Substitute Teaching - Chicago,IL

I did it for a few months, and did NOT enjoy it.
Though that's just me, clearly others enjoy it (like Janice B below.)
The kids were pretty good, because I live in a really good district, but the lesson plans varied widely depending on the teachers. Some were easy because the teachers kept very clear plans and notes in place. Other teachers, while they were very good at their jobs, were not as organized and that made it frustrating for me walking in and feeling like I just had to wing it.
Most districts are desperate for subs so you will probably get a lot of work.
I preferred working part time as a classroom aide. I liked having a regular schedule and working with the same groups of children every day, it was more enjoyable and satisfying for me. But give it a try, you'll know within a few months whether or not it's a good fit for you!

I did it 10 years ago when I was pregnant with my second child.

It was SO easy. They don't expect you to really teach unless you are a long-term sub, but then they pick the best fit sub for the class. You will likely have easy elementary stuff and middle/high school kids will have busy work.

Yep! You can have some horribly behaved kids because they are out there, but they can be fine too. The one time I called for help was when I saw a chair flying across the room. That was it for me. But in general, the kids were totally fine.

It wasn't really consistent, but I had work often enough. I was always called the morning of, but then if they knew it would be more than one day, the school would talk to me before I left for the day.

For me, it wasn't worth the money for the hassle. I had a 1 year old I had to get to a babysitter before I could go to work and the pay wasn't great. But it was something to do that did help the family income some.

I LOVE it!
I just started in the fall.
I only sub at the school where my daughter, ages 7 and 10, attend so I don't have to deal with drop-offs and pick-ups.
I have done music, playing a video left by the teacher, pre-k, kindergarten, second, fourth, fifth, art and P.E!
I know the teachers and do my bet!
I follow the lesson plans and I tell the class if anyone misbehaves I will leave the teacher a note, this is enough to keep them in line and when it's not, I leave the name and what he/she did.
I really leave detailed notes, what I covered, what I didn't get to, what the students enjoyed, didn't get, etc.
I leave my home number and cell at the bottom of my note and guess what? They use it!
Teachers call me at home, text me and stop me in the hall to sub for them!
In April I worked EVERY day but on, I had a doctor's appointment.
March was busy too!
Give it a try, wish I'd done it sooner!
I took a class in the fall and selected my one school, you could do several.
I also have an app where I get notifications if a teacher needs a sub and I just accept the job that way.
Sometimes the school office calls me, sometimes I get an automated call.
Once the school knows you want to work, they will call.
Good luck!

I've subbed on an off. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elem Ed. I've taught full time and I've subbed. We are military, so my work status changes from place to place. I enjoy it. It is not easy, though. And, you must really like kids--22-30 at a time. Some teachers leave great plans--others leave practically nothing.

Everywhere I've subbed, I've been considered a 'great sub'. So, they would call me a lot and I would usually have notice (i.e. Mrs. Jones will be out next Thurs, can you work?). I only subbed at certain schools--mostly K-5.

When I'm teaching, I'm usually really picky about subs. I would give as much notice as possible and line up the ones I really like.

I would say give it a shot!

I think what you do and how the kids behave depends on a lot of factors. In my younger daughter's school, the sub is given a list of items covered in the class at the time, and a schedule and teaches that subject. In a friend's child's school , the sub is given a schedule and a list of what was taught during the week. Sub might give a quiz or just review the most recent items taught--especialy when it is subbing for just one or 2 days.

In my older kids schools, they had subs that completely filled in for the teacher--tests, quizzes , subject matter. Sometimes the subs followed the book other times just talked about the subject.

One of my girls had an English teacher for science. She made them think differently about both subjects because they talked about how they relate etc.

As for behavior, it all depends. One thing I would suggest (I have been in a classroom with a sub that did not take control--oy!) Make sure you are in charge. Even high schoolers will stop trying to push the buttons is they see they cannot reach them.

I am currently a high school teacher, but I started out subbing for a year first.

When I was a substitute it was very hit or miss. Some teachers had things very well planned out, other teachers had nothing on the desk and I had to rely a lot on neighbor teachers to help me out.

The control of the classroom as far as behavior goes can be difficult to manage, but it can be done. It all depends on how you establish that control from the moment that you walk in the classroom. You control your own fate. If you don't treat the job professionally, the kids won't treat you with respect. There are guidelines for discipline at each school, so when I was a sub, I always made sure I knew the procedures and what the expectations were.

