Ask yourself some of these questions:
- Are the classes with the regular teachers loud and chaotic?
- Are large numbers of students roaming the hallway?
- Are students wearing hats in school? Do students mill around after the bell in the hallway?
- Do teachers shut their doors during class time?
If the answer to these questions is yes, it is likely you are in a failing school.If a school has a chaotic atmosphere, it is likely that administrators view a substitute as a babysitter. In these failing schools, it is also likely the regular faculty and staff are regarded in the same manner.
Below are some do’s and don’t when subbing in a tough town-center environment:
- Don’t become emotional – never show anger, frustration or fear.
- Don’t call administrators for minor behavior infractions, such as talking, not sitting in the proper seat, chewing gum, etc. You will end up getting a bad reputation.
- Don’t let more than 3 students go to bathroom, nurse etc. during period.
- Do call administrators if you are sworn at or threatened, students are fighting, or if you encounter a weapon or drugs.
- Do take attendance…several times.
- Do list your rules on the blackboard for the class at the beginning of the period.
- Do bring in an extra assignment – something fun, like a word search.
Some techniques that have proven effective in even the most difficult of environments are listed below:
- When a student asks to use the lav, ask him or her to ask you in five minutes. When the first student asks to use the lav, or nurse etc., tell him or her that you will let them go, but they must wait for five minutes. This technique is usually effective at controlling the number of students who leave a classroom in a given period.
- Tell class you only let three people out of the class at the beginning of the class.
- If possible, read out loud. Don’t rotate reading around room – ask for volunteers.
- If a teacher leaves a lesson that you feel is inadequate, don’t be afraid to add on to it. For example, your sub plans might say: “ALL CLASSES”. The teacher has spent very little if any time preparing this lesson. Do the lesson with the class, but maybe have a wordsearch or a popular crossword to complete after this assignment is complete. By the way, students will very seldom answer questions out of a textbook. If you are in a class where this is the assignment, don’t be surprised if there is a fair amount of chaos.
- Remember, it’s not your fault if the students are not doing their work. It is not a reflection on you. Keep calm and professional at all times. You are the leader of the class for that particular day. It takes a lot strength and fortitude, mixed with a great amount of compassion and empathy to teach in an town center school. Do not become discouraged, and have high expectations for ALL students you meet. Students can feel high expectations and will strive to meet them.
Courtesy to : Wikibooks
Tiruvannamalai Education 