10 TIPS FOR SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS & THINGS TO CONSIDER | Tips for Subs 

I appreciate teachers like you 🥰 thank you for your awesome suggestion! I’ll pin it for my fellow subs to see.

@@christinepia Awesome! I just thought of another tip. Ask the office staff to print you a roster WITH PICTURES. It's super easy to do from most LMS systems and it will prevent you from dealing with sneaky kiddos who try to switch around names or seats. I've also found it can help with learning students' names quickly.

Yup! But realistically, what do you want the teacher of record to do about kids that misbehave with you ? we yell at them then what ?

@@WILDANDPEACEFUL23 One thing the teacher can do: take away from students free time, if possible. Make students lives a bit miserable for making the substitute's life miserable. E.g., I just had a middle school class last week, three double periods (i.e., each class was two periods). The teacher had a chart on the board with each class. Every time I put a checkmark next to a class for getting out of hand, that was one essay page the class would have to write when the teacher got back (up to four checkmarks/four pages), instead of getting some free time during the last two days prior to Xmas vacation. Also, any student named specifically for bad behavior would get 5 days loss of recess (i.e., the student would have to spend recess with the teacher). Finally, the teacher made me grade each class for behavior (A+ to F). The class with the highest grade received two homework passes. Did it work? Yes. First two classes were very well-behaved. The third class did receive a checkmark, but after they received that checkmark, they were dead silent for the rest of the class, hoping I would take the checkmark away. I understand, though, that not all schools I've been at will allow a teacher to take a student's recess away. And there's the matter of whether a teacher wants to spend his/her break watching students for detention. And, of course, some classes simply don't care and will be out of control no matter what the teacher does.

I disagree. I have been a sub and a full-time teacher. The teacher does not need to know every detail that happened while they were gone. Now, if there’s a fight, or someone gets hurt, of course, let the teacher know, but you don’t need to tell them things like “Chris gave me a bit of attitude during math.”

I’m sure you did great! Congrats on making it through your first day. Coming in last minute on emergency, ESPECIALLY for 6th graders, can be chaotic for even a seasoned teacher!

What is your salary? I am dying to know.

@@dialecticalmonist3405 $190/day and it goes up to $200 after 40 days worked in the district in the same school year. Edit: I work in eastern Los Angeles County. And some days, I work longer hours than others but the pay doesn’t change to my understanding (only get paid once a month on the 10th, which sucks, so I haven’t been paid yet!). But some days are shorter like yesterday I went from 8-2:30 and had breaks of course.

@@dialecticalmonist3405I make $265 a day, in Camden, NJ one of the most difficult school districts. If I wanted to work in my county, they only was going to offer me $125, so I opped in for the challenging kids.. I wouldn’t recommend being white taking on the more challenging students. I feel like the students have more respect for me because I am a black woman who they feel they can relate to. I have thicke skin.

Ok, I will say this. I am a black woman 27 and I wanted to work in a district with the challenging kids because they were offering $265 instead of $125. I find it to be easy, I think when inner city kids see another black person, they have more respect for them. They know they can’t walk over them, I never was perceived as “soft”. I’m a sweet person and the kids respect me. I sub middle school, behavioral children.

Talked about bringing your own lunch in the video!

@@christinepia and I agree!

Do you eat with the kids or inside the classroom

@@PrincessYonna1in the classroom if you want peace and quiet or in the staff room if you feel like socializing. I’ve eaten in my car before when I needed to make phone calls!

How is subing going for you so far ?

