Today, I had a rough day at a very good school, but with a very tough group of students. I am a substitute teacher, therefore I deal with misbehavior on a daily basis. I usually just try to get through the day and if nobody gets hurt I am happy. However, today my classes were extra loud and my attempts to quiet the students didn't help. I had teachers and administrators in and out of my room. I couldn't help but think about what was going through their heads. They probably though t I was completely aloof. Also, I feel like I disappointed some of the students that just wanted to do their work. I know I need to toughen up and get on them more. It is just tough for a sub because the students really don't respect me enough to just get quiet. Plus it is not my lesson and the work left for the students is typically just busy work that they get bored with and start acting up. Any advice for substitute teaching would be appreciated.
Are you allowed to write up students? If so, get a couple write ups and bring them to class. Once you write up enough students, they'll start to take you seriously again. Unfortunately that's all I can think of because the rest sort of falls on the teacher to make sure the students know how to behave when they're gone.
I think a more immediate and visual way to get their attention is to instruct the VERY first person who misbehaves (talks after you say no talking, etc.) to have a seat in the hallway. This will show the rest of the class that you mean business, and then once the class is working, you can go talk to the student in the hallway. This a) gives the student a fair shot and b) leaves the admin. out which could possibly impress them. It worked for me, so just a suggestion! Good luck!
Just make sure that you're allowed to seat kids in the hallway. At my school, that's not allowed because the student in the hallway would be unsupervised and could be disruptive to other classes.
I'm a sub also and I have been close to the original poster's situation. School districts don't give you much help on discipline issues. I once had a student stand in the hall for a while but in retrospect I wonder if that was considered acceptable with the school. This was a junior high age student. I think you have to have an plan ahead of time and I don't. I get by because my size is intimidating to many students, but I know eventually that will not work.
I think you should find out what the consequences are for what behaviors within the school and within the classroom? The students are already aware of these, so continuation of this would probably be successful. The kids often don't respect subs, partly because the subs don't always know the routines / procedures, etc. They'd probably be more respectful if they realized you know all the rules and are enforcing them.
I am in a similar situation as well. A school I am in has several students that lack respect....and are very attention-seeking. As soon as they know there is a sub they are ready to challenge authority. Sometimes how I handle the situation works, sometimes it backfires. One day in paricular went terribly and I just kept brainstorming what I could be doing differently. I try not to raise my voice, it gets so difficult sometimes. This was in a middle school where I was having a tough time and I am certified grades 6-12....I find I have less problems with grades K-5! In fact, I get rave reviews for 5th, even 6th grades... I just bought a book to help me out...hopefully it does...Setting the Limits, or something like that...
That's a good point, I hadn't considered districts that don't allow this. They're not allowed to be in the hall, even with the door open and one eye on them? What strategy does the administration prefer that you use instead?
It's just not realistic to have "one eye on them" in certain buildings given certain floorplans. The layout can prevent appropriate and adequate supervision of students left in the hall. At my school, admin prefers that you keep the students in the classroom. Not only is this a supervisory issue, but it also contributes to the learning experience of the student. How much learning is happening when the student is by himself in the hallway? If the student is so disruptive that he is preventing others from learning, he should be sent to the deans' office on a referral.
I would suggest when you first start subbing for a class, state the consequences of any misbehavior. The first person who acts up, send them to the dean. It will prove a point. It may seem strict, but in your case, I would probably use it.
All you do is tell the students that you are going to approach the students at the end of the hour and ask them to sign the good behavior list. Tell them that if you don't ask them to sign the list that they will be in trouble by their teacher when their teacher returns. Don't pass around the list, you control the list. When students come up to you at the end of the hour, and ask if they can sign the list, tell them no and tell them why. I tell them very diplomatically and they know I'm right. Usually just the threat of making such a list works, because everyone wants to be on the good behavior list.
I think the most important quality for a sub (middle school and high school) is to be strict. Depending on how you do it, the kids will either listen and respect you, but not like you very much, or listen and respect you and like you. Either way, your day and their day will go better. I remember I was subbing in a 7th grade History class last year, for a half day (teacher had meeting) and actually had the chance to talk with the teacher. She must have had a bad day or bad year, because she warned me that the kids are bad, she said some of them were total jerks and already wrote 3 referrals for me in advance if they act up. When they all came in and settled down, I explained my rules and expectations. I also told them that the teacher wrote 3 referrals already because she thought some of them will need it. Told them that I don't even care whose names are on them, because I don't know anyone in the classroom. So if they had a bad day/week or even year, they can still have a good class today because I don't know their history and can't hold it against them. They all have a clean slate. The look on their faces was priceless!! They all sat there with sparkles in their eyes and smiles on their faces knowing they all got a second chance. They loved me and listened to me. I don't think they heard those words before. Of course, as kids their age, they tried to see if I would enforce my rules, and when they saw that I did they gave up and gave in At the end I read them the nice note I wrote to their teacher. Proud and happy faces again.
I subbed for about a year (as a way of getting back into teaching after a 10-year hiatus). You have to be utterly confident from the very first moment, start the lesson immediately, nail (in whatever way is available to you) each instance of misbehavior until they're behaving as a group, and smile as and if appropriate. Kids like order.
Can you talk to other subs in the same district and use their advice? They might have some ideas. My other suggestion is to talk to the teacher/principle before hand, they will know who the problem children are, what works as well as classroom dynamics.
