Teaching VS Subbing
Twenty-six months after stepping out of the classroom for maternity leave, I have returned. I’m not in my own classroom, though. I’m subbing. Being a substitute isn’t new to me. I did it when I was in school for my teaching credential and Master’s Degree. But, that was 22 years ago! It’s really crazy how much the classroom has changed in two decades, mostly because of technology.
So, how did my first day back go? It went well. The teacher left me well written plans. The students were pretty good. It was really weird to walk out at the end of the day, not having to answer several emails and make sure I’m planned for the next day. AND, for my CA friends…..I had 30 minutes of prep time while the students were at music! If you can’t remember what prep time is, let me know. 🙂
Most of the day they were on their computers doing activities. Computer time when you’re the teacher is A LOT different than computer time when you’re the substitute. In my own classroom, when students got on their computers it allowed me to work with struggling students and get caught up on things. As a substitute, I was bored out of my mind. Seriously, I had nothing to do.
Now, as a teacher, it was hard for me to give up control sometimes to a substitute. But, it always went well. The substitutes I had knew what they were doing and could follow plans easily. I’ve created several resources on Teachers Pay Teachers for substitute plans specific to third grade. They include plans for several subject areas, and they give the substitutes opportunities to teach and grade if they’d like. The activities are a review of standards, so even though you’re losing out on a day from your lesson plans, your students are still getting practice for important skills. And as a teacher with young children, it’s really important to have emergency plans ready to go in case someone gets sick in the middle of the night.
So, for my teacher friends, please leave us plans that include activities that we can do with the students and be engaged with them. To my substitute friends, please make sure you follow what the teacher has left you.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Having a fellow teacher check in on me as a substitute was really nice. I was at a school I’ve never been to, and I didn’t know anyone. It helps knowing another teacher’s name and that you can send a student there if they’re misbehaving.