Presents information about what should be communicated to substitute teachers and why it is important, focusing on the substitute teacher's role, classroom management tools, curriculum management, and preparing students for the substitute teacher by creating bridges that will help minimize the sense of separation students feel when they have a…

This article is an open letter to English teachers by the author, a second-year graduate student in English education doing substitute teaching. She argues that as a substitute teacher, expectations of her teaching abilities and those of most substitute teachers are incredibly low, and that low expectations often result in low performance. Here,…

Seven commonly held myths concerning the effects of teachers' strikes on school districts are explored. Administrators from 124 school districts that experienced teacher strikes during the three-year period 1981-1984 responded to a questionnaire about the seven myths. The myths discussed include: (1) superintendents leave districts as a result of…

This bibliography lists materials published on the topic since 1970. Most entries are annotated. Listed are 21 books, 69 articles, and five theses. The entries deal with part-time and substitute teaching at all levels. (JM)

One who has been there suggests ways that the job of substitute teaching could be improved. Improvement will come, he says, only through the building principal's commitment to making a substitute's hours more than a babysitting or study hall chore. (Editor)

Emphasizing the need for research dealing with substitute teaching, the author suggests ways to increase its effectiveness, including professional development for substitute teachers. (Author)

Discusses a student discipline problem involving a substitute teacher and a student who used foul language in class. The teacher responded with a firm, but venomous, threat that provoked a response from the vice principal's office, but not from the boy's parents. Advocates on-the-spot ethical instruction to maintain credibility and an effective…

Effectiveness of substitute teachers is related to the implementation of strategy for their utilization. If substitutes are expected to do more than control students, then teachers must leave lesson plans, activities, and materials that can be used by anyone. Cooperation and coordination are essential for substitutes' success. (MD)

This essay highlights one pregnant middle school teacher's experiences with taking a mid-year leave. She used entries from her personal diary to reflect on how she felt about her leave, while her students wrote letters and notes expressing their anxieties about her leaving. The discussion of planning a pregnancy and the stages of pregnancy, along…

Suggests some techniques that the substitute teacher in the primary grades can employ to both sharpen students' skills and to put their imaginations to constructive use. (DR)

Describes a cooperative program between the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, and the Houston (Texas) Independent School District to give additional training to substitute teachers. The program emphasizes specific, practical skills such as disciplinary techniques, communications skills, and lesson planning. (WD)

Presents and interprets an 18-question test to determine how well a school's substitute teacher program functions. Topics covered include substitute teacher screening and preparation, lists of substitutes, lesson plans, staff and student evaluation of substitutes, substitutes' salaries, legal considerations, and making substitutes feel needed.…

Argues that teacher training institutes, school districts, classroom teachers, and substitute teachers need to clarify and define the role of the substitute. (FL)

When funds for substitute teachers were depleted in Suffolk, Virginia, administrative staff from the central office were assigned to fill vacant positions. (Author/MLF)