TL;DR:

• 3 lessons learned from the first day of subbing and tips for teachers and administrators.
• “Early” is on time. “On time” is late!
• Make sure the information you have is correct.
• Know where the important places are.

Know Your Environment

It was my first day subbing in a new building and in a new district. I had the address in my GPS and a general idea of how long it was going to take to get from my home to the school site. What I didn’t expect was the giant farm tractor taking up both lanes of the road rumbling along at a steady 15 mph (24 km/h), which was definitely extending my travel time. I started to panic, but the farmer finally noticed me and pulled over just enough for me to pass him, and I continued on my way until I got to the building.

I drove around the block a few times and realized I had no idea where to park. Finally, I parked along the side of the street, praying it wasn’t a tow-away zone, and headed into the building. (Thank goodness they had a flag out front to indicate where the main entrance was!) I checked in with the secretary and found out that there had been a change in the bell schedule and instead of being there at 7:20 am when I arrived, I was supposed to be there at 7:00 am!

Worse yet, there were already students in the room! Luckily for me, the classroom was across the hall from the office and the students were being supervised by an administrator. I had no time to look over the sub plans, so I glanced at the first part, hoping to at least figure out how the day started. During my plan period, I was able to go over all of the plans.

Lessons Learned

Lesson 1: I always remembered the words of my high school band director, Mr. Jim Tallman. Every day during marching band camp for four years, he announced the same thing: “Early” is on time. “On time” is late. “Late” is simply unacceptable. While I knew how long it would take to get from my house to the school I was subbing at, I learned to always give myself an extra fifteen minutes to get there!

“Early” is on time. “On time” is late. “Late” is simply unacceptable. While I knew how long it would take to get from my house to the school I was subbing at, I learned to always give myself an extra fifteen minutes to get there! Click To Tweet

Lesson 2: Call the school ahead of time and ask where you are supposed to park! Some schools have clearly labelled teacher parking lots. Some schools don’t have parking lots at all. While you are asking the secretary where you should park, check to confirm which entrance you should use, too. (My first subbing assignment was in the building where my mother-in-law taught. I had been there before, but it was always with her and so I used the side entrance she usually used. It took me quite some time to find the main entrance, which was on the opposite side of the building from the parking lot.)

Lesson 3: Getting to the school early also gives you time to find out the lay of the land. Where is your classroom? Where are the teacher restrooms? Who are your teacher partners who can help you during the day? Even within the classroom, those few extra minutes will give you time to make sure you know where the electrical outlets are so you can charge your computer and/or phone, locate all of the instructional materials, and generally feel confident in the space you will be occupying for the next 8 hours or so.

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Tips for Classroom Teachers

Many schools and districts use online platforms to schedule substitute teachers. When you enter an absence, double-check to make sure the times are correct. (If the system is pre-loaded with full-day and half-day times, this is especially important.) Using this platform, you may also be able to leave notes for your substitute. This shouldn’t be an essay or novella, but it could certainly include information on where to park, the main entrance, and how to find your classroom.

Tips for Administrators

If you use an absence management platform, check to make sure all of the information, especially about the starting and ending times for assignments. Do a walkthrough of your building. Is there signage to help visitors know where they are and how to get to different locations? Are parking areas and entrances clearly labeled? You may want to ask someone you trust who has never been to your building to do a visit to see if they can find their way around and have them share feedback. As has been encouraged before, greet the substitute teachers who are in your building. Give them a quick tour (or ask someone else to do so).

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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.