Working with Students

Active Involvement

The successful substitute teacher is actively involved with instruction. This includes circulating regularly in the classroom, checking student work and assisting with assignments. The expression, “Be on your feet – not on your seat,” is sage advice to the substitute teacher. Many discipline problems can be avoided by the substitute teacher’s use of proximity to the students.

Substitute teachers should be particularly careful not to do any of the following without authorization from the site administrator:

• Change student groupings

• Dismiss class early

• Allow a student to leave the classroom without proper permission

• Suspend a student

• Release a student from your jurisdiction during school hours without written permission from the school office

• Substitute teachers should never touch students for any reason unless they are in imminent danger to themselves or others.

Classroom Duties and Instructional Responsibilities

Substitute teachers are expected to perform all the duties of the classroom teacher unless the administrator releases the substitute from a particular responsibility. Check to see if there are any students with special needs or medical conditions. If the planning book is unavailable, check with the office staff. Substitute teachers should maintain the regular routine of the class. They should follow the daily class schedule and lesson plans provided by the classroom teacher. Substitute teachers should be aware of students with special needs.

Classroom Management

We expect substitute teachers to model and reinforce the expectations of the classroom teacher. Classroom rules are posted in most classrooms and, except for the first few days of class, all students know what the rules of behavior are and what the consequences are for not following them. Effective classroom management will lead to effective teaching. 

Student Attendance

One of the many regular duties of the full-time teacher is taking student attendance. State law and District policy require that student absences be excused only with a written note from the parents or legal guardians. We expect substitute teachers to assist in compliance with this requirement by sending all absence documents to the office. Attendance must be taken in every class and this information must be provided to the school office following the procedures established at the school. BUSD no longer has Illuminate (the attendance management system), thus attendance will be taken using a print out provided to you by the school’s administrative assistance. Substitutes should seek assistance from a school administrator if they experience any difficulty with Illuminate.  

Supplies, Materials and Equipment

Teachers’ materials and supplies should not be used unless the lesson plans authorize their use. Any materials and equipment borrowed should be returned to the proper person before a substitute leaves campus. At the end of the day, the teachers’ rooms and equipment should be left as found. The classroom teacher’s desk, files, and other storage areas should be regarded with respect.

Discipline

When students cause behavior problems that are disruptive to the learning environment, the substitute teacher should attempt to maintain discipline in the classroom using acceptable behavior management strategies. However, sometimes even the most effective classroom management strategies will fail and individuals or groups of students may need to modify their behavior to resume effective teaching. Substitutes or any other staff member, must never administer corporal punishment (physical discipline) in any way or verbally abuse the students. Shouting at students or calling them derogatory names may constitute verbal abuse and is prohibited. Sarcasm is ineffective in the classroom and should not be used with students. Preventing students from participating in recess is not allowed. Only when all reasonable efforts to maintain order have failed should the substitute refer students to school administrators by completing a discipline slip or note explaining the circumstances.

Discipline Referral Process

Each school site has its own discipline policy and referral process. Substitutes should familiarize themselves with the policies of the schools where they work. Please check in the front office before an assignment to inquire about the referral process. 

End of the Day

When the students have been dismissed for the day, the substitute still has several more duties to perform. The room should be checked to ensure that it is restored to the way the substitute found it. Books, supplies, and instructional materials should be returned, desks placed in their original positions, etc. Successful substitutes will take a few minutes to leave detailed notes for the teacher. The teacher appreciates knowing how much of the lesson plan was accomplished and any other important information about the substitute’s instructional efforts. The teacher would also want to be informed of any behavior problems or unusual events that may have occurred during his or her absence. Finally, the substitute should always check out through the office when leaving for the day and return all keys. This provides the office staff with an opportunity to deliver any messages to the substitute and sign the timesheet.

Ethical Behavior

Substitute teachers have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times when carrying out their duties. Some examples of unprofessional conduct are:

• Yelling at students or using profanity

• Touching students - hugging, rubbing their backs, holding their hands, sitting them on your lap, pulling or pushing them, carrying them, dragging them, or getting too close to their face. 

• Leaving students unattended - not even to go to the restroom or make quick copies. Call the office for support or as a neighboring teacher if it’s an emergency

• Dismissing students early, taking them to lunch or recess early - this causes major disruptions for the operations of the school site.

• Keeping students late - dismiss right when the bell rings 

• No following the teacher’s substitute plans

• Taking students out for “extra recess”.

• Being alone in a locked room with a student. Keep your doors open if you are by yourself with a student. 

• Sharing personal information that may not be age appropriate - unrelated inappropriate personal stories (who you are dating, deaths in the family, or scary situations you have gone through), sharing personal email or phone, sharing personal pictures that may not be professional, texting with students etc. These are pupils/students - not friends.

• Speaking with parents about a serious incident without an administrator present. If something happens in your classroom, seek the support of an administrator before contacting parents. In general, substitutes do not contact parents.

Appropriate Staff-Student Interactions 

Board Policy  In August 2022 the Board of Education approved a policy to guide appropriate staff-student interactions. A substitute teacher should be aware of this policy and follow the policy to have appropriate interactions with students.

Firm, Fair and Consistent Treatment of Students

Most literature on substitute teaching indicates that to be effective working with students, the substitute teacher needs to treat them in a firm, fair, and consistent manner. Fairness and consistency are key issues with students, especially in the Middle Schools. The substitute teacher must not “play favorites” when dealing with student behavior or performance.