district wouldn’t let me sub at the high school because they thought I was too young (21ish) and too short to command respect. The teachers I subbed for seemed to think every sub automatically knew the school routines (which I didn’t because, duh, I was a sub) and I felt like I spent eight hours just trying to figure out things like which door the class was supposed to use to come in from recess, bathroom procedures (only 3 kids at a time!), etc.
I went on to sub at my student-teaching high school and then got a permanent teaching job and my own class room for several years and did fine (despite my lack of age and height). I did better with the older kids, especially after subbing several times and having them get to know me. I felt I could have the older kids do what their teacher assinged them (worksheet, movie) and then give them some quiet “free” time. Ninety-nine percent of the kids were perfectly fine with this arrangement and seemed grateful that I trusted them enough to give them some down time. With the little kids, I felt like I was herding cats for eight straight hours and it was exhausting.
But, like the others said, you just have to try it and see. You’ll probably find that some teachers are better than others about leaving you plenty of information to make your day easier and then you can be choosy about who you’re willing to sub for. :)
I’m a teacher, and have taught early elementary (Pre-K-2) so this will be weighted more toward younger students. But I would recommend having a bag of tricks for behavior management strategies. My best friend subbed for several years and she would bring a stuffed fish that would rest on the quietest person’s desk (for about 2-3 minutes). Then as the rest of the class quieted down in the hopes of getting the fish, he might travel to another desk. If the school district allows, you might bring a special treat, such as jelly beans. Be very sparing with them (1 per quietest child in the a.m. then maybe 1 more at the end of the day if they earn it.)
You can look up attention-getting chants, or ask your children what their teachers use, but common ones to get the students’ attention quickly are: “One, two, three! Eyes on me!” (Often the kids have been trained to say “eyes on me” after hearing the count) or clap a short pattern and see if they can copy you. They’ll be too busy clapping to talk, and you can address the class all at once.
Just something to consider, because even with the best plans and activities, if behavior is out of control, the day will be very challenging.
just regarding this:” “One, two, three! Eyes on me!” (Often the kids have been trained to say “eyes on me” after hearing the count)”
The teachers at our school have the kids trained to respond with “one, two, eyes on you!” It’s catchy, a little call-and-response thing.
Some of my peers do that and I HATE it because it keeps the kids talking!
I agree with this 100 percent. The teachers will leave lesson plans and activities to do but you need to actually create your own mini lesson in behavior expectation for the day. I suggest having the kids raise their hands and tell you the rules they have in place already. Then highlight the things that would drive you crazy the most. For me it is: stay seated during a lesson ( no pencil sharpening, no asking to go to the bathroom…. That can be done during independent work or transitions.) and no talking while I’m talking. You should look into behavior games and a reward system that you would be comfortable using. The hardest part about subbing is definitely dealing with behavior. Classroom management is so important that you may want to take a class in it.
On the positive side, if you do go in prepared the kids will probably buy into whatever behavior game you’ve created because it is new and fun and different. If the regular teacher did it, it’s effectiveness might only last a week. I knew one sub that always played the same game whenever she subbed and the kids loved her and her fun game. They always looked forward to having her.
If you sub for only music or art or p.e or something like that you get a different class every 40 minutes or so, so if you have a troublemaker in one class at least you don’t have him for long. This might also be a good way to figure out what grade you like best because you will see all of them.
My mom is a sub and loves the flexibility and lack of commitment required. She’s a new grandmother so she loves that her schedule is usually flexible enough that she can decide just a day or two out whether she’s not going to work that week and come up to visit our girls. She’s also gotten to know over the past couple years she’s been doing it which schools and teachers she enjoys subbing for and which are likely to be rough, without lesson plans and fending off wild hellions, and if a sub job *is* like that, it’s usually just for a day! Not to mention I think she’s proud of how well she’s learned to command respect when it does turn out that she’s got some boundary-testers on her hands. Not sure if your school system is similar, but she’s able to sub anywhere in the county, and if she feels like working she can look up who needs subs, and if she doesn’t, she generally doesn’t have to!
My sister and I have both done this. Where we live, the pay is $90/day, and in order to be a sub, you need a 4-year college degree, and to have passed the CBEST (this is the entrance type exam for getting your teaching credential). This grants you an emergency teaching credential, which renders you eligible to sub.
It sounds like you don’t need those things where you are at, but if you DID, the CBEST is like the easiest test I’ve ever taken, so it’s not a big deal.
ANYHOW, did I like it? It was perfect when I was doing it. Mostly, teachers who are out leave fun activities for the sub to do. Kids are prepared to like the substitute, even if they are also prepared to try to convince the sub that they don’t actually have to do any of the work on the sheet the teacher left.
It is much, MUCH more enjoyable with younger vs older grades. In high school and even junior high there is too much joy in effing with the sub for it to be any fun. Although, when I was doing it, I was 21/22, and probably looked 17/18, so that may have been a factor, I looked to much like a peer. I think if I were to do it now, I would have an easier time, because I look more like the students’ mothers and less like a good target for street harassment.
In my experience, the more you say yes, the more you get called to do it. So if right away you say no the first several times you get called, they will hardly ever call you, if at all.
That said, if it’s a class that sounds PARTICULARLY difficult (subbing for the high school english teacher who teaches Difficult Children), I do encourage you to Just Say No.
If particular teachers like you, they will request you as a sub.
One difficult thing is that you cannot properly budget for this income, because it might vary widely. So if you are dependent on your income, this might not be reliable enough.
Overall, it’s flexible, I liked it well enough, you might like it too.