Once you develop a good reputation you will be asked back to sub time and time again. By the end of my third month of subbing I could have worked every single day with advanced notice. It is also like that at my current campus, they are always booked well in advance. On the opposite end of that, you can very quickly develop a negative reputation as a substitute. If you don't follow the plans left by the teacher, you don't keep control of the classroom, you are late or turn down too many sub jobs, that will also get noticed and people will remember that. There are certain subs we see on our campus now that we dread subbing in our rooms or hallway because we know they are simply there as babysitters, nothing more.

It can be a great job and give lots of flexibility, but I also felt like it was so much work for so little pay when I was doing it. Just be sure you go in with open eyes. :)

It might be different in IL.

In my district you can pick and choose your jobs. You don't have to get early morning calls if you don't want, you just choose your jobs from the website. You don't have to worry about not knowing a subject, because usually the plans are self-explanatory. The one time I taught a subject I knew absolutely nothing about (chemistry), I had the students lead the class, and they really rose to the challenge and did an amazing job.

The kids can certainly be horribly behaved, so you have to be confident in your ability to handle them. Middle schoolers in particular, sense fear. If you're really worried about not being able to handle them, maybe you should stick to the lower grades. Although that has its own challenges.

I love subbing. Every day is a new adventure.

I subbed for two years. I often didn't know I was going to sub until the phone rang sometime after 5:30 am. That call could come as late as 8:00 am for a job that starts at 8:30. Some jobs are prearranged, but a lot of sub jobs are last minute when a teacher wakes up sick or has a kid wake up sick. As a teacher, I never have my sub plans (even for a prearranged absence) ready until the afternoon before I'm going to be gone because what I get done today determines what I do tomorrow. Some things take a shorter or longer time than I anticipate. Rarely, if ever, will you be able to pick up lesson plans ahead of time. As a sub you have to be prepared to do things with little time to prep. I had sub jobs where I was literally walking in the door with the kids and reading the lesson plans as I was following them. I also had jobs where there were no lesson plans. Always have a bag of tricks to fill any unexpected free time in the day. (5 Minute Mystery Books, Would You Rather books. I had a book that was stories where you drew a picture as you told the story. I'm a horrible artist, but it was easy enough for me to do.)

Getting prearranged sub jobs can be difficult when you are first starting out. You need to establish relationships within a school or with specific teachers and prove that you are a good sub before teachers will specifically request you. It also depends on how the district runs. Some districts assign specific subs to specific schools. Some will take whatever they can get. Some only do robo calls from their computer system and teachers can't make specific requests.

Most sub jobs are going to be for just one day. You might get a 2-3 day job once in awhile after you have established yourself as a sub. Maternity leaves or medical leaves can be longer sub positions, but most of the time the teacher hand picks someone that they know and have 100% confidence in. Some districts have long term sub pools that are made up of people who have had to interview for those specific positions. In my 20+ years of teaching I have only had a handful of times when I was gone for more than 1-2 days. Only my maternity leave was for more than a week. Only twice have I been gone for an entire week. As a sub, I never subbed for the same teacher more than 2 days in a row.

Depending on the district and their sub needs you could sub every day or only a couple of days a week. When I was subbing I had my name in three different districts and the Catholic school system. I subbed 4-5 days a week except in the first month of school. Sometimes I got calls from two different districts on the same day. Flu season you will stay very busy. The first month and the last month are slower. Most districts don't let teachers take time off in the first couple of weeks or the last couple of weeks (except for sick calls).

You can usually say what you are willing to sub. Most districts will ask you what grades/subjects you will sub for. The more you are willing to do, the more you will be called. I hated subbing middle school, but because I was willing to do it, I got called more than a friend who would only do elementary. Most teachers will take into account that they might have a sub who doesn't know a specific subject. I subbed for an orchestra teacher who had lesson plans with a note that said if I didn't know how to direct I could show kids the movie he had left.

