I finished up student teaching about a month ago and received my teaching license in the mail about a week ago. I have put my name in to substitute teach, but the district still uses the old-school system of calling subs instead of using a computer program. That means I could receive a call…
We don’t know each other, but I saw this post tagged as #Education, and I thought I’d respond.
I graduated May 2010, and I spent last year subbing full time. Be prepared for kids to give you a hard time. Students try to break subs and get away with a lot. If a student says “but Mr/Mrs soandso lets me…” they’re probably lying. Subbing is a great way to hone your classroom management skills, as well as to get your name out there with districts in your area that may be hiring in the future.
Make sure you familiarize yourself as best you can with the discipline policy of whatever building you’re in. Take a quick look on top of and in the drawers of the teacher’s desk (obviously not too invasively) and see where useful forms are kept, like bell schedules, office referrals, hall passes, etc.
As far as materials are concerned, make sure you always have a few pens handy. Students borrow them sometimes, and they don’t always give them back. I only loan out writing utensils if the student can give me a piece of “collateral” that they get back when I get my pen back. I bring a pad of paper or a little notebook with me in my briefcase wherever I am. Some schools give subs access to the school computers and some don’t, so I always bring my laptop. Even if I can’t get online, I can still get work done, put some music on in the background when kids are working, etc. Always leave the regular teacher a note (I break mine down by class) letting them know how the day went, any behavior problems, etc. I always write my subfinder ID number under my name.
I’m certified in music in an area with very few certified music teachers on the sub list, so whenever I’m in a new school I make it a point to seek out the music teachers and introduce myself. ”My name’s Tom Neeson, I’m certified k-12 for instrumental and vocal music, and I just wanted to come introduce myself. Would it be okay if I left you with my subfinder number and contact information?” A lot of the work I got last year was through word of mouth between music teachers in different districts.
Be ready to wait a LONG time for your paychecks initially. I’m not sure where you’re working, but where I am in Upstate NY, the districts each pay you individually, and it can take a while to get your checks. For example, one of the districts I work for pays every 2 weeks, and it’s offset by 2 weeks. So the 1st-15th of the month is one pay period, and they issue a check for that period on the 29th or so. This isn’t so bad if you work there full time, but if I work 1 day there at the beginning of a pay period, I’m waiting almost a month for an $80-90 check. Subbing’s not a bad gig, but it’s not as easy or as sure a thing as people like to think. It’s a pretty livable wage if you’re smart about budgeting.
This was way longer than I intended it to be, but everything is stuff I wish someone had told me before I started working.
(Source: missml)
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