Lots of good advice here already. I am a special education preschool teacher, and my partner was subbing elementary school (and doing home and hospital tutoring) for a district before landing an immediate need position teaching 3rd grade. Anyway, he really liked subbing. The automated robo-calls made it very easy to turn jobs down. He also liked being able to check the website if he felt like it. Having behavior management tricks up your sleeve is key. To add to Caro’s suggestions: lower your voice if they are getting squirrely (it’s much scarier and harder to hear, so they get quieter to hear), provide neutral redirection (so, like take away the paper airplane without comment or eye contact or an obvious facial expression), set the expectations when you come in (“Hi, my name is Mrs. Swistle, and here are my expectations for the day: …” Even younger kids will usually understand the word
“Expectations” especially with those context clues like “we will talk one at a time, we will raise our hands to talk, we will earn time for free choice by getting our work done in a quiet manner…”), and ask for the policy about sick or disruptive kids beforehand.
Just being clear, kind, and firm is often enough to keep children behaving.
For example, avoid asking questions when you don’t mean to. “Are you ready to work now?” to a disruptive kid is VERY DIFFERENT than “It is time to work now.” Or “We’re going to do this worksheet first, OK?” is VERY DIFFERENT than “We need to do this worksheet, then we will get partner reading time.” I have found success with many age groups of using “I hear you” when they are complaining or having a rough time or whatever. “I hear you. You don’t want to do the worksheet. Once the worksheet is done, Ms. Regular Teacher has left a new game for us/it’ll be recess/it will be movie time. That special activity can only happen once the worksheet is done.” And then follow through on not doing the next activity, or not allowing one child to do the next activity, until the condition of finishing the worksheet has been met. Children will know you mean business, but you never needed to be anything but clear, kind, and firm!
This. About statements not questions. Truth.
I’ve never subbed and have no relevant information, but FWIW, I think you should try it! Even if it’s terrible, you’d still walk away with a couple hundred dollars plus the knowledge it’s not for you.
And sure-to-be hilarious and entertaining blog posts!
Alison and Caro have some excellent suggestions! I’ve never subbed but have worked with middle school and high school students for many years and was a children’s minister for a few years. Middle school students are my favorites, but I would not want to sub in their classrooms–they can be rough on subs, although I suspect that depends on the school. I’d think that elementary would be the easiest place to sub, as they’re more respectful of their teachers and it would be easier to keep control of the room.
The best part of subbing is that if you do a few times and just don’t like it, you can just stop doing it. You won’t have much invested in it, time- or cost-wise, and it’s not like a job where you’d have to formally resign; you can just try it and see how it goes. My husband subbed at our kids’ school for a couple of years and loved it. You might find it’s the perfect thing for you!
I have no experience working as a substitute, but I did work as an assistant teacher in a first-grade special ed classroom (with one lead teacher and three assistants) where we occasionally called substitutes. My impression is definitely that not all substitute positions are created equally, since a lot of the substitutes we had didn’t seem to expect they would have to work. A special ed classroom is very very hands-on and exhausting, and most of the subs we got were not prepared for that, and often were really not good with the kids overall (e.g., “YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU! YOU SAY YES MA’AM!” to a non-verbal kid with severe autism). So much of the time we wouldn’t bother calling a sub at all, because it was easier to be short-staffed than to have an grumpy staff member who wanted to sit in the corner and play candy crush. The takeaway here is that if you are a good substitute, you will probably get called a lot, because when we did have a nice, pleasant sub, the lead teacher requested them every time.
Oh, and in general subs were called the morning of or mayyyybe the night before. Rarely would there be any more notice than that.
(And also don’t let the special ed example scare you — as others have noted, you have the opportunity to turn down jobs you wouldn’t be comfortable with.)
well. now my heart is broken by that evil sub:(
My mind is boggled! No real qualifications required! The pay is less than the legal minimum wage where I live!
Here, subbing is done by people who are fully qualified to be teachers and are trying to get their foot in the door for a permanent position. There are tons of people who want to be teachers and getting accepted to teacher’s college after your undergard degree, as well as finding a full-time, permanent position, is very competitive. Teachers make good salaries and have excellent benefits.
I live in Ontario, Canada, by the way. And I’m not trying to brag, I’m just honestly surprised at how different it sounds like it is down in the US.
I think it depends on which state you live in. In my state you have to have a teaching license to sub. Subs are either trying to find a permanent job, or are retired teachers bringing in a bit of extra money, or have licenses but don’t want a full-time job. Our subs get paid about $125 per day.
Same reaction. $10 an hour for looking after and educating 25ish kids? I think the subs should form a union. :)
To the poster above, I suspect (but don’t know) that sub pay varies by region.
I subbed for awhile after college. It was a holdover until I got a job teaching in an elementary school. As a “real” teacher I preferred elementary, but as a sub: give me high school. So little responsibility. It’s like baby sitting teenagers – and you don’t have to worry about the effects. If they skip: so what? If they leave in the middle of class, are rude, etc – it’s no big deal. They’re the ones who get in trouble, but in elem or middle school, it’s you who has to be accountable for the kids during the day. If you have a feisty third grader who won’t sit and listen you actually have to deal with it. Subbing high school is easy money. Not to mention that most HS teachers can leave a few movies or educational films to watch and that’s that, whereas in elementary you can’t watch more than 15 minutes or so of a movie before its time to round them up for a different activity. I know I sound lazy – I’m not. Working with young children is EXHAUSTING and if I’m going to be paid the same amount regardless, I’d prefer high school, where I actually would have time to read a book or something.
I subbed for a few years while I was in grad school- easy work during my school breaks. I enjoyed it, probably because I always toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher and also babysat a lot when I was in high school and college.