Yes, kids can be horribly behaved. Just last week I was yelling at students who were doing cartwheels in the hallway while their sub was trying to manage the rest of the class in the classroom. Kids' behavior is going to depend a lot on what the teacher's everyday classroom management is like and what the school's discipline procedure is like. Be sure to ask what the school's discipline procedure. All of the schools in our district use the same school wide plan and it is very specific. You have to have pretty tough skin to be a sub. You can't be "nice" and let kids get away with anything. You have to be strict and not let kids get to you. You have to go in and establish with the class right away that you are in charge and you are the one running the class. You dant back down. Discipline is one of the hardest parts of subbing. Most times you are walking into a classroom where you don't know anything about any of the kids and have no idea what to expect.

Subbing can be a great job. But it isn't an easy job. There were a lot of things I liked about subbing, but I would never go back to it.

A lot of your questions are going to vary from school district to school district.

I worked as a substitute teacher for probably 8 years, off and on.

In my district, you could choose what grades you wanted to sub for..... and even what schools.

Most of the time, the teachers had things planned out for you, and usually, there isn't that much "teaching" involved, just passing out the material needed, and answering questions. Much of the job entails crowd control, and hopefully maintaining control of the classroom and following school rules.

Even when there wasn't a good lesson set out, there is usually a teacher nearby that will be able to help you get a lesson together.

How you are called again depends on the school system. Most larger school districts have a substitute coordinator or automated system. However, in smaller districts (like where my daughter works), the teacher has to call the substitute teacher themselves. My school district has an automated system where the teacher puts in the absence, and the program automatically sets up the sub..... again, depending on the program, you may get a call at 6 AM for a 7 AM job.

It got to the point that I could be real choosy about what schools, subjects, and teachers I wanted to sub for.... many times the teacher would contact me ahead of time if they knew they would be out, to see if I could work that day.... it was great! I rarely had to take jobs the morning of the absence.

Good luck!

I was a regular classroom teacher for years, then went to subbing for many years. My district has a website that you can search for jobs in advance and you can set times when you want to or not want to be called, so you can take jobs the night before (or longer) rather than be called at 5am. My strategy was to get to the school early and go over the teachers notes/plans, which usually included their discipline plan. I also hit the teachers lounge to get some idea of what the class is like. Most of the time the teachers have things all planned out for you. On occasion, there are emergencies and nothing is ready and no one can find the teacher's emergency sub packet (which all teachers should have). Because of times like this, I made a packet up on my own from teaching websites that included stand alone activities that could get me through the day. I also had a supply of books so I could grab a few grade appropriate ones before I headed out the door. Take some water and a few snacks, as I was caught on a few occasions without a real break (I would be paid for missing planning times, though). I also kept a notebook to keep track of the schools and teachers I subbed for, so I could remember some key things if I subbed for them again. Get a school map for each building you go to to keep on hand as well. Later in my subbing years, it became necessary to locate and go over school/classroom emergency protocol, such as code whatever, lockdowns, etc. This should be posted prominently in each room, most likely by the front door. I enjoyed my time subbing, and went from grade 1 through 12. I subbed every subject and it was mostly fine. There will be some classes or possibly schools you might never want to set foot in again though! Just keep an open mind, a sense of humor, and be confident from the get go. Greet each student as they come in and be firm the second the bell rings for students to be seated. The more you sub, the more you will be known by the kids and staff, and things will be easier for you.

I sub every day. Lesson plans are left in the teachers mail box. They are generally very easy. Behaviour depends on the class. High school lesson is often just reading aloud or showing a video. Some jobs are booked in advance, but most are a phone call that morning. You begin to get to know the various schools, classrooms and students you most often work in.

no direct experience, but i've been poking around considering it as an extra income producer. from what i gather from talking to local subs, you don't actually teach so there's no issue with trying to keep up with the actual teachers, which would of course be impossible. you're basically just crowd control. the class will have work left for them to get on with, and you just try to keep them reasonably contained and focused. answer questions if you can, and have them refer any in-depth questions to their teacher when he's back.
a lot of kids, especially the older ones, do test subs. i'm guessing the best way to handle it is to be firm and no-nonsense and be prepared to send the worst offenders to the principal.
subs here stay pretty busy. there's usually opportunity to work almost every day if you want. the flexibility is what i find attractive.
khairete
S.

In the Fall, 2015 I will begin my 15th year subbing. I sub K-5.

We are expected to "teach" when we are in the classroom. The schedule of the day is the same as when the regular teacher is there. I grade papers, send them home, give tests, and do heavy teaching in math and language arts. In our district, it is not a babysitting job. The subs who sub with that attitude are not asked back to the school. Our schools are in the top in the nation and you don't get that by having subs that babysit.

