Substitute Teacher’s Corner: Medical Intervention

You know, one thing that teachers struggle with on a day to day basis are the individual needs of their students – as a sub, when you walk into a classroom where a student has specialized needs, it can really ramp up the pressure you feel. Recently, I was called in as a floater. In other words, I’d go where they needed me throughout the day. Sometimes, you get a class where you teach all day and sometimes you don’t. That day, I was assigned to a kinder class and that was fine. I like kindergarten, they’re young, they’re fresh … Continue reading →

Substitute Teacher’s Corner: Discipline in the Classroom

Good morning and welcome to Monday, by the time you are reading this, I will actually be substituting today. Our local school is doing their TPRI testing to judge the reading level of the Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students. Generally, this gives the teacher a sound idea of where the student is at with their reading, reading comprehension, sight words and phonics. ?The testing is pretty individualized and since the instructor has to judge each student individually that means they need a substitute teaching their lesson plan for the day. Which brings me to the topic at hand, discipline … Continue reading →

Substitute Teacher’s Corner: On Your Feet

Good morning! There’s a saying in substitute teaching: “A sub on her feet is worth two in her seat.” When you go in to substitute teach for a class, it may be daunting to think about spending the next 8 hours on your feet, but trust me – you and your students will appreciate the day so much more. Sitting Down The only time you should be sitting is if you’ve gathered the kids in a circle and you’re sitting on the floor with them or if they are taking a test and it will be less distracting from them … Continue reading →

Substitute Teacher’s Corner: What To Bring With You

Welcome back to the substitute teacher’s corner! As we talked about before, when you get the call, you need to be ready to go. When I get the call to fill in and substitute, I keep a ready bag that I can just grab on my way out the door. So let’s talk about what’s in the ‘ready’ bag. The Ready Bag I like to keep a couple of picture books for the lower grades, usually something that fits the season. For example, if I’m going to be teaching a kindergarten class in October, I might have The Halloween Kittens … Continue reading →

Substitute Teacher’s Corner: You Get the Call

One of the hardest things to cope with when you’re a sub is that you need to be up and ready to go every day by 7 whether you get a phone call or not. Part of the reason you need to be ready to go is that sometimes the school doesn’t call until 7:15 and if classes start at 7:45, you won’t have a lot of time to shower, eat breakfast, get dressed and get out the door. I’m fortunate that I can balance this need to get ready with my daughter’s schedule because her classes start every morning … Continue reading →

Substitute Teacher’s Corner: What’s This All About?

Hello there! My name is Heather Long and I’m the managing editor here at Families.com, you may be more familiar with my name showing up in fitness and marriage, but Karri’s graciously allowed me to come and play over here in Education. First and foremost, let me tell you a little about myself. I’m a substitute teacher for the school district we live in. Primarily I work with the elementary schools, but I’m sure sooner or later I’ll make the kick up to the higher grades. Currently, I just like the little ones better (it helps that my own is … Continue reading →