I went wherever they needed me, so I got experience in all grades, K through high school. Most days the sub coordinator would give me an option between two classrooms that needed coverage (3rd grade or 11th grade English, for example). I found that generally, the younger the children, the more work it was (schedules to follow, actual instructions to give/lessons to “teach”). Those days tended to go by faster because I was just busier, and the kids were usually pretty cute and excited to have a substitute.
The middle/high school experience is totally different because the students are changing classrooms every 45 minutes, so you aren’t with the same group all day. The high school teachers rarely left lessons, usually just busy work for the students. The older kids tended to be indifferent about having a sub and just ignored me (not in a bad way) while they completed their work. I was more of a babysitter of young adults than a teacher.
If I were you, I would sign up for all ages and then see how you feel on a given day. If you are feeling particularly motivated/energetic/do-something that day, subbing elementary school would be perfect. If you are feeling like you want to read the last third of the book you have been dying to finish, subbing high school would be perfect. If you are feeling like you want to clean your closet and go to the dentist, you can just say no thanks!
I was a high school English teacher for 10 years, and it seems to me that someone who was not a teacher by profession would probably enjoy being a sub. I would hate it, but that’s because I couldn’t bear to run a classroom that wasn’t my own.
I always wrote a detailed and content-intensive lesson plan for a sub — that way, my students knew they had to pay CLOSE attention, because I usually quizzed them on what the sub taught once I was back in class. If you do a good job, teachers might start to request you to come in for them, which helps because you don’t spend as much time learning the ropes in a particular school or classroom. I also often sometimes left “busywork” (grading objective tests, doing copying, etc.) for subs to do during their free period, if they wanted to. I thought some subs might be interested in contributing in a concrete way like that, but it was always totally optional. There are a lot of “administrative” type tasks that I think you would enjoy — taking attendance, distributing and collecting papers, filling out forms and signing slips of all kinds, etc. I really like administrative work like that, and it’s one of the things I enjoyed a lot about teaching. Accurate record-keeping is a skill and a joy to me, and I think it is to you, too! :)
My school had a policy of really cracking down on any disciplinary issues that related to subs, because they knew how essential the subs were. Students who misbehaved for subs were dealt with harshly, therefore there wasn’t actually much sub-abuse going on at all.
My own elementary-ages children sometimes cry when there is a sub (especially in kindergarten). It is just too much of an adjustment for them, especially if their teacher was not able to ward them that she would be out that day, and the sub is a surprise. So there’s an emotional component in elementary school that is not relevant in high school. None of my students ever cried when I wasn’t there!!
I think you might really like it, Swistle! It can be very hard (especially in a subject area you’re not familiar with, but you can often decline those jobs), but also rewarding in a way that regular classroom teacher often is not. Many of my high school students developed strong, effective relationships with subs who were in our building regularly. ANY trustworthy adult who can form a good relationship with a teenager is a PLUS in my book, even if they’re not that kid’s regular teacher. I really think you should give it a try!
My dad (65) and my nephew (30) both substitute teach occasionally at high schools and really enjoy it. If I had teenagers I think I would like subbing at their high school for the intelligence I might gather during the day about what’s going on in the lives of their peers.
I have never subbed, but one of the women in my bookclub is a substitute teacher in our school district, and she shares stories with us pretty frequently (just generalities – not about specific students). My understanding from her is that even within a district, your sub experience can vary quite a bit. A lot of it depends on the principle of the school, and the teacher that you are subbing for. She has been doing this for a number of years, and has a few schools in town that she will never sub for, and a few that she loves.
Anyway, I don’t know if that’s helpful, but I agree with those saying I think you should try it out!
My background: I taught HS English for 9 years, straight out of college. I LOVED the kids and lesson planning and record keeping but HATED essay grading and the constant taking home of work. I stayed at home with my kids for 8 years and have started subbing 1-2 days a week.
My 2 cents: I hands down prefer secondary substitute teaching. Even if I didn’t come from a secondary teaching background, I think I would feel the same way.
What I don’t like about primary: same kids all day makes the day very LONG. Having to transition between subjects/lessons is tricky, especially in the younger grades when the kids are more sensitive to “that’s not the way our teacher does it!”
What I like about secondary: the day goes by so quick because it’s broken up into 45-55 minute periods. The teachers generally leave easy assignments that don’t require a lot of effort. In my experience, the kids are excited to have a substitute because it means an easy period for them. If you happen to have a tough class or kid, the period will be over soon enough and you don’t have to see him/her again that day.
I highly recommend you give it a try. Some days I thoroughly enjoy substitute teaching because I connect with the kids or learn something interesting (in a science class I learned about a solar energy plant that was accidentally killing birds and how they were trying to fix it… interesting!). Some days I feel like an overpaid babysitter. But overall I find it enjoyable. I can’t wait to hear your take!
Heyyyy. I subbed for two years after I graduated college during the great recession and couldn’t find a job. It was okay. I liked getting to see the behind the scenes stuff at all the different schools, hear the gossip in the teachers lounge, and get to pick where and when I worked.
My favorite things to sub for were (high school) special ed because you had the same kids all day and did fun things like cooking and work study and stuff and gym because I got to wear sweatpants and I would do my workout on my off period. I also liked it better towards the end when I had a relationship with a sub coordinator at a nice high school and she would call me when she had an opening. It was close to my house and a wealthy/easy school to work at.
I hated middle school because those kids are SO MEAN. They are mean to each other and mean to their teachers. They are in that awkward not-cute puberty stage and I find them really annoying. I also hated the repetitive nature of teaching the same lesson seven times in 45 minute increments. Death.
I had a list of all the schools in the district and I would make notes about each one–and even cross some off my list so I knew to NEVER GO THERE AGAIN when I had awful experiences. Some schools were so unprofessional and rude to me that I still get mad about it, all these years later.
