Sub Better: Know Your Limits

TL;DR:

Know what assignments you are comfortable taking.
Know what behaviours you find acceptable.
Communicate your limits to others.

Know Your Limits

I got the call early in the morning. The school was in desperate need of a substitute teacher and they wanted to know if I was available. I had not taken any other assignments for that day and so I accepted it, not really even paying attention to what it was. After all, an assignment was an assignment. One of my primary goals for substituting was to get my foot in the door in a district or school so that I could have a leg up in being considered for a full-time position.

I threw on typical work attire: dress pants, button-down shirt, and tie. Then I had my wife drop me off at the building that had called me before she went to work at her job. I checked in at the front office and learned the assignment: traveling physical education teacher.

Yikes.

Not only was a definitely over-dressed for the assignment, but I had no access to a vehicle. I would be able to cover the PE classes in the building I was at but there was no way I would be able to go across town to the other building. The secretary made several hurried calls while giving me some serious side-eye. They were able to work out something to make sure the PE classes across town would be covered. In the meantime, I made my way to the gym and wondered how on earth I was going to make it through the day wearing what I had put on that morning.

I honestly don’t know how I actually made it through the day, but I did learn a valuable lesson: know your limits. I needed to know what I could and couldn’t do, and to be honest about my limits when being offered assignments to substitute in a classroom.

Know What You Can and Cannot Do

Years later, my wife learned this same lesson as a substitute teacher when she accepted a vaguely posted assignment for a “teacher” position in a building (no grade-level or other descriptor given) only to learn that it was a self-contained cross-categorial special education classroom for students with profound learning and emotional/behavioural disabilities. After a very challenging day, she knew that she would not be able to fill any assignments in that particular classroom in the future because it was outside her range of abilities.

Know What You Will and Will Not Allow

Knowing your limits isn’t just about what type of assignment you are willing and able to accept, however. It is also about knowing your limits when it comes to what happens inside the classroom. For example, how do you feel about students talking with partners? In group? As a whole class? Is there a certain level of noise that you can tolerate? If you are going to work with older students, are you prepared to deal with their hormone-driven attitudes and expressions? What kind of language will you accept? What kind of language will you not accept?

When I was substituting, it was very common for students to forget my name and attempt to use a nickname of some sort to address me. This often bothered me, so I made sure to include this in my introduction to students:

My name is Mr. Valencic. I know that that can be a hard name for students to remember. So if you can’t remember my name or you have a hard time pronouncing it, you may call me “Mr. V” or “Sir.” You may not call me “Dude,” “Bro,” “Bruh,” “Brah,” “Mr. Teacher Dude,” “Hey you!” or “Einstein.” (Albert Einstein didn’t even have curly hair, anyway.) So, again, my name is Mr. Valencic and you may call me “Mr. Valencic,” “Mr. V,” or “Sir.”

Simply setting this boundary at the start of the day helped with setting other boundaries. Most of those boundaries are set by referencing the classroom expectations posted in the room or the rules that the teacher included in the sub plans. Even then, I always made a point of sharing that, because I was not their regular teacher, I would probably do things differently and that was okay!

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Tips for Teachers

When entering an absence, make it very clear what the assignment will be: specify the grade level, the content, and, if you are an itinerant teacher, indicate that the substitute will need to be able to travel between rooms. Set guest teacher expectations with your students ahead of time, and make a poster that can be prominently displayed. If you are going to have a planned absence, practice the guest teacher expectations ahead of time. Prepare your students, especially those who thrive on routine, for unexpected changes while you are gone.

Tips for Administrators

Work with your teachers and secretary to make sure that roles are clearly defined in your substitute management software (if you use it) or that they are clearly described when calls are being made to find substitutes. Check in with your guest teachers before students arrive and have a quick conversation about schoolwide expectations. Visit classrooms with guest teachers early and often throughout the day to provide support as needed.

Tips for Substitutes

Don’t feel bad about saying no. No matter what your reason is, you are allowed to set limits for what assignments you will accept, what days you will work, what buildings you will go to, and what you will accept within the classroom. Yes, there is a shortage of substitute teachers. That doesn’t mean you need to accept something that is outside your comfort zone. Know your limits. Be willing to stretch yourself if you want to but also be willing to acknowledge what you can and cannot do.

As Polonius famously says to Laertes in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “This above all: to thine own self be true!”

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.