@@Mslovely42 It’s been a little over a month since I started. So far it’s been great. I’ve gotten recognized since then and some students greet me when they see me. Yes, there have been some disruptive students here and there but that’s just the kind of stuff you expect and you have to prepare yourself to correct that sort of behavior. I usually show up half an hour early to prepare by reading the sub plan over and writing what I can on the board. I also use the computer to brush up on subjects that I have not practiced. The pay is as expected, but I’m satisfied

Any tips for me l have interview next Monday for sub teacher in high school and Iam nervous what they will ask me

@@ranamohammed4166 They might ask you if you know what your tasks will be. Make sure you know to show up at least 30 minutes before class starts, take attendance, and especially have backup plans. Sometimes the internet can go out, or the teacher might not leave you with any plans. It may help to prepare in advance by emailing the teacher ahead of time. Most of the time, they will have sub plans for you on their desk. But if they don’t, you can have a movie or RU-vid video prepared for the students to watch. Don’t be afraid to ask the students what they did yesterday so that you have an idea about what they need to work on today. Another thing they might ask you about is why you want to teach. For me, it was about the experience of learning about evolution for the first time. It made me want to go to college and get a degree in evolutionary biology, and I wanted to share that knowledge with others. Looking back at everything else I learned, I figured out that everyone deserves a chance to obtain knowledge, and every subject can lead to opportunities in the futures of the students. They might ask you about previous experience teaching. The only experience I had prior to substitute teaching was when I apprenticed for 5th and 9th grade teachers as part of my undergrad curriculum. A lot of teachers will recommend substitute teaching if you say that you are interested in teaching, just so you can see if the career is right for you. That is why it’s okay to say you don’t have any prior experience, but you have prepared for the job by studying pedagogy and classroom management.

Awesome! Thank you for watching :)

@@christinepia Hi I just recently graduated from CSUN and I am looking to start subbing, next school year. I live in Los Angeles and am having trouble finding my credential office to see if my Bachelors have courses that can exempt me from taking the CBEST. If you could please point me to the right direction, that would be great. By the way, your videos are such great resources. Thank you.

Same here

Yay! I’m glad you found it helpful. Did you start already? 😊

@@christinepia YES! I've been subbing now for a month. Lots of great info.

Awesome 👏🏼 do you have any experiences to share?

So glad you found it helpful :)

Yay how exciting!! Glad you found it helpful :)

That’s so thoughtful of you! Thank you for watching :)

I'm 4 days away from my first sub job, and I dont know what im doing, lol

Same❤

That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing :)

Oh wow I never thought about this.

Glad it reached you :)

Glad you found it helpful! Thank you for your feedback :)

I have subbed in the past, and being moved from one grade to another does happen occasionally, but I have never been asked to drive to a different school. That is beyond ridiculous. Personally, I really liked the software that allowed me to choose which jobs I wanted to accept. I prefer the PE, Music, Art classes because I like having multiple classes for short periods of time. If a school moved me from the position I accepted to a grade that I do not like, I make a note of it and avoid that school in the future. I eventually had my favorite schools narrowed down and was still easily able to work 4-5 days a week. It’s also nice when the students get to know you and get excited when you are in their class for the day.

Yay! Excited for you! Thank you for watching 😊

you are probably the type to let your child tell you what to 😂

I've been a sub in the Central Valley of California for the past five years. Here, you can become a part of the teachers' pension plan, called CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System). When you apply as a sub in a school district, they ask you if you want to opt-in for CalSTRS, although one school district I sub in forces you to join CalSTRS after a certain amount of time. I don't plan on being a sub, or in the education field, much longer, so I always opt-out.

I think that’s common in most districts unfortunately

Many districts offer benefits if you work a predetermined, minimum number of hrs each week/month. They may offer coverage, & u may have to pay full premium (district might not contribute).

call the district you want to work for and ask.

Well in the South if it’s March and no lesson plan ncaa basketball is always on 😂

I subbed for years, and only once did I not have any lesson plans. I talked to one of the other teachers, and he threw something together for me. Other teachers will usually be very happy to help you. They want to create good relationships with subs.

It depends on whether you’re on a long term assignment or not.

I think I'm in love with you 😍

Many districts allow you to go online, see available sub positions for the day (and future days) and you get to choose where you work. Look for a school district that does that.

Lol

The district I'm in pays $117 a day.

My district is $110

Mine is $144

Nooo way