I had days where I came home so happy feeling like I had made a difference. I had days where I got to my car and sat and cried for a few minutes before going home. I had various experiences with rodents, breaking up fights, getting hit on, being threatened, etc.
I was also 21 and right out of college. You might have a very different experience from me depending on the schools in your district and the fact that you have more experience with kids than I did.
If you end up doing it I could make a long list of tips and tricks I picked up too, haha. My favorite is that while you are taking roll, you secretly jot down the names on a quick seating chart. Then when someone misbehaves you call them out by name. It is very effective and sometimes stuns them hilariously. “Miss, how do you know my name??” Because if you know their name, they can get into trouble with their regular teacher, haha.
Current maths teacher in the UK here. I have friends who LOVE working supply as they can take holidays when they want, don’t have to mark or plan or do paperwork, and still get to spend time with the kids. They also can just choose not to go back to a school if they don’t like it there as there is plenty of work elsewhere. If teaching appeals and you don’t desperately need a steady income it sounds like the perfect way to teach!
I’ve never subbed, but now I’m intrigued by this option too! I also saw on Pinterest a couple of months ago a pin that was “lesson plans for substitute teachers” – it sounded fun to me to have a few enjoyable, interesting, low-pressure plans that could be recycled over and over in different classrooms, and used with different age levels.
I subbed for about a year after graduating early out of undergrad and waiting for grad school to start. Then, later when my husband taught full time and I was “off” working on my content area exams, I subbed for him, mostly, and a small amount in the district at large.
I also really preferred high school, but I did all grades. I eventually went on to teach college, so perhaps this demonstrates my own preferences more clearly. Anyway, pretty much all the advice so far has been totally true. The only thing I would really add is that if you are hesitant about subbing at the elementary, or even middle school levels, because of discipline issues or having to oversee content and activities more closely—or even just being stuck with the same kids all day, things like art, music, gym, library, etc. are usually fun anyway. The kids are more predisposed to like them, you get different groups of kids throughout the day, and the day goes by much more quickly.
I say at least give a few different subbing levels a shot, because if nothing else you’ll make a few hundred bucks and it will makes great stories for you to tell to us. Also, you might really like it.
My husband, who has taught high school English for the past 8 9 years, has a handful of favorite subs that he always tries to request. About half of which are parents of students, or former students. They are already knowledgeable about the schools/staff/procedures/student body. They seem to have less trouble with discipline because they are known to the students somewhat, or at least their child/name is known. Also, they now other parents within the district. And they don’t, as a general rule, look young enough to be confused for a peer instead of an authority figure.
Good luck!
Held a sub license before going to library school. Agree with so much here- elementary is easier, you can limit grades and areas that you will accept. Word travels fast with teachers- if you do well and are liked, they will tell their teacher friends and you will stay as busy as you want. Loved the pay, the lack of ultimate responsibility. Do it. I think you will like it quite alot.
my kids are in a Waldorf school and because the teachers are so specialized I did sign up to be a sub–I liked it and hated it at the same time–it made me know more about other peoples kids than I wanted to know-kids who could be friends with my kids and now I might be biased on the other hand it was fun and it fit the criteria I was looking for which are similar to your criteria
Here in Quebec at the school board I worked for, pay for supply teachers is according to minutes. Anything over 210 mins, which equates to a full day of school will earn you 200 something dollars. So lucrative. It’s a super mixed bag, some good days and some bad…but the day is over very fast. You need a bag of tricks for the elementary kids to keep them in check, but you would easily be able to find a wealth of tips online. Try it, you might like it! And it’s so low risk, if you don’t like it you never have to back. I only subbed at one school, so I got to know the routines, as I am a bit anxious about that, but people are usually so happy to see you they help lots!
Good luck!
I am currently teaching preschool in our school district, and previously taught kindergarten for many years, so that definitely colors my viewpoint. I took off a year after my son was born and tried subbing. It was difficult for me to sub beyond second grade, because my bag of tricks didn’t really work well past that grade. For some reason, 5th graders don’t think it’s cute when you sing “Five Little Monkeys” with them! But I agree with what everyone else is saying – little kids are tiring, but fun (for me at least). A lot really depends on the school. We are struggling to find subs for my inner city school, so we try to be super nice to them, but some of them are horrible! And, looking at some of the classrooms in my building, there is no way I would ever sub for them! So, as you already know, you just have to try it, multiple times unfortunately, to see if there are grades/classes/schools that you like. Good luck! I’d call you to do my classroom – I have a full time para (assistant), which all the subs love!
I subbed for about a year, while my husband was in grad school, and getting my teaching license in that state wasn’t feasible for the short time we were there.
Our district had a computer system so that you could see jobs available and choose the ones you were free for/that you wanted, which was nice, because after one day of subbing for gym, I found out that I never wanted to do THAT again. Even though my experience had been as a high school teacher, I found that I vastly preferred subbing for elementary–the high school kids liked to test the sub/defy the rules more than I was comfortable with. What was great was subbing a few times at a school, and then getting to know the teachers so that they might request you. It was nice to go in as a sub and know the secretary or principal, for example, and even become familiar with the kids. What I found to be IDEAL was subbing in a school enough that the teachers know you, and then request you to become a long-term sub. The kids got to know me, the teachers knew me, and I got the predictability and routine that I really enjoy. Actually my BEST assignment was as a long-term sub for an AID position. I didn’t have as much responsibility as the teacher, but I felt very USEFUL, I got to work with the kids, etc., etc. I’m not sure if a long-term job would be preferable to you or not, but I liked knowing that I would, in fact, be working that day, and I knew WHERE I would be working.
