I am 19 years old and will begin subbing in Mid-May. I have 3, almost 4 years in daycare settings and can quickly gain the respect of 4 and 5 year olds, however, my certification will be 1-9 (childhood ed w/ middle school ext) so I would like to sub in middle school. Being that I am about 5 to 4 years older than the oldest kids there how do I show them I am not “one of them”? I am very petite, just about 5 feet and have heard 2 comments
When I was 17 a TSA officer said, “there’s a new law that if you’re 12 or under you don’t have to take off shoes”
and:
“How old are your kids?”
-I don’t have any I’m only 18
“Oh my god, I thought you were like 25.”
Okay well first of all, I think the last people you should be asking are parents. Instead you should pose your questions to students! As a senior, I think the best substitute teachers are the ones who are not pushovers and try to be like just the students or extremely strict and rigid. I know that in high school, students have a certain degree of maturity in that we won’t be as disruptive or immature to substitutes. But I think what you should do is come in there and crack a couple of jokes maybe poke fun of your own age relative to theirs or whatever. Also establish some basic rules like: no listening to music or using cellphones… stay in the classroom. As a substitute teacher especially in middle school you have to understand that you will not garner the same amount of respect as a regular teacher, not because their is something wrong with you, but because you just don’t have the authority. So I would say be chill, yet don’t be a pushover. It’s definitely a delicate balance but the more you sub at a particular school the more respect you will gain. I’d say enforce rules and make sure students stay on task (it’s helpful if the teacher actually makes an assignment due so students have an incentive to work), but also be relaxed!
Don’t let em see you sweat. Mean what you say, and say what you mean. A smile is not a sign of weakness, but you may want to temper the smiles with a no-nonsense approach. When I subbed, I’d open class by saying I was happy to be a guest in their classroom. Then I’d say that we might be doing things differently, and that’s ok. Getting the kids to see the day as an adventure away from the normal routines was helpful. It eliminated ( mostly) the “we don’t do it that way…”
Make sure you have a bag of tricks to fill time. Good luck.
An adult friend subbed a class of first graders recently, and 5 or 6 of the class of 30 were disruptive and using curse words throughout the day. (Even the F word !) My friend was so sad for the loss of innocence for the rest of the students. She said it was really hard to keep the class on task and learning.
If you are going into public school, you may have to juggle teaching with crowd control, plus a bit of “entertaining” to keep their attention, and possibly have to discipline uncooperative students. It won’t be easy. I would try to get advice from experienced teachers in your area. Also, know what your rights are as a teacher, what you are legally allowed to do to maintain control and to feel safe in the classroom.
I’m sorry my post sounds so negative. I respect teachers so much. I wondered for years whether the good teachers were saints, or just plain crazy to do what they do. Now I know they are probably a little of both. It is a calling to be a teacher, and I applaud you for your career choice.
You are wise to be proactive in coming up with strategies ahead of time.
My son is a first year teacher (graduated in May 2014) of 7-9 grade boys. S is not small (short) but is tall and kind of lean and has a “babyface”. He gets LOTS of good natured ribbing from the other staff in the school about “how young are you?!!!” (at the Christmas teacher luncheon they set up a “kids table” next to the long dining table with a place card with his name on it - all in fun!)
Here is what he has found to work for him this year:
NEVER tell the kids you are teaching your age - they don’t need to know you are age young!
Earn the respect of the other staff - when the other staff treat you as an equal, the kids will see you as an equal.
Employ good, firm behavior strategy in the classroom from the start. You are not their friend, you are their instructor. That doesn’t mean you can’t have looser, lighthearted times, but keep your purpose foremost and in line.
Dress appropriately for the position not necessarily for your age. Even on dress down days he is careful what shirt for example he picks to wear with jeans.
Define boundaries in the classroom - your desk area is off limits for kids.
On behavior techniques - follow through, follow through, follow through!
S works with a very high risk population of boys in an urban setting.
I’m 21 and teach 9th graders, so this is what I’ve learned:
-Dress the part. Err on the side of overly professional: sheer black tights, nice shoes, no jeans, nice dresses, cardigans, blouses, etc.
-Do NOT try to be their friend. Everyone told me this, but the first day I stepped into the classroom, I thought “aw, but we’re getting along so well” Save yourself the trouble. They WILL take advantage and it will be much harder to dole out punishments/stern talking-tos.
-Make expectations clear and carry out the consequences. If there’s a policy for what happens when they’re late, for example, DO IT if they’re late.
-Practice your teacher voice. It should be different from your regular one- clearer, stronger, more authoritative. Also, I don’t know if you did this in your program, but it reaally helps to videotape yourself. I saw myself starting the day off with things like “Hey guys, okay, today we’re going to look at metaphor so if you could take out your books to page 73…” when I should have been more, like, “Alright, settle down, eyes up here! Today we’re going to look at metaphor. I need everybody to take out their books…” It’s kind of weird to get into that way of speaking (for me at least) but if you see yourself on film it becomes more obvious what you need to do.
Never ask a question if you are not prepared for the answer. Asking kids "do you want to do “x”?, when you actually mean "you are now going to do “x”, is opening a can of worms.
I think I’ve gotten the teacher voice kind of down, I haven’t actually gone through the teaching part of my program so I haven’t seen myself yet, but when I fist went into the prek room I had to use it (that’s a story for another day) lol
Just a question about dressing, I have tons of dress clothes but they are all moderately bright, ya know, something someone my age would wear lol. I’ve heard that as a starting sub I should stick to darker colors as it plays with the students head a bit (I guess dark=business?)
