Substitute teachers - give me all your tips and tricks!

First thing I always do is make a seating chart. This can be harder than it sounds with flexible seating options.

Always have a plan for what to do if there are no lesson plans.

One sub had a bag of word puzzles, laminated so the erasable markers could cleanse them for future use.(word searches etc).
Get seating chart and watch (older elem) for trouble makers who switch names and seats.
Laminated basic math facts pages are another.

These are old school, before technology ideas...perhaps too out of date to use.

After 34 years as a full time teacher, I entered the world of subbing in the fall. I would recommend that you be open to a variety of jobs. I taught 4th grade in a smallish school district. I added myself to the sub list of two school districts and I have four buildings that I take jobs in. I dabbled a bit in the beginning to see what different jobs were like knowing that if I took a job I didn’t like I only had to make it to the end of the day and never do it again. I have had some pleasant surprises. I like 7th & 8th graders - they respond to the kind of bossiness a 4th grader teacher uses. I really enjoy high school kids. First graders almost killed me the one day I subbed at that level. They were adorable, but I can’t do it.

Every single job I have taken has had a seating chart. If they ask you if they can sit somewhere else, say no. I give a ton of compliments. At the larger high school I make sure the kids know that the principal and assistant principal used to work at the school district that I taught in. It’s the reason I decided to sub at that school. Many kids are opportunists and they need to know that I have friends in high places. Sometimes I’ll have to ask a kid if they remember that Mr. S and I are friends. They reel it in. If you have a kid or kids that are out of hand, contact the office.

I don’t bring anything extra. If I were to show up at a high school and the teacher left nothing, it would be an extra study hall and I would never sub for them again. If an elementary teacher left nothing, I’d talk to another teacher in that grade level and figure out a few things to do. It’s very easy to find a time filler in an elementary classroom. There are books, games, and basic art supplies. Kids will tell you where things are. Older elementary kids usually have some educational apps that they enjoy using. Don’t worry too much about that.

In my area there are tons of jobs. I am very selective about what I take now. At the beginning I felt like I had to have some dates in advance lined up and that was when I dabbled. I have several classes that I won’t do again, but most of my experiences have been very positive. I take a more free spirited approach now knowing that something will show up. I won’t take a job unless I know I will like it. I have had some weeks where I had nothing on my calendar and ended it with four days worked - all enjoyable jobs. When I first started subbing I went into it with equal parts of optimism and dread. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. Now I go in every day knowing I’ll probably have a really good day.

I think I might have been a better first grade sub if I would have had a beautiful box. That’s brilliant.

I subbed for three months, after graduating with my certificate in March, many years ago! I kind of loved subbing, except for the 5:00am phone calls, way back before online scheduling.

I subbed mostly in middle school. I agree with walking in confident. Wait for quiet before beginning instruction or anything you need the entire class to hear. I got a lot out of being very calm and asking, "Is this how your teacher does this?" whenever I was unsure...plus it gave kids a chance to help. I'd read the teacher's plans to the kids and ask, "Is this sounding familiar to you?" or "Is this making sense?" Proximity, always. Short requests in a calm tone: "Back to work, please" or "You'll need to turn around and stop talking."

Good luck!

My teacher stare still shows up for duty, despite being out of the classroom for almost three years. It has stopped misbehaving teenagers in public. One even pointed at himself and asked, "Me?" 

Former teacher here (3rd grade).  I quit to be a SAHM when I had my 1st.  When my youngest entered K, I started subbing.  For behavior management, I find that this works well and it is a whole class incentive:
Class vs Teacher

I just make 2 boxes on the board and label them class and teacher.  I explain that when I catch them doing what they should be, or for other reasons at my discretion (ex. they get out their math workbooks before I count to 10, they walk quietly in the hallway, they raise their hand, anything that encourages good behavior), I give the class a point.  For older kids (3, 4, 5) I do tally marks.  For K, 1 I do smiley faces.  If there is a situation where they are not behaving, following directions, etc.  I get a point.  If they get more points at the end of the day, we play a game.  If I get more, we keep working.  I usually spend less than 10 minutes on the game so that it isn't eating into instructional time.  The kids often ask for Heads Up, 7 Up.  I try to include something educational in the game.  So, for example, before the 7 students who were tapped get to guess who picked them, I'll ask them to spell a spelling word, do a simple math problem, answer a question from something we learned that day, etc).