I think that’s the best part about subbing: getting to try out all the schools in the district to see where you like working, and then adjusting your preferences so that you only accept jobs at those schools. And then knowing that it’s temporary and you never have to go back there if you don’t feel like it :)
You should definitely try it! I agree with so much of the advice here. You will get lots of last minute calls, but you will also get lots of ahead of time calls. I subbed for a few years while I was in college getting my teaching degree, and of course I have called many subs. Even though I am an elementary school teacher, I agree with the commenters who liked high school best – it is just so easy. I did struggle with elementary school because the rules/schedule/dynamic changed so very much from class to class. But I have an uptight personality, so change is hard for me. I think if you are a more relaxed, chillish person, it’ll come easier. Again, definitely try! you may just love it! And it is fun to see the inner workings of different schools. :)
I don’t think I can really add much to the advice you have already received except to say I have been a substitute teacher aide for 2 years and I like it very much. It doesn’t pay a ton, and it almost always something different every day. Our district uses the robo call system as well as you are able to check online for jobs. An aide is almost always going to be there for some kind of special needs situation and those kids will love you like no other. I sub for our district special needs preschool, elementary schools, and middle school. No high school for me, yet. I say try it and the worst that will happen is you don’t like it and quit!
I started subbing in January, and I really enjoy it. My daughter is in college, and I get a big kick out of being around the younger kids. Kindergarten is a very fun grade to me-in fact right now I am covering a maternity leave in a K class till the end of the school year.
I tend to be a person who likes to be in a comfort zone, where I know the routine. Subbing has really pushed me to be more relaxed and flexible, which I think is a good thing. Like someone said above, every day is a mystery when you enter the new classroom. Sometimes it is wonderful, and sometimes it isn’t-but the nice thing is when you walk out at the end of the day-it is done. You pick and choose your jobs-and if you don’t want to work a day, you don’t. Of course you don’t get any benefits-but my district pays $150/day-which is much better money than I would get at a clerical job.
I also did training to be able to sub in the libraries-although I haven’t been able to do it yet because of the maternity leave coverage. I hope to do a lot of that next year, I love being in the libraries. Sometimes I sign up for supplementary assignments, which means you cover for teachers in meetings, and I have some extra time, I always head to the library and shelve books if they need the help.
My sister is a teacher, who subbed for a while-and she had the great idea of starting a portfolio of worksheets for the grade levels. There are always extra when you hand them out, so she would keep one and put it in a folder. If she happened to be in a class that didn’t have any lesson plans-she would pull out a sheet and send someone to make copies, so she was always prepared. I am going to start doing that. I also like to bring age appropriate books to read aloud if there is any time to fill. That has worked out well for me.
I agree with the person who said that the great thing is you can try it, and if you don’t like it you don’t have to do it. You don’t have to quit-you just don’t sign up for jobs. In my district, you only have to work 5 days during the school year to stay on the active sub list-so if you did that, it would always be an option for you.
I am a classroom teacher and tho I would hate subbing I think you might really like it. I would avoid middle school at least at first. Middle-upper elementary (like 2-5th) is probably your best bet, or maybe HS English. My favorite shut up and listen kids trick, with youngers, is to say VERY quietly “if you can hear me, put a hand on your head” (or wherever). there’s almost always one or two kids who won’t be screaming and will do it. then just keep going til they all catch on.
This is my first comment ever, even though I’ve read for years! Short answer: i think you should try it.
Long answer: while I was getting my MA I subbed regularly. I loved the fifth and sixth graders. No snot. No dipping snuff. Just kids doing thier thing. I had a long term position there. ( you usually get a boost in pay for a long term position). I also liked high school because the breaks were longer on the block schedule. I do not know how early elementary teachers eat lunch. Or go to the bathroom.
You will learn so much about kids and classroom management. Not all good, but unless it’s long timeterm, at the end of the day, it’s over. If you know any basic math you will be in high demand for math sub positions.
Good luck!
I teach preschool. We don’t go to the bathroom or eat lunch many days! :)
I have not tried it but I think you should. It seems like something you would be good at!
You know the ages of all the kids you could possibly end up with (maybe not the older high school kids but maybe even them).
Someone else’s point about how you don’t have to do it when you don’t want to means you have an easy escape hatch.
You probably know the area schools pretty well. And if you don’t it seems like a fun way to learn about them in a stealth way.
You’d be that much more aware of what your kids are going through each day. And what their teachers are.
I really think you should!!
Hi!
I teach high school enrichment classes for kids identified as gifted by the state of PA (although I believe all kids have gifts that should be developed and supported and am campaigning to broaden my audience) and I have taught the lower levels of high school math in the past. I agree with much of what was said, above, especially with Alison’s insight, and I wanted to add a couple of ideas to the mix. I have never been a substitute, but i certainly have covered all kinds of classes for teachers of subjects in which I am not certified, when subs were not available, and I share a classroom with another teacher who teaches both enrichment classes and Econ, so I have been able to observe subs with different styles and the varying degrees of success they experience with our kids.
I have found that most kids are surprisingly cooperative and pleasant when certain conditions are in place. Subs who address students as individuals deserving of respect and courtesy while they insist on adherence to important standards of behavior are incredibly successful. As adults, we too often treat kids with less regard than that with which we treat adults. We get busy, we forget to see the individual human beings sitting before us, and we don’t realize that kids of all ages yearn to be acknowledged, valued, and, above all, liked by the adults in their lives. The instant kids feel that you appreciate their compliance, their sense of humor, their quick wit or biting sarcasm or ability to see and speak the truth about a situation, they become steadfast fans who are willing to invest in their relationship with you. When I was a beginning teacher, I realize that I was afraid of what could happen when I went into someone else’s classroom as a sub, and even sometimes in my own classes; I would project that fear when I overreacted to small transgressions or even potential misunderstandings, and that would send the relationship into a downward spiral. Eventually I discovered that most resistant kids will comply with a request when I insist on it repeatedly but kindly and respectfully, until they realize I really care about the issue and will not leave it alone. That kind of gentle insistence on reasonable standards of behavior goes a long way: it communicates a strength and a willingness to take charge of the situation that most of the kids actively appreciate. It’s much harder in some school cultures that are so unhealthy that kids are really actually out to get a sub, but I think it’s still possible to have success in those situations. I do have enormous respect for teachers and subs who are able to lead in that environment. Most kids, though, who play pranks on subs are really just out for a laugh and a little mischief, and if you can laugh at it yourself and then communicate that that will be the end of it, you should be fine. I do think the main tenets of good leadership apply in all cases: we earn respect by insisting respectfully on compliance with high standards, and we earn affection by genuinely appreciating and valuing those we lead.