@Jazzii, will you be subbing in a regular school situation? Asking because you mentioned not starting till mid-May and I’m wondering if that is going to be the tail end of a school year??? Or are you doing some sort of summer program or after school program? Are you going to be the lead teacher when subbing???
Re: colors - I think color is ok, but you just don’t want your clothes to scream junior department or be store specific. So don’t wear your shirt that has an Abercrombie symbol front and center. Maybe more neutral bottoms (skirts or pants and then pair it with a colored top or a neutral/color blend.
Also, are you going to be subbing at one particular school? Do they have a dress code? At my S’s school the boys all have to wear ties - so he definitely wears one each day. You might want to pay note of what other staff are wearing when you visit.
The reason I’m not starting until May is because I’ll be away at school until then, I plan on subbing every May and Winter (couldn’t do it this winter bv of medical issues) so that by the time I graduate I have my foot in the door and have some contacts.
It is a regular school situation and when I do sub, I will be the only teacher in the room, even of it is in the lower grades. I’ve been in some of the schools before both as an observer and a student.
From what I remember the elementary school teachers dress up more often than those in high school and middle school. Usually dress pants and a shirt or sweater (my mom works in the district too lol) or even nice jeans and a shirt. But I think it’ll be a whole before I tale that approach to dressing.
You don’t need to imitate a middle-aged woman but you should avoid common “young-woman” unprofessional looks like exposed lingerie, workout clothes as street clothes, clothes that are very formfitting, and impractical shoes.
Wearing some kind of jacket or jacket-type cardigan, a scarf, and understated jewelry imparts authority.
The best single piece of teaching advice anyone ever gave me was: never try to shout down a noisy room full of kids at the beginning of class. Stand and wait expectantly and make eye contact. Do not speak if they are not listening. Otherwise you are just training them to ignore you.
My 22 year old son is subbing at the same high school where I used to sub. I handled a classroom much differently than he does, because I was in my 40’s when I subbed. He is not “tough,” but he is not a pushover. He doesn’t try to act cool, he doesn’t accept friend requests from students on Facebook … he makes sure he maintains a distance from students who want to be friendly. He simply maintains order, tries to get students to do their work (not always possible), and helps those who want help with work. He is requested by teachers all the time … in fact, he has two long-term assignments that will last from next week through the end of the school year … so he must be doing something right.
I will add that he is not a teacher - he has a biology degree - and he has never worked with kids before. He tried elementary school, and he decided that was not for him. He won’t sub in middle school, because he knows what middle schoolers are like to subs - and he knows he doesn’t want to try to deal with that sort of behavior (it takes a special person!). He went into subbing with the attitude that he will treat students as he wanted to be treated, and it seems to work.
In terms of dress, he takes his cues from the other teachers. It is a young group of teachers, and they dress casually. He wears khaki skinny pants, button-down shirts, and sometimes a sweater. He does not wear sneaker-type shoes. I would think your wardrobe is fine … as long as you do not wear anything that is short or revealing!!! And even if the teachers wear flip-flops - don’t!
Wait for silence before you speak. Once you start trying to speak over students you are toast and burnt toast at that. My method of waiting for silence is to raise my hand and start looking at students one by one. Signal the first student to raise his or her hand, very quietly say thank you, then look at the next student. It may take four or five minutes the first time, but eventually all but one student will be silent with hand raised, and all the other students will be looking at him or her. If a student starts to talk when you talk, raise your hand and wait again.
Also, it is very effective with students to count 5 to yourself before calling on students after asking a question. You’ll see more and more hands go up and the answers will be more thoughtful. You can acknowledge the early answerers but you don’t have to call on them.
If you are a 19 year old college student, it is unlikely you are going to be hired to go it solo in a classroom as a substitute. While your state (NY) allows folks to substitute who are working towards a degree in teaching, there is a reality that putting an inexperienced 19 year old in charge of a class of high school students is not probably going to happen.
You should also make sure that your local district doesn’t have higher requirements…some do.
All that aside…if younare hired as a sub…to gain respect, you need to be a mature 19 year old. In addition to the list in the post above, the subs most appreciated in my district did the following.
Followed the teacher's plans.
Left a note at the end of the day about what was done, and any issues that the teacher might need to know about.
Carried themselves like professionals (look around the school to see dress, and the way folks talk, etc).
Well according to NY State substitute guidelines, a person who is working towards a degree in teaching taking minimally 6 credits a semester, can substitute in the state. Local districts can have additional criteria, and many do.
If this OP starts to substitute and demonstrates she has excellent classroom management, can carry out the plans, can organize and do what is left for her to do, and provides feedback to the teacher, she will be viewed as a good substitute…and could very well be placed in a classroom alone.
But if she is not all that strong, and confident, it is possible the school will recognize that, and will put her in supporting positions instead.
I think a lot will depend on the school, and the expectations at the school.
In addition, sadly, some districts are very desperate for substitutes.
To the OP…one thing I would caution. you are hoping this will give you a foot in the door. In some districts, perhaps,this is the case. In the district in which I worked, substitutes were seldom hired for full time positions.
But having this on your resume is a good thing for applying to other districts.
In NYC you actually have to have a degree already. However, in my district you need 61 credits to sub (which I already have) also, it is not the district that decides where I get placed. Upon approval of the application my name goes into a system and teachers pick who they want.
Since I am still very close to many of my own teachers I will more than likely be getting called to high school and middle school classes.
Someone I knew was actually a sub in an 11th grade class as a 19 y.o. it truly is about what teachers you know.
