Maintaining Control In The Classroom Is A Key To Success As A Substitute Teacher

One of your greatest responsibilities working as a substitute teacher is to maintain control of the classroom. Some of your days will only be maintaining control of the classroom. Preparation for this task is essential for successful classroom control. This preparation includes:

• The way your dressn • The way you speakn • Knowing the subject matte
• Being Flexiblen • Prepared with activities and lesson plans from your bag of tricks

Dress for success in the classroom. Learn to speak for success in the classroom. Dressing and speaking appropriately has a huge impact on how students perceive you and ultimately how much control you will have over those students. If you dress sloppy, students are more likely to try and take advantage of you. Don’t give them that opportunity. If your voice is low, meek or squeaky, you can just about count on not being able to control everyone in the classroom. It takes just a few uncontrollable students to make the entire group “sour” for the entire day.

Knowing as much about the subject or subjects you will be substitute teaching is also a great asset before you step into the classroom.

Be Flexible

You might think about bringing a change of clothes along with you just in case you have substitute P.E. class sometime during your day. Dress professional, neat and clean, but also be able to sweat a little in your outfits. At the end of the day you will need to leave the regular teacher’s classroom neat and clean. You might work up a sweat. Wearing comfortable clothes is definitely an advantage for that task. You can also bring along a change of clothes to end the day (if you have time to change into them). This will all depend upon which grade you teach, etc.

Training your voice

Choose your first words to students in the classroom “wisely.” Those first few words help to determine how the rest of the day will be. Before you step into the substitute classroom, decide how you want the students to perceive you. Practice using a cassette player.

Knowing Subjects

It is impossible to know everything about all subjects. However, it is possible to get into the classroom early and look through the textbooks, and the students’ assignments. If possible, read the textbooks or at least the lessons you will be covering that day. Find the teacher’s manual, which usually has key points, discussion topics and answers to questions. You can also ask the students what they know about their subject matter to help get a quick grasp of what they are studying, and how you need to proceed.

Know the school’s procedures such as:

• When and if you are to read the school bulletinn • Do you give the Pledge of Allegiance?
• Especially learn and know the school’s discipline proceduresn • What to do in case of a fire alarm or some other disaster

You might think about wearing a name badge to each of your substituting assignments, which begins with Ms., Miss, Mrs. or Mr. Do not allow students to call you by first name only.

Always have a backup plan from your personal tote bag or brief case of tricks and tools. You should have an activity or a lesson plan for each subject and grade you substitute teach. This is both for times when you have no lesson plans left by the regular teacher and when you complete what is left as well as if you are completely stumped about the subject matter for that day.

Above all, do not let the students know you do not know anything about the subject, assign something from your bag of tricks, or try to identify a leader and high achiever of the class to become your helper. Allow this person to lead in the subject you know nothing about. I call this part of things, just sort of “winging it” for a day. The main thing is never let your students know they know more than you do about the subject or that you know nothing. Make the leader you choose and all the students think you are giving them a real treat this day by allowing one of them to teach the class.

I remember one particular incident in which I knew nothing about the Math this 6th grade was doing. I quickly found a young lady who had her homework finished and after asking her a few questions, I assigned her to lead this class in Math. She and I walked about the room helping other students who was as dense as I was on the subject. Fortunately, this young lady really knew her stuff! She was quite pleased in her position as well.

I then ended this day with all students in their places and me in my place at the head of the classroom again. I pulled out an extra activity from my bag of tricks which was a dictionary game everyone participated in and even received prizes. I don’t believe any of the students had the slightest notion that I did not know their subject matter in Math that day. It was a day I needed to have some “breathable” clothes on, as I did some sweating on this day long before it was time to clean up the classroom! I left feeling as though no one was the wiser about their substitute teacher for that day.

Try to leave the regular teacher a report of what you did that day with her students, and don’t forget to leave he or she with one of your business cards.

Maintaining control in your classroom is a major key to successful substitute teaching.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.nn© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reservednn n