Substitute Teaching
The phone rings between 6 and 6:30 a.m., rousing me from a peaceful sleep. Through half-open eyes, I look to see which one of the school districts is calling for a substitute and decide whether I want to get up.
Therein lies one advantage, and one disadvantage, to the substitute position. There usually is no advance scheduling, so you are at the mercy of an early morning call. It makes planning your life difficult, so flexibility is a necessary attribute for a substitute. Flexibility, in fact, may be one of the most important elements of success as a substitute teacher.
It is a perfect job for a college student who has free days to work, or for someone who does not need to rely on a specific amount of income to pay living expenses. There are substitutes who work almost every day, but that is not the norm. Most substitute for more than one school district just to work several days a month. I am on the list for five area school districts, and seldom work all the days I would prefer to work.
Although it isn't necessarily verifiable, I believe former teachers on the list are called first, or favorite substitutes. The people who call for substitutes aren't required to use a call list to give all subs a turn to work. Also, teachers sometimes request a certain substitute if they have been happy with they way the class previously was handled in their absence. Certain substitutes may be requested if they have experience or knowledge in a particular area. There are times I get calls because I am a certified special education teacher, and some substitutes will not work with special education students.
In my area, substitute teachers are required to have at least 60 hours of college credit. A background check and fingerprinting is standard procedure. The pay varies from $75 to $80 per day. Depending on where you live, the amount could be more, or less.
In addition to scheduling and salary, consider how you feel about the various age levels of students you may teach. Most districts will ask you to list your preferences for elementary, middle, junior high, or high school. If you love small children, but detest disrespectful, rap-loving teenagers, you probably should elect to work in the lower grades you will run into situations where you must deal with unruly students.
When I first began substituting, I was used to working with high school students. However, I decided to see whether I would like working with younger children. It soon became apparent that my preference is third to sixth grade, or high school. Although I have worked in junior high school classrooms, the students are in the middle of their transition to full-blown teenagers and can be difficult. You may have to do a little experimenting to find your niche.
Flexibility also comes into play when you get to the classroom. Most teachers will have a plan ready for you, but not always. On those occasions when there is no lesson plan, the principal or another teacher may provide information about what the class is working on, or the teacher may have telephoned instructions. Even so, the substitute may have to improvise to keep students busy. It is a good idea to keep a folder of activities with you that can be used when needed.
Students may or may not be cooperative and respectful, but you are responsible for keeping the class from total bedlam and completing the assigned work. Younger children love to talk, tattle, get up and walk around, sharpen pencils, interrupt, and take their time about getting things done. Older students also want to talk, see if they can get away with using their cell phone to text their friends, or sit and stare off into space doing nothing. Some want to argue if told to do something, or are told not to do it.
It's a wonderful day to get classes with respectful, hard-working students, and it does happen without you having to do a thing. However, it is your job to establish, at the beginning of class, that you are the teacher for the day and will be in control. The reward is great when you get a hug from a little one or a teenager acknowledges that you're "pretty cool," but being a substitute teacher is not for the faint of heart.
