Tag Archives: substitute teacher
Recovering from a Bad Substitute Experience
The cold and flu season can’t be finished soon enough for me. My family and I have caught every passing virus this season; I feel as if I live in the House of Plague. Hand sanitizer, tissues, and hot tea have been at an arm’s length for three months and I’m waiting impatiently for sun screen, beach towels, and iced tea to replace them.
As a teacher, you know that even if your fever is 101.3 degrees, the first bell still rings at 7:50. It’s not enough to call the school district’s substitute caller at dawn to request a teaching substitute. You have to have a lesson plan ready to go, too. When I taught, I’d craft my lesson plan the minute I left a message with our sub caller. I’d email everything to our high school secretary and, if I could, send any photocopies right to our English department’s printer for the sub to pick up on the way to my class. Continue reading
Emergency Sponge Activities
College teacher preparation classes and years of classroom experience still haven’t taught me how to cope with the unexpected things that might crop up in the classroom. However, when a student has a seizure, when a visitor comes to the door, or when we have extra time, I always have a spare emergency sponge activity to soak up the unplanned time and use it toward learning.
Have these activities prepared in advance, complete with instructions. I put mine on the overhead projector, but you can store them on your computer to project or pass out in a handout, too. If you have a guest or substitute teacher, include a few of these in your substitute teacher binder. He’ll appreciate the help. Continue reading
Substitute Teachers: Preparing for a Guest Teacher
The teacher returns to her classroom after a bout of the ‘flu. She’s weak, she’s tired, and her classroom desks are scattered like leaves on the ground. Her head hurt before she saw her classroom, but now it really hurts.
Here’s how to make sure that your guest teacher/substitute teacher has a good experience in your classroom and that you come back to happy kids and an orderly room. Continue reading
