Elementary Substitute Teaching Tips
Most teachers hate getting a substitute teacher for their class because it is so much work to get prepared for the substitute. Since many districts have gone to the automated sub finder system the teacher is also never sure who will be their substitute and that worries them because the wrong substitute teacher can make more work for the regular teacher. So if you are going to substitute then you need to go in prepared to help the teacher and maintain control of the class.
If a substitute teacher doesn’t follow through with lesson plans and discipline it can louse up the regular teachers class for a day or two. I know this because I taught for thirty seven years and then started to substitute after retirement so I now can talk about both sides.
Here are some hints to be a successful substitute teacher. Remember maintaining control of the class is of the main importance.
The first tip is to go in with your won simple discipline plan, just in case the teacher’s plan is too complicated and too detailed to get acquainted with in a short time. Take time at the beginning of class to explain your plan, the consequences, and the reward. Example: I put ten tally marks on the board and explain that I expect them to be the best students they can be. If they shout, interrupt or break the classroom rules I will erase a mark for each time. If they are rude to me or another class member I will erase 2 or more marks.
I explain that they are a team so they can help their team win or lose. I explain that I know that no one is perfect so they will probably loose marks, but if there are any marks left at the end of the day they will be rewarded with ten to fifteen minutes of playing a game if we can accomplish ‘nearly’ everything the teacher has assigned. I say ‘nearly’ because some teachers will give a lot to do just to keep the students busy.
Then I start the day. When I erase a mark I do it quietly, but make sure most of the students see me do it. I usually explain why the mark was erased such as “some one is talking while I am.” The game I choose to play is not seven up or a game they usually play, although they do love four corners.
Number two is to always have something they can do if they finish early. I usually run two geometric designs and have them color one using monochromatic colors (all blues etc) and the other one using only primary colors. This is explained at the beginning of the day so that they may work on them when their assignments are completed. If they work on them when their assigned work is not complete I will erase a mark.
Number three tip is to follow the teachers lesson plans and leave short notes like “Completed” or “they need some more time to complete this” or “I told them to take it home as homework and bring it back tomorrow” or “Reading and Spelling took too long so I skipped English”. I usually give them just 2 or 3 minutes less time to complete than the teacher says so that we will have some extra time at the end of the day to play our game. If they loose all the marks then they use this time to complete assignments.
If you do not follow the teacher’s plans it may hurt their time schedule to accomplish units, etc. It is their class and you need to respect that having the students maintain their normal routine will help you maintain discipline and help the regular teacher stay on schedule.
As a substitute I teach concepts my way because I am not used to the scripts that a lot of books are using now and I don’t like just reading everything to the students. Most teachers will be okay with this.
Tip four is that maintaining discipline and control of the students is the most important thing you can do. As a teacher I cared less about how much of the work was done and more about how well the students behaved. If they behave well then I did not have to waste time handling a lot of problems when I returned, but I could just start where the substitute left off.
The last time is that at the end of the day I am sure to follow through and reward the students with 10 to 15 minutes of game time. Do not forget this because it is important that the students receive what you promised them at the beginning of the day.
If you follow these 5 points it will make your time as a substitute much more enjoyable and helpful the teachers and the students you are working for. You will probably even be invited back.
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10 Best Teaching Tips For a Great School Year
Teachers arguably have one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs, all at once. The following list should help you to keep your career in perspective, as well as infuse your students with an openness and desire to learn.
Prepared But Flexible
The most effective teachers create lesson plans in advance, know their subject well and have all of their teaching supplies on hand. However, these teachers are also flexible.
Never sacrifice true learning for time lines, even if it throws your schedule slightly awry. If your students are genuinely interested in delving deeper into a topic or if they need extra help understanding a new concept, be flexible enough to realize that your lesson is a guideline rather than a rigid structure.
Project Kindness
Especially for young children, a little warmth and nurturing go a long way. Keep in mind the emotional and mental maturity of your students. Little things like a smile, eye contact or a handshake at the start of the day may be all it takes to shake off a grumpy early morning and open them up to learning.
Establish Class Rules
To ensure that children know exactly what is expected of them in your class, use the first week of school to establish class rules. Post them where they can be seen and review them often. Especially during the first week of school, encourage your students to discuss the rules and gauge their understanding.
Plan for Disciplinary Problems
Be clear that not every student will act how you want them to all of the time. To maintain an environment conducive to learning, have a clear plan for how you will deal with disciplinary problems. This will be somewhat dictated by school protocol, but once you get to know the individuals in your classroom, you will be better able to assess what types of discipline tactics you will need to employ.
