What Every Sub Would Love to Know

I have been subbing for a bit now (I usually go 1-3 times a week), and I have been noting ways that teachers could help subs (and therefore students) have better days. Here are some:

1) Please leave your method of quieting down your class. If you count to 5, clap your hands, flicker the lights, ring a bell – let the sub know! One of the things that subs struggle with is classroom management. We don’t know the kids, and we don’t know what they are used to, so knowing your methods would be extremely helpful.

2) Please let us know about your policy on locker, drink and bathroom passes. Some schools require written passes at all times, some don’t seem to require (or use) them at all. Some schools write passes in a student’s planner, while others give students a pre-printed pass. If you don’t really allow students to go to the bathroom, or their locker, or to get a drink, let us know. Let us know if you have certain rules (i.e., only one student out of the room at a time; a limit of 5 passes per period; no drink passes). I am constantly trying to guess what is appropriate, and constantly being informed “That’s not the way Mrs. ____ does it.”

3) It would be nice if you could leave us a list of kids to “count on.” These are kids that we can go to if we have questions about procedures, or if we need someone to run to the office for us. This is especially important for middle school and high school teachers because we see a new set of kids every 50 minutes, and we can’t always gauge the trustworthiness of the students quickly. I had a teacher leave a list of these kids for each period, and it was a life saver. I knew with whom to send the attendance to the office, and I knew who to ask when I needed help with finding some books.

4) It is also helpful to have a list of kids that we should “watch out for.” This is less important than the “count on” kids, but it helps to have a heads up about kids with whom we might have problems. I guess this could be a double-edged sword – perhaps if the sub knows who the troublemaker is, he or she is more likely to be harder on those students (of course, if you never let the student start acting out, it might be easier to keep him or her in check - as opposed to having the student act out and then trying to reel him or her back in). Still, I have been warned about a couple of kids, and have always appreciated it. Not only that, but when the students who are supposed to be troublemakers are very responsible and well-behaved, I can leave a note for the teacher letting him or her know that this student was not a problem.

5) If there are any special procedures or special situations, let us know. I subbed for a teacher who let one period gather at the door and count down to the bell. Every other class had to remain in their seats. As this class got up to go the door a minute or so before the bell, I stopped them, and got a lot of groans. Luckily an aide was in the room, and she confirmed that this was allowed (this is another way a “count on” student could help). Another time, the students were supposed to get a piece of candy if they were wearing school pride clothes – I didn’t know about this and wasn’t sure if I should comply with the requests (only 2 kids were wearing the clothes, so I acquiesced). I have also been surprised by the appearance of a student during a planning period who tells me that he or she spends this period in the room studying, or who needs me to sign a homework sheet, or a points sheet.

I have a bunch of other little things, but I realize that teachers don’t really have the time to write a five-page tutorial for their subs (and that subs probably wouldn’t have time to read it!). The stuff I have included could easily be included in a 1/2 to 1 page note that is always in a sub folder (which is easily located on the teacher’s desk).