We are in a highly rated district and I only sub at the school where my daughter went to elementary. IF I opened up myself to the district for multiple schools including middle, high and senior high, I could easily work 5 days a week. I believe at last count Plano has 88 schools total.

I have been at our elementary so long, they treat me like one of them. At this point, the teachers I work with know that I know the system and they don't leave plans out, I just follow the lesson plan in the teacher's planner. ALL of my assignments are pre-planned meaning I have very few late night or early morning calls.

When a new sub is around, they usually do get a lesson plan written out for them and the schedule of the day. I've also helped train several subs on some of the equipment that we use in the classroom. You can manage the lessons of the day. It is easy to follow the plan and most any teacher in the grade level is happy to help you if you have a question about a subject.

For our district qualifications, to substitute you must have a BS degree. You are not required to have a teacher certificate but the BS is crucial. Now, there are subs with no degrees who sub as para-professionals (teacher aides, special ed aides).

We get renewal applications each May and let the district know if we will continue to sub. You must have completed at lest 10 days of subbing to qualify to keep your badge. Then in early June, everyone goes for group meeting that are boring as all get out that goes over the handbook, rules, etc and then at the end of the meeting pick up your badge.

The hours are great because you choose when you work or not.

When I go into a classroom, I make sure I leave that classroom super neat at the end of the day. I also make notes for the teacher to let her know what we covered, how much, who was absent, any discipline issues.

If you do it, when you walk into any classroom, you establish control. If children know you will do what you say you will do, they tend to respect you. I typically give 2 warnings if someone is disruptive and I have been know to escort a troublemaker to the lead teacher's classroom and say... ____ is choosing not to work with me today and have recess all day and disrupting my class so would you mind if he/she stays in your class for the rest of the day? That usually solves it. Also timeout from recess. MOST students want to please their teacher and have a good report. I have only had a handful of issues in my subbing years and most of those we managed quickly and efficiently. The children will test you... you just have to be prepared.

I started subbing because this particular school was short of subs. Each school has a list of preferred subs and they hate to go through the calling system because you never know who you will get. My daughter was in K and I was there daily volunteering. The Principal asked me to sign up and I did so here I am.

I do not do this for the money. The money is crappy $96/day I believe is our rate. I do this because I truly love the children, love being in the classroom environment. Subbing is my outlet. I work 24/7 with my hubby running our company and my sub days are like a refresher for me. It clears my head with our company and I am better at what I do when I get home. Some days I have to turn down a sub job if hubby is on the road because I have to run the business or depending on the time of year such as quarterly reports, etc and my work load. This week is a no go because we have 8 truckloads of material being shipped and I have to make sure the freight people get everything to the customers in good shape and on time because it is critical that we do not be late. If we mess up and shut a company's line down, we are liable and it could cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, #1 is my company and #2 is subbing.

Not everyone is cut out to sub. You won't know until you try but I bet you would be good at it!

Every school district has their own policy, so it might be a good idea to make a list of questions and give someone a call.

I used to teach high school, and that high school was it's own school district. (Weird, right?) I taught math. If I needed a sub, unless it was one of my colleagues filling in for me, I knew better than to think anyone was going to "teach" my class. I tried to arrange a quiz or test for those days. If I couldn't, I would give my students and assignment out of their textbook that they could do without too much help (or something along those lines).

Unless that happens to be your area of expertise, high school teachers do not expect you to be able to teach a lesson. They might have you give an assignment, but they won't expect you to offer assistance.

Gradeschool (and maybe middle school) teachers would have very different expectations. So it really is a god idea to ask.

When you apply, be sure to let them know what you are qualified to teach. You never know when someone might have an extended absence or maternity leave. I've known many math majors who graduated in December and found one or two long-term subbing jobs.

I've never been in a classroom, but I was on the list one year. They called for the first time in May. Then the next year I got two calls the first week of classes.

Basically, expect to not get called the first year, but if you persists, you'll get high enough on the list to be a regular the following year.

Usually our subs are certified teachers or those enrolled in classes for certification by the state.

You can usually specify the grades you are open to. You say you are qualified to do this, yet you are anxious about a chemistry class and you don't know how to follow a lesson plan?

Older grades will often have a project they are working on (individually or in teams), so you are just managing the class and keeping them on task. