Substitute Teacher Feedback Report printable pdf download

Effective Interventions for Academic Problems

Jim Wright

( )

Strategies to Prepare Classrooms for Substitute

Teachers

Introduction

Substitute teachers have one of the toughest jobs in the world. They are often expected to cover a

classroom full of unknown students on very short notice. Unfortunately, substitute teachers may

find upon arriving at the school that no lesson plans have been left for them, forcing

them to improvise on the spot. To make matters even more challenging, substitutes

typically show up in the classroom with little knowledge of school-wide procedures for

responding to events such as specials, fire drills, and student dismissal.

Schools deal with the disciplinary fallout when substitute teachers do not have access

to the information that they need to be effective instructors and classroom managers.

Students can be quick to misbehave when they sense that a substitute teacher lacks

confidence, is experiencing confusion, and does not know their names. Substitute

instructors may be equally quick to react by sending those misbehaving

students straight to the principal’s office. No wonder so many school

administrators and teachers dread having subs cover classrooms!

One excellent idea to help substitute teachers to exert greater control in

the classroom is for every teacher to prepare an information binder

designed explicitly for use by substitute instructors. At a minimum, the binder

should include:

• A student seating chart

• Building floorplan

• Copies of hall passes and office referral forms

• Phone numbers that the substitute should know

• Updated lesson plan

• Schoolwide emergency procedures

Teachers can also take proactive steps to prepare students to be on their best

behavior when a substitute is in the classroom. This intervention (a) provides a

group reward if the class as a whole behaves well and (b) provides individual

consequences when a particular student misbehaves.

Materials

• Transparencies of Substitute Teacher Feedback Form and Sample Apology

Letter to Substitute Teacher

• Overhead projector

Preparation

• The classroom teacher creates a short menu of feasible, appropriate classwide rewards

Substitute Teacher Feedback Report