Sunday, January 20, 2008
Substitute Teachers
We talked today about the problems with getting subs that actually teach the lessons and do the jobs that they are supposed to do. I think that the schools are mostly to blame for the subs not being successful. If a school does not ensure that the teachers have specific plans, class schedules, and rules for the sub, then that school is just setting that sub up to fail. We have had a problem of running off subs in the past at our school for these very reasons. Two years ago, when I took over as Dean of Students, I started going to every teachers room that was having a sub for that day. I would check to see if that teacher had everything out that the sub would need. If I could not understand it or something was missing, I would call the teacher up before the sub arrived and get things straightened out. Now that the teachers know that their plans are being seen by someone other than the sub things have gotten better with our kids and substitute teachers. As was said in class, there is no substitute for the teaching that goes on with the regular teacher, but by doing this simple step we have helped the situation get better at our school.
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7 comments:
The problem that we have in my district is that we do not have any subs. Very seldom do we get a sub in that has a degree in education. Sadly we get people to warm the seat and babysit instead of someone that is qualified to take on the task. We do have a handful of good qualified subs, but they are shared by neighboring districts and it is hard to get them.
I really like what John's school does by checking on the sub plans. I think most principals are content that if there are no disruptions/fights in a sub's classroom all day then the sub has done their job. That couldn't be farther from the truth. The article that Dr. Closen had about subs stated that students have a sub for approximately 1 year of their educational lives. If they do not get quality instruction in that time they could be in big trouble.
My administrator makes sure we have a sub. folder in place in case of an emergency absent. Not only does this need to contain a detailed schedule of our day, but it also needs to contain "rainy day" activities in case the sub. cannot find the cirriculum needed for the day. Our administrator also encourages always having a teaching cohort know where we keep worksheets, books, teachers editions, etc. Having a plan for staff absences helps eliminate problems.
I agree completely that there needs to be a plan in place for substitutes to follow. For example, our district has found that it is great to use a sub folder with specific tasks and schedules provided for the substitute. But that is not enough to go along with your everday lessons. For example, I am a high school math teacher and I have never had anyone qualified or that has felt comfortable teaching the math curriculum. So instead of wasting a day going over material that I will have to reteach I leave subs with work over basic math facts that everyone uses in their everyday lives that are important for students to review and practice from time to time. I have found this to be a very effective use of the subs time and have received many complements from subs because a high school math classroom can be a scary place for an educator that is not comfortable with the higher level material.
We are required in my district to have a sub folder that is checked by our administration at the beginning of the year. Being a small district, we tend to have the same subs in our building all the time, so they are used to the teachers, students, and general operation.
The problem I run into with subs may be my own "possessiveness" and/or lack of trust. I teach 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grade math and Algebra in my normal day. I do my best to make sure that, if I'm gone, I do not leave any "instructional" lessons for a sub to do. If my sub were to incorrectly teach a lesson to the students, that leaves me with at least two days of "redo" time in order to make sure they have the correct material.
For the most part, that is never a problem. It's times when I'm out consecutive days that I struggle to find enough review/practice material for the sub to have the students work on.
In our district we are required to leave sub plans. I think it is hard for the teacher to trust that the sub will be able to actually teach the lesson. That leads must of us to leaving the sub with some sort of student guided work or a video. Subs are paid poorly with no benefits. If you get a good sub that can teach, odds are they won't be asub that much longer.
I agree with what everyone is saying. Unfortunately, subs are very difficult to get. As others have siad, many times we are just getting a warm body to sit in the classroom. It is not by choice but by necessity this happens. I have found that if you are an organized person,and have materials out- or in a designated place- more people are willing to work for you. I have heard msny subs say that they will not sub for this one or that one because there is not enough to keep the students occupied......
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