Enthusiasm is Contagious
Find ways to breathe life into each lesson and convey your sense of enthusiasm and passion for the subject to your students. Like the cliche about finding the silver lining, even with subjects you’re genuinely less interested in, find some angle that excites you and run with it. Your students will reflect your emotion and enthusiasm.
Develop a Sense of Humor
Pull out your sense of humor at any difficult moment: when your students are running wild, when the class is chaotic, when you’re stressed, overworked and uninspired. When things don’t go as planned, keeping a sense of humor will not only rub off on your students, but it may teach them something more valuable than the lesson material.
Interact with Your Students
Students who feel that you’re interested in who they are and what is going on in their personal lives are usually more open to learning from you. By interacting with your students and getting to know them, you invite them to embark on an educational adventure, instead of just sitting in a chair listening to you talk each day.
Listening Skills
Speaking of listening, you should model good listening skills for your students. Because you spend so much time talking, it is sometimes easy to forget that your job is also to listen.
Constant Improvement
Whether you read trade magazines, teaching blogs or take enrichment classes, never stop looking for ways to improve your craft.
Keeping a healthy perspective will make you a better teacher. These tips, used wisely, will make the job of teaching more rewarding for you and for those you teach.
Balance
As with any job it’s extremely important to have a good balance between your work and personal life. If you spend all of your free time working on grading papers and coming up with new lesson plans then you need to make an effort to set aside free time to spend with family and friends. It’s too easy to get bogged down with work and be completely consumed by it. Next time you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed take a look at how you’re spending your time and see if you have a good balance between your work and personal life.
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The Best Teacher In The World
Born in August 1967 to be a world-class educator and leader in higher learning that would illuminate people’s minds. Daniel Lambert is an educator and writer based in Inglewood, California. He has taught English Composition and Literature at five of the nine campuses which comprise the Los Angeles Community College District. He has worked as an Adjunct Instructor of English at East Los Angeles College since 2000.
Daniel is the recipient of the Shakespeare award from TPAC (the Torrance Performing Arts Consortium) for his poem “My Ode to Joy.” Daniel’s fiction, articles, and poems appear in such publications as Easy Reader, Torrance People, Pablo Lennis, Belle Fleur, Other Worlds, Wrapped in Plastic, The Gamer, and Games Unplugged. His poetry also appears in the anthologies Timeless Voices, Faces of Love, The Manuscripter Volume II, and Sci-Fi Fan II. His work for The Write Stuff!, the newsletter of The Southwest Manuscripters writers’ club, has earned him the title of senior editor.
Professor Lambert touched the hearts of many of his students including, Jose Angel Manaiza, Jr., crowned as “The New All-American Boy”. He inspired him to be the best student that he can be while at Los Angeles Southwest College where he took two English Composition courses with Professor Lambert including English 28 and English 101. He influenced him to be a great writer even with his difficulties of learning English as a second language and inspired him to dream big that he got admitted into his dream school, UCLA. Professor Lambert continued supporting him and inspired him to write his memoir entitled “Hi, my name is Jose”: Defining America The Beautiful.
Professor Lambert has released his books that have influenced so many people’s lives. He is a family-friendly writer and a good role model. Most of his students consider him “The Best Teacher in The World” including Jose Angel Manaiza, Jr. for his patience and ability to engage in students’ learning interest to foster their dreams. He has taught the following courses for Santa Monica College, the Los Angeles Community College District, and the Cal State System:
English 21: English Fundamentals (Los Angeles Community College District). This course introduces the student to the fundamentals of academic reading, writing and thinking.
English 21A: Basic Reading and Writing (Santa Monica College): This course is designed to improve the reading and writing skills of students, and is focused on the composition of two-page essays.
English 26: Basic Reading and Writing (LACCD). This course is designed to strengthen the students’ ability to read analytically, think logically, and write short essays competently.
English 28: Intermediate Reading and Composition (LACCD). This course offers instruction in the fundamental techniques of writing at the college level, progressing from three-paragraph essays of 200-350 words to five paragraph essays of approximately 500 words.
English 99: Basic Writing Workshop (California State University). Focus on clear, correct sentences, with an introduction to paragraphing in the context of the essay.
English 1: College Reading and Composition I (Santa Monica College). A freshman composition course with a focus on analytical, persuasive, and research essays.
English 101: College Reading and Composition I (LACCD). This is a college-level freshman composition course which requires the writing of full-length essays.
