Substitute Support

I've had more substitutes lately than I normally do.  I'm usually in class every day and rarely need a sub.  However, recently I've had to be out of my class for reasons beyond my control.  I've been working, but not in my class.  This is always stressful.  Every teacher knows that it's more work to be out.  But, that's not the only factor stressing me out.  Every teacher also knows that our students need us to be consistent in our own attendance.  This helps student progress and it provides consistent classroom management.

It's difficult getting substitutes to cover middle school.  This age level is a challenge, at best.   The substitutes that have great skills managing classrooms and following teacher plans are always taken.  Basically, you have to know months in advance if you're going to be out, and even then, sometimes you can't book them.  This has been my case this year.  Many of the subs I've used in the past are either no longer subbing or have found full-time subbing gigs.  Unfortunately, I've had to rely on our district's sub-locator to choose for me.

From the feedback I received from students, some substitutes were struggling to keep order in the class.  Last week, I knew I had to be out of my class the entire week due to testing.  I knew "correcting" would not fix the problem, so I decided to take another route.  

I designed this quick "Compliment Card" for the substitute to distribute to students who were following my class rules, working maturely, and getting their work done.  I copied them in bright, cardstock paper with directions for the sub.  I was pleased to hear much more positive feedback, not only from the substitute but from the students, as well.  

If you'd like a copy, click here.