Also, I’ve found that there is a very short window of time that naturally occurs the moment a new acquaintanceship with any group begins, and it’s very important to not squander that opportunity by attending to clerical details or reacting to distractions; instead, it’s important that you set a tone in which you communicate some reasonable expectations, demonstrate a reasonable degree of flexibility in your approach, and convey that you are ready to find things to appreciate and like about the students in your room.
I hope this works out for you, Swistle! I think you could really be astoundingly good at it. Very best wishes!
I subbed for a while before becoming a full-time teacher and also after staying home with my kids for 7 years. I am a teacher now but subbing and teaching are two totally different things.
I HATED subbing in elementary school because you had to deal with the same kids ALL DAY LONG. So if you were with a miserable class, you were stuck with them. Also, their day started earlier. AND you had to actually DO STUFF with them. That being said, I DID enjoy subbing in kindergarten (as long as there was a full-day paraprofessional) because it was very easy as there was another adult in the classroom who knew the routines, children, etc. See also: SPED.
I mostly enjoyed subbing in middle and high school because no matter how bad it was, you only had an hour or so with each group. Also, those tended to be situations where the kids would watch a movie and write a reflective paragraph and involved little to no actual instruction.
Subbed for a year; taught middle school for 5 years because I was a masochist. :-)
You’ve been given great advice so I’ll just wish you luck.
I will add don’t be scared of high school content classes — my husband regularly has a math-phobic grandma sub for his physics classes because he can count on her to do the administrative stuff well and manage the class; then kids do assigned seat work and/or watch movies and get questions answered by peers or hold them til he returns.
I have no experience subbing, but my mom did it after my brother started 1st grade. I don’t think she cared for it much, BUT she ended up using that experience to get a job as a teacher’s aid. I don’t know if they even still have aids, but that was a job she did until my brother got into high school, so six or seven years, I think. While she had to work every day, it was part time, so she went home at lunch, and of course she got summers and all usual school holidays off. I think she preferred it to subbing because she never had to be in charge, and only had to deal with discipline occasionally. I think she mostly helped grade papers (worksheets with objective right/wrong answers), made copies of all handouts, prepared materials for the day’s lesson, and maybe went along on field trips and things to help chaperon. Just another possibility to consider – I currently have a fairly flexible work from home freelance career, but if it ever got to the point where I was having to hustle to get work, I would definitely look at something in the school system because it just seems like a good fit for anyone who wants to be home when their kids are home.
Hm, like others have said, it can be hard to make generalizations. I subbed during college (so now more than 10 years ago – yikes!) and much preferred older grades. At that time, the middle and high schools were on a 7 period class day, so the whole day was basically an exercise in “This too shall pass.” It could be repetitive (e.g., the same 41 minutes of the same move 6 times over), but I always knew I only had to deal with any issues for a short amount of time. I agree that once you’re working with older kids, the onus is on them to follow the rules, be at the appointed place at the appointed time, etc. With younger kids, their safety is really in your hands, which you are likely used to by now, so that may or may not bother you!
I have never subbed (although this gives me something to think about for down the road) but I do remember my high school classes being ruthless to subs. This was in the 90s, in a wealthy school district and I remember feeling sorry for the subs even then b/c kids were just rude and trying to get away with whatever they could.
I think by now you probably know what age groups you enjoy best, and like others said why not try it and if it peters out so be it. A friend of mine is has middle schoolers and is currently taking classes to get her MA but she was subbing throughout the year and actually ended up in a long term position with a 5th grade class through the end of the year.
One thing to consider: from my understanding you get asked throughout the district as a whole. It would probably be more comfortable to sub in the school where you volunteer since it’s already familiar, but what would your kids think about you being there?
I don’t have any sub experience to share. But I wanted to suggest setting a time limit because that helps me when I am worried that if I make a change I will have to do things that way until the day I die. Decide that you can try subbing for the fall and then evaluate your experiences and make a decision whether you want to do it more or differently. Good wishes.
My husband was a substitute teacher for a year and a half after college while he was looking for an engineering job.
His favorite things about it:
*Extremely flexible. If he had a job interview, was sick, etc., he just didn’t have to work.
*Variety. He gets bored easily, so the changing nature of substituting was a plus for him.
*I think his favorite class to substitute was high school choir, because the teacher had set up students to take care of things and he enjoyed his own music classes in high school. After that, he liked just about everything but kindergarten.
His least favorite things:
*Our district actually had a maximum number of hours for any given year. Apparently, he started subbing too much, and had to take off the month of May. We needed the money and that was stressful.
*When the teacher didn’t provide any sort of plan at all.
He mostly got the jobs from the district website. Teachers would put in that they needed a sub, and then he could claim them. If he didn’t have a claimed job for the day, he would get phone calls from an automated system.
I do think you should try it! The other nice thing about it is that it is easy to quit.