The other thing I do to encourage good behavior is have "mystery students."  I'll tell them that I'm watching the mystery student extra closely while they're doing ___ and if the mystery person is doing what they should, they earn the class a point.  If not, I earn a point. This works great in the hall when you're walking them somewhere!!!

In my bag of "tricks" I carry stickers, a variety of colored pens for grading, some worksheets in case I need to fill time, seasonal books to read, notebook paper to leave the teacher a note, and some personal items like Advil, hand lotion, cough drops, etc.

Good luck!  The beauty of subbing is that you can work when and how much you want.  Also, if you work with a particular class that is awful, you don't have to sub for them again!!!  I like being more in control of my work day!

I sub regularly in one elementary school. When I first started out I went to a lot of different schools in the county, mostly because I was curious about other schools (the one where I sub now is the one where my own kids went). I quickly wrote several of those off my list for one reason or another -- terrible parking, bad security (at one school I just walked in the back door unchallenged by anyone), horrible behavior, unfriendly/unhelpful staff....the list was long. lol. or not-lol. 

But once the word got out that I was subbing I had all the work I wanted right there at my own school. Three blocks away from my house so can't beat that commute.

It really does help to sub in just one school because every time you walk into a classroom you're already mostly on the same page because the kids know you. They know what I expect, and usually I know most of them too. It's fun to be able to say "oh yes, I remember when your 1st grade class did such and such..." haha 

I never bring anything "extra". I'm in a FB substitute teacher group and wow some people carry SO much stuff -- books to read to the class, worksheets, coloring pages, markers, etc., etc. I never do that. My teachers always leave lesson plans, unless it's an emergency (like the teacher who was admitted to the hospital over the weekend and obviously couldn't make plans) and then the other same-grade teachers step up and take care of it. If I want to read a book to the class I either look through the classroom library, or I walk down to the school library and ask if they have anything to recommend. Of course they always do.

The younger they are the more important it is, I think, to have a conversation right away about how you're going to do your best to follow Mrs. Teacher's plans but things might be a little bit different. I always tell them that I don't want to hear an entire class trying to shout at me saying "But we don't do it that way!" lol. 

Technology is a bear. I've been stubbing a lot this year for a 3rd grade teacher whose father has had serious surgery out of state, and finally after several weeks I feel like I've come to terms with her SmartBoard. The problem we have though at this school is that they're all slightly different, because over the years they've been replace piecemeal. It is frustrating for a sub. Often teachers don't even leave me access to it and their lesson plans don't need it. Honestly, I prefer that to a class where I'm *supposed* to use it but can't get it to work. 

Anyway, as a former teacher I'm sure you will have no trouble filling in extra time...I suspect it's like riding a bicycle. lol. If I need something to fill time, usually for early finishers with their seatwork, I just tell them to read. They can always find something. 

I love subbing. I started when we had two kids heading to college, for some extra money. lol. Now I do it because I love the kids, and I know I'm providing a needed service for my teachers. We have a HUGE sub shortage and teachers are supposed to find their own sub before they get any leave approved (unless they're sick, of course). One teacher tried to do a 4-part REQUIRED training last year and wasn't approved for the leave because she couldn't find a sub. Ridiculous, in my opinion...I mean, if it's required then the school should find someone to cover that class. It's not like it was a request for a Caribbean cruise or something. Anyway, that teacher needed to do the training this year so she reserved those dates with me back in July before school even started! 

You'll be great.