English 102: College Reading and Composition II (LACCD). This course emphasizes logical reasoning, analysis, and strategies of argumentation using literature and literary criticism.
English 103: Composition and Critical Thinking (LACCD). This course focuses on the development of logical reasoning and analytical and argumentative writing skills.
English 110: Freshman Composition I (CSU). Basic writing skills emphasizing exposition and textual analysis.
English 195: Special Topics in Composition I (CSU). A course designed to help students transition from 99 to 110, emphasizing critical thinking and essay writing skills.
He has a wealth of experience teaching and educating students both in Southern California and online:
2002-2003
1997-2007
2010-Present: Santa Monica College — Santa Monica, California. Adjunct Instructor of English.
2000-Present: Colorado Technical University — Denver, Colorado. Online English Instructor.
2009-Present: East Los Angeles College — Monterey Park, California. Adjunct Instructor of English.
2007-2010: East Los Angeles College — Monterey Park, California. Adjunct Instructor Representative for the Department of English.
2007-2008: Garr Academy of Mathematics and Entrepreneurial Studies
2005-2006: Los Angeles, California. Board of Directors Member. Richard Welling & Company, LLP – Torrance, California.
2002-2003: Technical Writer and Proofreader. California State University Dominguez Hills – Carson, California.
1997-2007: Adjunct Instructor of English. DeVry University – Chicago, Illinois. Online English Instructor.
2004: Los Angeles Southwest College – Los Angeles, CA. Adjunct Instructor of English. West Los Angeles College — Culver City, California. Adjunct Instructor of English.
1997-2007: Resource Collection, Inc. / Command Guard Services –Hawthorne, California. Technical Writer and Proofreader.
Professor Lambert is a true role model for our MTV Generation and future generations of Americans to commit to excellence.
Jose Angel Manaiza, Jr. was crowned with his nickname “The New All-American Boy” for his American Ideals and commitment to The American Dream, founded by The Founding Fathers on July 4th, 1776. Jose was born and raised in La Ceiba, The Entertainment Capital of Honduras on April 22, 1984. He is a former Child Star in his native country Honduras as a music performer. He grew up in Honduras with the American Ideals of dreaming to come to the United States of America and fulfill his childhood dream of becoming the best scholar and soccer player that he could become, by coming to UCLA, his dream school. He played as a team captain for the Club Deportivo Olimpia Reserves, the best soccer Academy in Central America, and was well-known for his agility on the soccer field, which distinguished him to be nominated for the Honduras Men’s National Soccer Team Under 17 category in 2001.
His dream for 2010 is that all the members of the Southwest Manuscripters club publish at least one e-book and he is committed that everyone learn how easy and simple it is to become a first-time published author using the World Wide Web. He is committed by his inspirational dream of bringing everyone fulfilling their own dreams by becoming youngest and best the President of the United States in history that to most Americans The Star-Spangled Banner, which happens to be Jose’s favorite song of all times, begins, “Oh say can you see……” but to Jose it begins “Jose, can you see? and to that, he says “Yes I can!”
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5 Ways to Empower Your Students
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” William Arthur Ward
Whenever I teach a new group of students, I always try to get to know them better. I don’t just see them as students but individuals with needs, desires, hopes, and dreams regardless whether I’m teaching a group of new English language learners (ELLs) or reluctant learners.
As teachers, we need to find ways to empower our students – many who come from diverse backgrounds and abilities. The best way to do this is to provide unique learning experiences that engage students from the VERY beginning of a lesson and for that matter, from the first day of school. When we are able to do this consistently, we can also help guide them to become more self-directed.
If you need help empowering your students – or you’d like to like to make better use of your time in the classroom, use this checklist to evaluate how you can build these systems for success.
Empowering our students and our teaching means…
1) Gather information about your learners. What are their abilities, backgrounds, interests and attitudes? This is probably the most important “blueprint” your students will share with you so use this information well. Who is good at drawing? Who is technology savvy? (probably most students!) Who can ride a horse and who hates reading? Later, as you get more settled into a routine, you’ll find other quirks, habits (both disagreeable and interesting) and behaviors that you will “wire” with. Again, use these to your advantage to help deepen the teacher-student connection. Remember, we are there to support and reach out to our students – not just to teach.
2) Provide opportunities for student success – Our students are pleasure oriented. They will learn more when they enjoy what they are learning. Plan lessons with an enjoyable academic challenge. Not only will you help build your students’ self-esteem, you will also boost their academic performance.
