Advice for Subsitutes

Now that I've been teaching as a regular classroom teacher who uses subs, I have two pieces of advice:

1.  Please, please, please write a note on how your day went, what you did, and any pertinent details.  It really helps to know if you were able to cover the whole sub plan and not only poor behavior, but good behavior in students as well.

2.  If you didn't do something on the sub plan, don't say you did especially if I ask for a deliverable like a poster and I don't see one when I come back in.  I will ask the kids and they will rat you out.

Thank you.  Your notes make a difference and those who write them are ones I ask to come back.

Sophomore Sub - what worked and what didn't

After establishing a reputation from my first year, I found myself getting 50% of my jobs via pre-arrange assignments and 50% from the system.  My unscientific gut feel tells me half the jobs from the system is from me being on a preferred sub list at certain schools.

Most effective practices:

• Visiting schools the week before school started to pass out business cards and introducing myself.  I booked September this way. 
• Freely distributing my business card and writing my notes to teachers I subbed for on my matching stationery.  I came back to some classrooms and found they kept my notes.  I also found other subs would write notes on post its, scratch paper, etc.  I believe mine is more memorable.
• Sending an e-mail beginning and mid year to all the teachers I subbed for + secretaries listing my recent professional development with the notice I'm improving myself to serve them better.  It worked as a reminder and a way to differentiate myself.  I received several calls for jobs in response to that note.
• Introducing myself to my neighboring teachers and asking for help as needed, especially when it shows flexibility and initiative.
• Being flexible in the classroom and adapting the lessons as needed.  I always try to include some independant work.

Not so effective practices:

• Coming into a classroom tired and not mentally prepared for what may go wrong.  Those were the days when I was weakest as a teacher which makes for a worse experience for me and the kids.  Even when it is a class I know and have subbed for regularly, I need to be alert as losing my temper benefits no one.
• Working all five days, including two half days on the same day.  I get too tired and the grades/names/schools mixed up.  It was not fair to the kids when I can't focus on them in the moment.
• Not having a separate classroom management plan for the last hour of class, especially near the end of the school year.  The kids would be tired and I would be out of intermediate + powerful incentives like giving/taking minutes away from recess that day or sending them to the office.  I'm still trying to figure this one out. 
• Being too much in love with the written lesson plan to flex.
• Not offering independant work time during the day.

It Pays to Check In - Finding Sub Jobs BEFORE School Starts

Just for grins, I checked in my subbing account a week before school start in Shoreline.  To my surprise, a very organized teacher submitted a sub job for a few weeks in after school begins!  I couldn't take the job 'cause the day didn't work for me; however, another job cropped up the next day. I guess it just proves the very early bird does get the worm.

How DOES one score a long term sub job?

I received a call a few week ago from a principal asking if I would be interested in a six week sub assignment.  YOU BETCHA was what I thought.  However, I managed to make it come out as a sedate "I sure would be interested". 

I think this is what happened.  When I subbed in his school last spring, he walked in unexpectedly to observe.  I was doing a readaloud of my report to the kids' teacher - something I do when I feel I need something really interesting to claim their attention and calm them down.   The kindergarteners were riveted despite the fact DEFCON 3 was going on inside me and I was in a cold sweat.  In other classes, I would try to have some fun with the kids and parents during pick up time.  Instead of asking the parent tp pick up their child, I would ask the kid which parent belonged to him/her.  The role reversal always bring smiles to all the parties.  I received some positive reviews from the parents and they let the principal know.

Nothing beats doing a good job in getting subbing referrals and opportunities.  Of course, it helps if the principal walks in at a good moment.  Sometimes I think we forget the power of parents as a substitute.  They get feedback from their kids and as I found out, it can make a difference.

Other colleagues I know who scored long term sub jobs succeeded because they impressed someone.  However, these are just my single person impression.  I would love to hear about other perspectives.

Veteran subbing, year 2

OK. So maybe the veteran piece is a bit of over reaching but technically it's true. How about sophomore subbing? Now that I'm known in some schools, can I sit back and wait for calls?

My guts tell me H*** NO! While I'd like to do nothing better than to hang out, read books, and get massages all day long, an Energizer Bunny Ancestor passed on the very annoying gene that is pushing me to do a little bit more.

1. Review business card and stationery design - I developed and taught a series Chinese Painting classes last year. Perhaps I should use a sample painting for my image to differentiate it from all those other cards with books or apple images. It would be a nice conversation point as well.

2. To let the teachers and schools know I'm still in the market, I should go to all the schools before they open (when they are killer busy) and drop off my card for the secretaries and teachers I've subbed for last year.

Any other ideas for sophomore subs? All contructive comments welcomed.

How To Get Sub Jobs - 1st year

It's late August and time to dust off the old brain cells, gird the loins, and start drumming up business for the coming school year. What strategies did I use last year that worked (after I submitted my application of course)?

I. Prioritize what's important - I thought about where I wanted to work and where I could make it to work on time. After all, I won't make a good impression if I can't make it to a job site after dropping off my son at childcare. In my case, Shoreline School District and the north end of Seattle School District. I thought about what I want to do. I want to teach at elementary level and middle school, but not high school. I also prioritize what I want to teach. I like grade school and specialist jobs but I'm so surpremely intimidated by PE that I know I won't check that off on the subsitute interest sheet.

With all that, I was prepared to fill out the hours of paperwork at a sub orientation.

II. After getting a substitute number - That's right, it's not the millitary but you get a number by which the system will know you. When a teacher wants you, they will most likely request you by your sub number. In my case, I made some business cards and stationery that has my name, sub number, phone, and e-mail address. I dropped off my cards with the secretary in all the schools I want to work in. I would introduce myself and try to include something that would distinguish myself from other substitutes. I got several calls back this way. I keep the stationery to write notes after subbing in a classroom as another way to differentiate myself from other subs.

I also e-mailed all my friends, cohort, contacts, etc. who work in the schools I want to work in letting them know I'm available with my sub number. A few of them wrote notes to their colleagues at their school and brought me quite a few jobs that way as well.

Note: What didn't work - I made mini posters with my vital stats and business cards in an envelope and posted them in building cafeterias. I received no calls from this strategy nor did anyone I talked to who tried this method.

I'm curious about what worked and what didn't work for other fellow subs. Please comment.