Substitutes are beneficial to a classroom when a teacher is unavailable, but they do not always handle a class efficiently, causing disruptiveness.
Teachers are a work of magic.

At the utmost importance to the next generation, teachers take on the task of directing young brains in learning through various ways, opening up minds to new concepts and developing a basis of knowledge within hundreds of students a day. Although many people believe teachers are indestructible and have no life outside of school, this is actually false to the surprise of many. When teachers are feeling under the weather or simply have matters to take care of, substitute teachers fill the empty space temporarily, or even long term.

Substitute teachers in most cases are retired teachers or have taken a leave of absence for other reasons. As substitutes try to do the best job they can under the teacher’s plans for the day, I believe there is a better way to conduct 20-30 students, who may not know the sub or have the slightest bit of respect for them.

Coming from a student’s view, it is entirely true that when a sub enters the room in place of the normal teacher, a sigh of relief may come over students as they realize not much will be accomplished in the duration of the period. Only certain types of subs can turn this stereotype around and engage the kids throughout the period. Substitutes with a strong backbone work through students’ out-of-line behavior, taking a grain of salt along the way.

There are two types of entrances and behavioral procedures substitutes can have and based on the way one conducts this, decides the sink-or-swim motto for the rest of the period. Subs who are directly strict and quick to jump on kids in a loud voice tend to sink, due to the feeling the kids endure of being accused and backed into a corner for their actions. Although it is entirely correct for the subs to stop this disruptive behavior, going about it in a different way tends to be much more productive.

Instead of grabbing a hold of the horns and ripping about in an effort to control the kids, a sub should use their personality to control students’ behavior. Substitutes can immediately sense the troublemakers in the room and should take precaution to handle these ones in a way that does not start a revolution. Dealing with these students in a one-on-one format is the best way. Using prior knowledge of rough classes, a sense of humor and wit to conduct a class can prove to be much more successful. Though substitutes do the best job they can, changing up the way they go about things will definitely help.

Substitutes are faced with an ever so challenging job which is completely based upon the class’s behavior. Changing the way one goes about directing a class room of troublemakers usually needs to be altered.