I was a high school English teacher for 5 years before my babies were born, and then I did some subbing off and on when they were little. I hated it because every time I agreed to take on a day of subbing, I never knew what kind of day it would be. If teachers wrote real plans and had a vision for their class, it could go pretty well and enjoyed the students (but I didn’t get to read my book because i was busy implementing plans). If teachers didn’t leave plans (it happened) or if their plans were too vague and the students were feeling obstreperous, well, it could be horrible and make me think humanity was a lost cause altogether.
For your requirements (pros), it does pay well and that flexibility for a parent is really hard to find in other jobs. I even briefly considered subbing again this year, but instead I sussed out some freelance editing jobs. Just like grading papers!
Can I ask a question of all the teachers and subs in your comment section??
I am subbing in one K class till the end of the year-about 5 of the kids are challenging and have some problems staying on task. I have a TA in the class who keeps taking away their recess as a punishment. He does this without me even knowing, because he is with them during lunch and recess.
I feel that these are the kids who need to run around and get some of that excess energy out. I don’t feel like withholding recess should be used as a punishment. These kids only get PE twice a week, they need the exercise!
Am I off base here? Of course he has been with them all year, and I can tell he thinks I am “too nice” to the kids. Yet, I really do believe that kids should be allowed that play time.
Don’t want to hijack your comments, but should would appreciate any input. I am a newer sub, just started in January.
A school-related job you might enjoy is office secretary. Several schools have part-timers in charge of, say, attendance. It’s a nice way to be around kids/families without having to deal with classroom issues.
I’ll be interested to hear how you proceed. Best wishes!
I know that this is an old post, but I just became a sub so I thought I’d comment anyway.
I currently work for a small district (six schools) and a medium-ish district (fourteen schools). Both are kindergarten through eighth grade–I don’t sub high school right now, but might consider it in the future. In my state, you have to have a bachelor’s degree and pass a basic skills test before you can be a sub. My area in particular has a shortage of subs, so they’re pretty much always hiring and you’re essentially guaranteed a job if you meet the qualifications.
In my experience, the older the kids are the more likely it is that you’ll just have to hand out a worksheet and sit there while they work on it. This can be kind of nice when you’re not in the mood to teach a lesson, but can also get boring pretty quickly–especially when you’re subbing for a single-subject teacher and have to teach the same lesson multiple times. If the class is well-behaved you might be able to read or something while they work, but it’s more likely that you’ll spend a fair amount of the time doing crowd control.
Younger kids, of course, require quite a bit more supervision and help with tasks. I actually think the day goes by faster with younger kids, since I’m so much busier. You don’t have to make your own lesson plans–the teacher will almost always leave you a schedule–but you do have to bring some “filler” activities (books, games, coloring pages, etc.) with you in case you have extra time. (You can give older kids free time if they finish their work early, but early elementary schoolers need more structure.) Younger kids are also more likely to be better behaved for a sub than they would be for their normal teacher, while middle-schoolers tend to push the boundaries a lot more.
My districts use an online system to assign substitutes. You can go on the website and see a list of days when subs are needed, and sign up for whichever ones you want on a first-come, first-served basis. For last-minute subbing jobs (like if a teacher calls in sick), you’ll get an automated call at around 6:30 that morning, and you can choose whether or not to accept the job. (You don’t talk to an actual person–it’s a “press one for yes or two for no” situation.) If there are any days when you know you won’t be able to work, you can enter them into the website in advance and they won’t ask you to sub on those days. In my districts you have the option to opt out of the last-minute calls entirely, but you’ll miss out on a lot of jobs if you do that.
I know you’ve said in several of your recent posts that you hate being asked to fill shifts, and unfortunately with subbing that’s pretty much your entire job! However, I find it to be a lot less annoying than I would with any other job. For one thing, since it’s right there in the job description, I don’t feel like I’m being taken advantage of. I’m not filling shifts on top of doing my regular job, since my regular job IS filling shifts. The fact that everything is online or automated also makes it a lot easier to turn down jobs if I feel over-worked–it’s much easier to say no to a computer than to an actual person! In addition, I’ve found that the school districts I work for tend to be grateful for the work I AM doing rather than resentful about the work I’m NOT doing, but that might just be a result of working in an area with a teacher shortage.
Even if you’re not considering becoming a substitute teacher, I hope that was helpful for someone who might be!
I’m glad you commented! This is good stuff!
One more thing I forgot to mention: in my state–and I’m guessing most other states as well–you have to get a permit from the county before you can legally substitute teach. It’s easy enough to get the permit, but it can take a few months for all the paperwork to go through if you submit it yourself. However, if you get hired by a school district BEFORE you apply for the permit, they can submit the paperwork for you. I would strongly recommend doing this, for several reasons. For one thing, you’ll get your permit way faster if you have a district to vouch for you–I think mine took about a week. The district can also give you a temporary permit that you can use right away until the official one goes through. Plus, it’s nice to have a professional look over your application before you submit it, so that they can double-check that you have all the necessary documents and everything. I never would have guessed on my own that it’s better to start applying to districts before you have the permit, so I figured I’d put it out there.
I got the notification of a new comment, so came back to read the new one and re-read the old ones. I am a sub, and had only been working a few months when this posted. I read my old comment, one asking how to deal with a TA taking recess from kids, and I laughed at myself! A year and a half of subbing has taught me that when I am there, the classroom is mine. Especially in a situation like covering a maternity leave, where I was there for 6 weeks.
What I love about subbing is that I set my schedule. Also, I have found a school I love, and I am now on their preferred sub list-so I do the majority of my days there. The school is super close, the people are so nice, and the kids are very sweet. I have also been doing a lot of library subbing, which is my favorite. It can be challenging because it is a bigger space, and if a class acts up-things can get out of hand quickly. But you only have them for 30 minutes, and I love bonding with little bookworms-they are my favorites!