3) Speak to Students in “their” Language – Use real life authentic teaching topics like “money” which is a relevant concept to their lives and something they dream of.
4) Let Your Dynamic Personality Shine! The “waves” you send off in the classroom will determine how your students with cooperate and respect you. Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone every once in a while by sharing a personal anecdote or telling a joke. In the classroom, everything is legitimate: anger, joy, irony, humor, seriousness – all the human emotions which are appropriate in a given situation. How you engage students will determine the degree to which the material will “stick” in their heads.
5) Remember the Three R’s – It rarely happens that you find the students at the right level – our expectations are always higher. Teaching is a process of “ups” and “downs” – but it doesn’t mean you’ve wasted your time. It just means you need to review, repeat and reinforce the material again and again and in motivating ways. These are the three big R’s in education and even more important with today’s 21st century learner.
By following these tips and tricks, you will not only empower yourself but others around you.
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Five First Steps for Teaching Art in the Classroom
You now have your degree in teaching art, and you walk into the room of excited pre-teens, and have to get the job done in thirty minutes, maybe forty-five, if you are lucky. Here are five easy steps to follow on that first day!
First- Look at their faces and ask them their names. Let them know that you heard that they were a very good class. This makes them proud of themselves and they want to prove it to you. Let them know that you will not teach unless they can listen. Show them that you have a signal that will tell them to be quiet. Hold up your pointer finger and tell them that if you do this, they must listen or the lesson will be stopped. Demonstrate what a whisper is and what normal talking sounds like. Show them that whispering can be loud enough to hear, and that they are allowed to whisper to each other if they want to talk. Remember, this is their break from classwork, so they may have things to say! Some classes or students will challenge you, and get too loud, so you will have to stop the lesson. This makes them realize you mean business! Collect the supplies.Tell them they can finish it the following week. The first class is the time when they will learn that you are there to teach, and not babysit while their teacher is out of the room. Ask the teacher if the class responds to another strategy to gain a teaching moment. Use it. Quiet and respect for you, and for art, will make your first experience in the classroom good for you and for your students for the rest of the year.
Check the time!
Next- Present your lesson. Be animated about your lesson. Show lots of pictures from books that show families. Talk about what a family is. Listen to the children if they raise a hand to ask a question. If they talk too loudly, or if someone disrupts the class, hold up your finger and do not continue until they are quiet. You may have to wait for some groups. Talk to the child who disrupts the class. Let that child know that you like her or him, but dislike what they did. Eventually, they will know that they will be interrupting the whole class unless they listen. Reward good behavior by writing the “well behaved” child’s name on the board and draw a star next to the name.
Then- Since this is the first day, hand out 12×18 paper and let them draw their family. You will learn about them, and you will see if there is a student who just doesn’t like to draw. Tell that student that some people have talent with color and design. They could represent their family with shapes and color. The drawing will still give you an idea about their family. Be positive. Walk around the room and tell them what a good job they are doing. Tell them to sign their names because all artists sign their work. Remember, you are not training the next Picasso, yet. You are making them happy with what they can do on the paper, and happy with the rules you have as an art teacher.
Also- Organization is key to success. If they sit in rows, stand in front of each row and hand out the paper to the first person. He or she takes the material and hands it back to the person behind. In reverse, have the last child in the row pass his or her paper and supplies to the person in front of them to be collected from the front of the room. If they sit at tables, make one person the captain of the table responsible for coming up to get supplies for the lesson. The captain can choose someone at the table to bring the work and supplies back up front.
Importantly- Check your clock or watch. You have to budget your time efficiently. You will need about five minutes to hand out materials, five minutes to present the lesson, fifteen minutes for the students to work on the project, and five minutes to clean up the room. Ask each child to look on the floor, and pick up any scraps. Have one child take the scrap basket up and down each row, or to each table. Reward the row or table who cleaned their space quickly, by writing the row or table down in your plan book. The children like when you write down positive things about them.
In conclusion, always be upbeat and positive. Always check the time! The first class involves giving positive reinforcement about your rules so you can teach effectively. Your work time could be very limited. Maybe certain classes will not get art in the first few weeks, but they will know that when they listen, and you present meaningful projects, they will enjoy their precious time with you. When you are back in your art closet or room, choose the best drawings for the school art show later on in the year. Good luck and have fun!
Mary D. Bogin is a 30 year veteran teacher. Teaching art, reading, and writing to hundreds of classes over the years, have given her efficient methods and strategies for teaching. Visit http://www.mdbogin.wordpress.com for more great methods on teaching, and other stories about life.
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