First Day Called To Sub

My first day called for a sub job was yesterday.  I was more excited than nervous.  It was a nice first day because I was asked to sub for a teacher's aide.  Since this was the case, I was able to get a feel for the school and classrooms.  I worked mainly with one student and took the whole class to recess, lunch, and gym.  Overall, the day went good.  I was able to work well with the student I was assigned to and get him motivated to do his work.  I learned that recess and lunch can be chaotic times.. Unfortunately, I did not have a whistle like the other aides in the lunch room had, so it was difficult to draw all students attention when it was so loud.  Students definitely did try to take advantage, knowing that I was new.  Getting this preview, I know that one of the most important things is to establish rules early and clearly.  

Behavior Management:

I liked an idea that the classroom teacher used to monitor behavior.  She had a bulletin board in the room with all of the students' names on it.  Under each student's name, there were three index (sized) cards, one red, yellow, and green.  They were layered on top of each other in this order.  After being verbally warned more than one time, the student would be asked to change their card from "green" to "yellow."  Each day the students start off at green.  Then after students got to red, there would be consequences.  I like this system because it teaches the students that they are in control of their own behavior and they are physically moving something to remind them of that.  Students can visually see where they are and how the majority of the class is.  

A New School Year, A New Experience

I am both nervous and excited to start substitute teaching.  I have been reading a few books to help prepare myself:

• Substitute Teacher Handbook K-12
• Substitute Teaching from A-Z

I've also purchased some books such as Mind Joggers! 5-15 Minute Activities That Make Kids Think.  I want to be as prepared as I can.  I have looked at the district's website and printed out information on the school policies and also found some really neat web resources there.  This blog is full of resources :  Teaching 2.0  A Professional Development Resource Blog.  There is an infinite number of tech resources out there for the new school year!

Right now, I am in the process of making a binder to organize everything that I will need to carry with me, such as my assignment logs, teacher reports, student activities, school calendars and locations, etc.  I will be subbing mainly for elementary and middle school students and need to have a variety of plans.  If there is time to fill, I want to have something that I can implement and that is educational.  I've continued to build my book collection for different levels.

I have read tips for substitute teachers on management and organization.  I plan on going in with an open mind and getting the most out of my experience.  I will keep a notebook of different ideas I see in classrooms that I may want to use in my own one day.  I know that there will be good days and bad and will use each day to shape my teaching style.  I can read different tips and strategies but won't see the reality until it happens.  Being prepared and organized is the first step! :)