Other teachers and people who work in the school thank you and stuff, but they don’t know how you did with the class.  Just what they hear through the students.  And that’s not always the best way to get information.

Even when the teachers see you again they can’t really say anything if they don’t know who you are.  Because let’s face it, they’re not there so there’s no reason to expect them to recognize a face or read a name tag to see who you are.

But every once in a while, I get someone telling me how well I did with their class.  Up until now it was only from people that I saw when returning to sub in another class or people that I knew anyway.  So you can imagine how happy I was when out of the blue I had this (slightly paraphrased) email sitting around waiting for me when I got home.

Thanks for being my sub while I was out last week.  I think you did a great job – It is always a nice surprise when I get back and my room looks the same way that it did when I left.  The students enjoyed you as well!  I will certainly try to utilize you again in the future and recommend you to fellow teachers!

Thanks for the good work,
[The teacher]

I’d say that’s a pretty good thing to hear.  I mean, not only did this teacher think I did a good job, he also took the time to let me know.

Through a combination of my wife, some of our friends, and some comments I’ve heard from readers I’ve decided that there are some things that I could do better as a substitute teacher.  I’ve taken some time to really think this over, including some actual days on the job.  I think I’ve come up with a good list, but I’m open to suggestions.

1. Be more understanding of what the teacher has left and how everything is left.
   

   I think that one of my problems with this is that I’ve picked up most of my jobs at least the day before. In my mind, that has meant that the teacher had time to make sure that everything is ready for me. But I don’t know if that’s the case at all. They might have to rush out real quick at the end of the school day.  In middle and high schools, they could have had another teacher cover their class for the rest of the day before.  Heck, they could have had another sub the day before who didn’t leave a note or anything, which makes it look to me like the teacher was there the day before.I’ve also been assuming that teachers are super organized people.  That was just stupid of me.  Everyone’s different they’ll put things in a place that makes sense to them.  And to me, having the sub folder out displayed prominently when you don’t need it most days just doesn’t make sense.

2. Be more understanding of about the change in routine for the students.
   

   These kids are used to the way their teacher does things, not what I or any sub would want.  Especially in the lower grades, I think I can be better about keeping things the same for the students even if it’s not the way I’d like things to be done.

3. Don’t get so annoyed/mad when I get asked about my name.
   

   I have a last name that has some famous people attached to it, both real and fictitious.  Just about every day I get asked by at least one student about these people.  It gets old really fast.  But I need to remember that while I’m hearing this everyday, the kids who are asking don’t know that.  For the most part they probably think they’re being smart by making the connection.

4. Remember to tell the class my name.
   

   This one is only really a problem in middle and high schools.  I tell the first few classes my name, and after that I have a tendency to forget.  I think it’s because I’ve told the other classes so I think that I’ve already done it.  Which I  have, just not with every class.  At least I remember to write my name on the board.

5. Slow down with consequences that have lasting implications.
   

   When I went through the subbing orientation they told us to take any crap from the students.  I think I might have listened to that a little too closely.  For example, kids who are talking during a video but are doing it quietly enough so that nobody else hears and the main reason I know about it is because I see their mouths moving.  They probably don’t need to be sent out of the room and have something added to the disciplinary record.  Sitting by themselves in the class should be enough.  The class gets the message, and once class is over it really doesn’t matter anymore.

6. Be less judgmental (with good and bad thoughts).
   

   Judgmental probably isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind.  What I mean is that I take a quick read of the students in the class as they come in and try to pick out which ones I think will be causing a problem.  Here’s the problem though, I think I might be watching those students more closely.  And if I’m watching someone more it makes sense that there’s a better chance of that person getting in trouble.  To go along with that, it means that the other students can get away with more since I’m not watching them as closely.  It’s really not a fair system, especially when I find out that I’m totally wrong about a kid.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what I’ve come up with for myself and if there’s anything else you think I should work on.