In my state, you need the bachelor’s degree, and fingerprinting and background checks. A bit of paperwork in the beginning, but the awesome thing-after I turned in all my materials, I got an email less than 24 hours later, saying I had the job. I was subbing by the end of the week. I’ve never had such a quick turnaround with a job before, it was scary to me it was so fast, but in retrospect-it was the best thing. Like swimming in cold water, best to just jump in!
Yes, the turnaround time was pretty fast for me, too! The first district I got hired at took a bit longer–partially because I hadn’t gotten my sub permit yet, partially because the office staff didn’t get to my application right away, and partially because it’s a small district and there weren’t many subbing opportunities. The other district I work for was ridiculously fast, though–I literally had the job within three hours of submitting my application. It took another few days to get my fingerprint scans and everything, but once I got those done I subbed for a class the very next day.
Also, I couldn’t believe how little training they give you! For one district, I had to do a short online course on child abuse/mandated reporting, and another government-required one pesticide use in the classroom. For the other district, I had to watch two videos: one on blood borne pathogens (spoiler: if a student is bleeding, don’t touch the blood) and one on how not to injure yourself while in the classroom (spoiler: don’t stand on chairs, don’t trip over clutter, and stretch regularly). Both districts also gave me a handbook that was mostly information on how to sign in, how to submit your hours to payroll, how to use the online system, and stuff like that. That was it. I’m glad I went into it with some childcare/classroom management experience, or I would have had no idea what to do!
No kidding on the lack of training! I was in a K class on my first assignment, and I remember standing in front of them, thinking “am I qualified for this?”. Luckily I had spent a lot of time volunteering in my daughter’s classroom when she was younger, and I had decent lesson plans from the teacher. The school district did offer a morning’s worth of training, that was voluntary. I wasn’t able to take it until a few weeks into subbing, but that helped me because I had very specific questions. An added bonus that I didn’t know until I got there, that since I had already been hired, I was paid for the training!
I subbed kindergarten in my first week too! Kindergarten is HARD. I always have to keep reminding myself that the main goal of kindergarten is to get the kids used to being in a classroom, so behavior issues are to be expected. I wish I could just sub fourth grade every day–to me, they’re the perfect balance of young enough to still seem little, but old enough that I don’t have to guide them through every single step of the school day.
I wish my districts had training like that! I also wish I’d been given more information about the logistical aspect of things. Like, I want a list of every school in the district that tells me where to park (and if it’s okay to park in the faculty lot), drop-off/pick-up procedures, the system for lunch, whether they come straight to the room in the morning or if I have to get them from the yard, things like that. I’ve found that those things vary SO MUCH between different schools, and they’re not always mentioned in the sub plan.
Another thing I’ve noticed: some schools are SIGNIFICANTLY more enjoyable to sub at than others. At some schools, I feel instantly welcome: the office staff is friendly, other faculty members come to my room to introduce themselves, and I’m offered plenty of help if I need it. At other schools, people are unfriendly, I never get to meet the other teachers, and I feel like I’m completely on my own most of the day. I already have a list of schools I don’t accept jobs from anymore because working there is so unpleasant. Luckily, that list is a lot shorter than my list of wonderful schools that I love working at. And also luckily, being a sub means I have the flexibility to only work at schools I enjoy!
Ruby, I so agree with what you said about having a list of logistical considerations. I’ve been at schools where I can’t figure out where the entrance actually is. It can be harder than it seems, especially when the school is under construction. One thing I always try to identify, as the students come into the room, who the helpers are. They know the routine, breakfast, lunch count-they have the routine down pat and love to share.
I cannot agree more about the atmosphere at the schools. I have been at schools where I am welcomed warmly, shown where the coffee is, the workroom-just a super friendly greeting. I have gone into other schools where they have made me feel like an interloper. I am always so tempted to say “you know you actually NEED me here!”. I’m a good sub, I show up early, want to do my best, pitch in where I can. The schools that make me feel unwelcome-I don’t go back to. I hope schools know how much this matters. I will go to a difficult school, where the kids might not be that well behaved, if I feel welcomed and valued. I’m very lucky that I have a favorite school that I get quite a few jobs from. It won’t surprise you that on my first day, I was given a tour of the teacher’s lounge, told to help myself to anything I need. Always big hello from all the teachers, and a huge thank you from the office staff at the end of the day.
Yeah, I’ve noticed that most classes (especially in younger grades) usually have at least one “helper” student who can fill me in on the routine. I also appreciate it when the teacher makes a note in the plan that says something like, “Sally and Johnny are good helpers if you need anything.” Certain kids really do seem to enjoy it–sometimes to the point where I have to (politely!) tell them to stop “helping” me and go do their work!
I’m also always tempted to remind schools that THEY are the ones who need me there! I work in an area where subs are in very high demand, so I am baffled by the way I get treated at certain schools. It takes hardly any effort to smile, introduce yourself, and point out where the staff room is, so why don’t more people do it? I’ve also noticed that the friendlier schools tend to have better-behaved students–perhaps because those schools attract the more experienced teachers.
I’m still pretty new to subbing, but fortunately I’ve been making my way onto a few schools’ “preferred” lists so I can sub at those places more often. My very favorite school (the one I went to as a kid, as a matter of fact!) is pretty small, so even though I’m on their list I don’t get to work there as often as I’d like. But there are plenty of other schools in my districts that I don’t mind working at, so it’s no big deal. And if there’s a class I particularly enjoy teaching, I always leave my phone number and e-mail for the teacher so they can contact me directly (if they want to) next time they need a sub. I’ve found that teachers like to work with subs they already know are reliable, so I’ve gotten a lot of work that way.