Edu Speak 101

TL;DR:

Substitute teachers selected that job for all different reasons.
Sometimes educational language is hard to understand when you first enter a classroom and read the sub plans.
Try to complete sub plans that make sense even for those who aren’t familiar with educational jargon.
If you are an administrator, please check in with subs at the start of each day to make sure they are ready to go and don’t have any questions.

Why Sub?

Substitute teachers come to schools from all walks of life. Many, like me, are certified teachers searching for full-time employment and hoping that substituting will help them get their foot in the door. Others, like my friend Julie, are retired teachers with many years of experience who are subbing as a way to supplement their meagre pensions. Some, like my wife Gretchen, have professional training completely unrelated to education and are subbing because there was a need in their community and they were willing to step up and fill in. Others, like my friend Alexis, are pre-service teachers who are taking classes at night and on weekends so that they can work during the day. Some, like my friend Perry, have retired from other professions and are also subbing as a way to keep busy, to contribute, and to supplement their retirement income.

No matter how they came to work as a substitute teacher, one thing is still universally true: schools, districts, and the education system have a very specific vocabulary that can be utterly bewildering to those who are unfamiliar.

Navigating Edu Speak

Imagine walking into a classroom as a substitute teacher and seeing the following in the plans that have been meticulously written and left in plain sight:

7:30-8:08 am – First Hour. Personal Plan Time

8:12-8:50 am – Second Hour – This is a great group of students, but they can be chatty. Livia is a great helper. Please keep an eye on Kari; she may need extra support from admin. Jeff is on CICO. Chad has a BIP. Janet will be in to work with Alex, who has an IEP with specific accommodations. Under no circumstances may Rae leave without an escort. Students will be working on assignments in Schoology. They should not be using Nitro Type. There will be a fire drill this morning. Please follow the evacuation plan. Leave a list of names of students who were on-task and those who were off-task so that I can deal with them when I get back.

8:54-9:32 am – Third Hour— Team Planning Time

9:36-10:14 am – Fourth Hour— Same as Second Hour

10:18-10:56 am – Fifth Hour— This is my honors class. They know what they are supposed to be doing today.

11:00 am -12:00 pm – Sixth Hour— Students will go to the cafeteria to eat during A Lunch. During B Lunch, students will be in the room for Advisory. They may work on assignments for other classes.

12:04-1:04 pm – Seventh Hour— Same as Fifth Hour

1:08-1:46 pm – Eight Hour— This is my most challenging group. Please push the red button to call for assistance from the office immediately. You will need to especially watch out for Chad, Brad, and Dave.

1:50-2:40 pm – Ninth Hour— Same as Second Hour. Please dismiss students who ride the bus at 2:35 pm. Walkers and car riders will be dismissed at 2:40 pm. You should be actively supervising students outside Door H until all students have left.

Lesson Plan Reflection

For a seasoned teacher, these plans may make perfect sense. The day is divided into nine periods that, despite being roughly 38 minutes each, are referred to as hours. CICO, BIP, and IEP are all terms that make total sense. Personal Plan Time, Team Planning Time, and Advisory are likely familiar terms to those who work in middle schools. Plans for similar classes are often repeated. Students with a history of challenging behaviours are alluded to as needing extra support. Students who could spend the whole day learning without a teacher in the room are your great helpers.

For a substitute teacher, however, these plans seem to be a jumble of jargon that fails to tell the guest instructor what they are supposed to be doing that day. Why the heck is an “hour” only 38 minutes? What is CICO, BIP, or IEP? What is an honors class? Where is the red button? What is “on-task” or “off-task”? Where is Door H???

Tips for Teachers

Resist the urge to abbreviate! Your substitute probably won’t know that Check-In/Check-Out is a tool to help Jeff self-monitor his behaviour during the day and that he will need them to review it at the end of the period. Chad’s Behaviour Intervention Plan is going to be crucial to helping the substitute avoid escalating a situation. That Individualized Education Plan for Alex is going to be carried out by Janet, but your substitute still needs to know the key elements!

Remember, “clear is kind!” Don’t use coded language about students; if you aren’t comfortable stating explicitly that Chad, Brad, and Dave are likely to cause disruptions in the classroom during 8th hour, saying “watch out” doesn’t mean much. Livia may be a great helper, but in what ways? Be specific! Let your guest teacher know that Livia is responsible for taking attendance and bringing it to the office and that she is also the class’s go-to tech expert when devices aren’t working correctly. Avoid using jargon whenever possible and explain the jargon when you need to use it. For example, explain the procedure for the fire drill in the morning so that substitute doesn’t have to stare at a diagram of the building trying to figure out which direction is north.

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Tips for Administrators

I am likely starting to sound like a broken record on this by now, but please, please, please, take time out of your busy morning to check in with your substitutes and make sure they are aware of any special circumstances for the day. Look over the sub plans, ideally before the substitute does, and make note of any students that will need your extra attention for the day and then make a point of providing that attention before you are called to the room to help.

Another suggestion is to take time at the very start of the year to establish expectations for what information is given to substitutes. I know of some buildings that have a template for sub plans. Other buildings have a binder with all of the information needed, organised by priority. Setting up these common practices will make it easier for your full-time staff and your on-call staff to communicate clearly with one another.

Tips for Substitutes

Read the plans ahead of time and highlight any questions you may have. If you have time before students arrive, reach out to a neighbouring teacher and ask for clarification. If the teacher has left their phone number, you may even send them a quick text message to ask them to explain better.

Less Jargon, Better Plans

If you are a substitute, is there more Edu Speak you have seen in lesson plans that we could do a better job of explaining? Teachers, what is something that you will change in your sub plans to help your guest teacher be more successful? Admin, what is one thing you check sub plans for? Share your thoughts on Twitter and be sure to tag me and the Teach Better Team!

About Alex T. Valencic

Alex Valencic is an educator, former small business owner, Boy Scout, volunteer drug prevention specialist, unrepentant bibliophile, and a geek of all things. He worked as a substitute teacher for three years before achieving his lifelong dream of teaching fourth grade, which he did for seven years in Urbana, Illinois, before accepting his current position as the Curriculum Coordinator for 21st Century Teaching and Learning in Freeport, Illinois, where he not only supports innovative educational practices in the classroom but also oversees social studies, science, and nearly all of the elective courses in the district.