Below are some suggestions that will help to make you successful as a substitute teacher:

1. Prepare—Always arrive early.

• one hour is suggested for your first visit in a new school
• at least a ½ hour for a repeat visit

2. Locations--Familiarize yourself with the school building.

• Where you go for a fire alarm?
• Where you go for a tornado alarm?
• Locate the lunch room (and teacher’s lunch room).
• Locate the Library.
• Locate the gym, art, and music room (elementary).
• Locate the playgrounds (elementary).
• Locate the Nurse’s office and contact information.
• Locate the Special Services Department and contact information (where applicable). 

3. Lesson Plans--Study the plans that the teacher has laid out for you.
Teachers take a long time preparing the plans they have left for you. They are counting on you to accomplish the objectives for the day. If the plans are unclear, ask a neighboring teacher for help before school begins so you have a firm idea of your approach before the students walk through the door.

If the regular classroom teacher had to leave in a hurry (death in the family, or sudden illness) and did not leave extensive plans, seek the help of neighboring teachers or use web sites with good resources and ideas for lessons relevant to the subject being taught.
 
4. Keep the room clean
At the end of the day, project or class hour, guide the students to clean up the mess that they have created. You will have to keep your eye on the clock to make sure you have enough time for them to properly bring the classroom back to its original shape (especially after working on a project). Once that bell rings, your help is gone and it is your responsibility to take care of the rest.

5. Helpful hints for the classroom

• Try not to assume that a child understands directions.  Check for evidence of it, then offer help when needed.
• State your directions in an age appropriate manner.  Talking over their heads will create confusion and insecurity.
• Lead them to solutions, rather than simply giving answers to them.  This approach will give students ownership and confidence in problem solving.
• While keeping your standards high, do not forget to be encouraging. 
• Use positive reinforcement (encouraging good behavior) to recognize students who are doing good work.
• Allow yourself to have a sense of humor, especially when you make a mistake.  Enjoy your time in the classroom.
• Respect the students and listen to what they have to say.  An ounce of understanding and support can go a long way to help a student in a panic situation.
• At the high school level,
it is easy to expect students to communicate like adults but that is not necessarily the case.  Setting unreasonable expectations may hurt your chances of reaching those students. 
• Treat students with the respect they deserve and insist that they reciprocate.  
• Collaborate with children on expectations and consequences before an activity/game.  Think beforehand about the behaviors you expect during the activity.
• Use a sound or sign to reconvene the class (a bell, three claps) to get the attention of the class without raising your voice.  You may need to practice with the class before the activity begins.

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Updated 01/14/08tf