Substitute teachers who know what to expect and how to handle difficulties perform a great educational service. Suggestions on how substitutes can introduce themselves, gain the respect of the class, and avoid discipline pitfalls are given. "Sub Surprises"--classroom games and other interesting activities that help motivate students--are listed.…

This book will help teachers better relate to, understand, and love their job by providing a professional resource that contains innovative ideas, visuals, and reproducibles that can be referenced quickly to help make the job easier. This comprehensive resource offers practical teaching techniques, solutions, and tips on: (1) Planning and…

Practical suggestions for creating and maintaining a productive and positive classroom environment are presented in this guide for substitute teachers. Suggestions for executing emergency lesson plans as well as tips for effective management techniques are included. Substitutes are advised to: visit the school or call the teacher ahead of time if…

This study focused on three areas of supply teachers' (N=20) experiences: their background and views about the job; how they negotiated their first meetings with new classes; and their response to inappropriate behavior. The disadvantages of supply teaching cited by these teachers outweighed advantages cited by two to one. (IAH)

Research supports the notion that substitute teachers generally are ineffective. This study examines whether trained substitutes can be as effective as assigned teachers in teaching students with behavior disorders. Findings showed that substitutes with intensive inservice training in behavior management were equally effective for one-day…

Class meetings can help prepare students for substitutes. The process might involve explaining the meeting's purpose, sharing feelings about substitutes, imagining class with a substitute, brainstorming ways to help, planning how to implement students' ideas, writing partner biographies for the substitutes, inviting substitutes as guest speakers,…

Since regular teachers miss on average 8 days of work each year due to illness, there is a need to have well trained substitute teachers for the public schools. The substitute teacher needs inservice education programs which prepare him/her to do a quality job of teaching students. The following are essential reading skills to develop within…

This book offers kindergarten teachers a collection of easy-to-implement ideas, from assessing student work to helping struggling students. The eight chapters focus on: (1) "Widely Held Expectations for Kindergartners" (developmental and academic expectations); (2) "Classroom Environment" (e.g., work and play areas, classroom schedules, bulletin…

Describes the experiences of a middle school substitute teacher working with a diverse group of students. Highlights how the actual experience of working with and disciplining students differed from what the teacher had learned as theory and questions whether it is possible to educate in a democratic manner without centralized coercion. (SM)

The purposes of this paper were to review the literature and examine the available research in the area of the effectiveness of substitute teachers in secondary education; and to identify problems and suggested remedies associated with substitute teaching from the perspectives of school administrators, substitute teachers, and students. The…

Reports the findings of a survey that identified the following eight categories of professional needs of substitute teachers: discipline, classroom plans and procedures, knowledge of programs, learner differences, organizing/managing learning experiences, professional role, and school rules/regulations. (HOD)

The lives of students with special needs are often chaotic, and they have difficulty with organization. The unfamiliar experience of a new substitute teacher can spring chaos into their lives. It is important to teach students, particularly those with special learning needs, techniques for coping with the unavoidable changes that occur when a…

Over the course of their kindergarten through twelfth grade education, children in American public schools will spend the equivalent of one school year under the guidance of a substitute teacher. Yet in most districts, substitutes are given the keys to the classroom without a day's training. While requirements vary by state, some may hold advanced…

Pertinent information concerning the prospects that are available in substitute teaching is presented. The first section deals with the factors contributing to the problem areas within on-call substitute teaching programs. The second section studies possible changes within these problem areas. In each of these sections, the roles and attitudes of…

This substitute teacher management program was developed to improve school substitute teachers' skills and confidence at one southeastern middle school. The project involved 53 classroom teachers who had completed a needs assessment survey regarding substitute teachers and 16 substitute teachers employed by the site on a regular basis. Program…