Education Week - March 15, 2023 - 16

Substitute Teachers
Shouldn't Be Punching Bags
By Alanah Nichole Davis
G
rowing up, my peers and I always
associated substitute teachers with
having a laid-back and easy day.
Having an alternative teacher was an
opportunity to act as if we didn't have
any " home training, " as my 3rd grade
teacher would've said. I had never
reflected with any real effort on just how poorly substitute
teachers get treated until I became one in 2022.
Earlier last year, I woke up at 3 o'clock in the morning
and found myself scrolling on the internet. I came across
an article in my local newspaper about teacher shortages.
Hoping that I could do some good, I applied to well over a
dozen substitute-teaching positions that very morning.
I heard back from one private middle school almost the
next day and had an interview within the week where I
toured the grounds with the principal and even met a few
staff members. My initial feeling was warm and fuzzy.
My first substitute assignment was a three-week stint to
cover for a vacationing social studies teacher who taught
every grade at the middle school. The teacher's preparation
for his absence was complete with Google docs, printable
assignments, resources, videos, textbooks, teachers'
textbooks, and answer keys. Chef's kiss! I administered
every assignment, reading, test, and quiz while in the threeweek
role for social studies. It was a substitute teacher's
dream.
Everything was going smoothly until at the end of my first
week when another teacher at the same school set to come
back from maternity leave tendered her resignation. The
school administration and staff appeared sympathetic to
the teacher, but they weren't prepared for it. Everyone was
scrambling.
The school offered me a long-term position as an English
teacher that would extend until the end of the school year,
and I accepted it with some reluctance about the change
in plans. Things quickly became a lot less warm and fuzzy.
The differences in the preparation for my planned threeweek
social studies stint with my new English posting
were vast. The social studies teacher had included clear,
time-appropriate, and thorough lesson plans outlined with
class dates, and I had even been able to shadow him in the
classroom for three days before taking over.
But that wasn't the case with this new, long-term position.
I appreciate that teachers face emergencies, get sick
unexpectedly, or have extended caretaking responsibilities.
But my lack of proper preparation from the school for
this position began to affect my ability to be effective in
my new role or at least as effective as I had hoped to be.
Even more difficult than trying to teach my class without
the appropriate materials and preparation was the lack of
support I received from my new colleagues at the school.
Sure, it might have been nice to be met with a welcome
fruit basket or some other token of appreciation but even
better would have been an updated school handbook,
timely access to pertinent documents, lesson plans, and
other instructional resources. The most I got was being
added to a group chat that teachers mostly used to ask for
restroom breaks. (It was nice to have restroom breaks.)
I also bore the brunt of short fuses, blameful tones, and
just good old-fashioned tiredness from both students and
staff-all while still trying to learn exactly how to be a good
first-time substitute teacher in the first place. Obviously,
outright bullying is never acceptable. But even smaller and
more subtle actions can have an effect on morale, especially
for those acclimating to a new position. Like the tone of an
email. Or the way we remind someone of a task due. It's
often not what we say but how we say it that matters.
Shouldn't school staff just plain be kind to one another?
It's easy to undervalue a job that still reminds many
of us of TVs strapped down on metal carts by a woven
strap and VHS players (do those still exist?),
but substitute teachers shouldn't be
punching bags for existing frustrations
and bubbling tensions. After just a
few weeks, I was so tired of feeling
disrespected that I resigned.
To support the success of a
substitute teacher, I urge full-time
teachers to organize materials,
16 | EDUCATION WEEK | March 15, 2023 | www.edweek.org/opinion
lesson plans, and other resources before you need to take
time off. Labeling work materials and any other visuals
in the room will help your substitutes find what they
need. Make sure to include the class schedule, any rules
that are specific to your classroom, and the disciplinary
consequences for students who don't follow them.
It is also important to set clear expectations with your
students for how they behave. Communicate those
expectations clearly in a class email or on a sheet of paper
placed in an obvious area in the classroom, where both the
substitute and students can refer to them.
It's also helpful to let your substitute know which
students need extra help or closer attention.
Finally, don't forget to welcome your substitute. Leaving a
friendly welcome note or a brief introduction about your class
can help the substitute get acclimated more quickly. This can
also help set the tone for the first day and subsequent ones.
Make sure to include contact information if you're available
to answer any questions during your absence.
With proper preparation and support from the
administration, the substitute will be more effective and
the students better able to learn.
Substitute teachers usually come into schools to
fill an immediate and pressing need. They're usually
people who have time to spend and energy to give-
skilled professionals in our own fields, retirees, or just
naturally helpful humans. Whatever our background
as substitutes, we're all deserving of appreciation for
the classroom roles we fill, whether it's for a day, three
weeks, or a year.
Substitute teachers need proper reception, training,
respect, and preparation with a capital P. Maybe skip
the fruit basket and start with a well-stocked Google
drive full of assignments. At the very least, save a simple
" thank you " for the next time you see
your favorite sub.
DAVIS is a freelance
communication and design
consultant in Baltimore and a
former substitute teacher.
Denis Novikov / Getty
http://www.edweek.org/opinion
Education Week - March 15, 2023

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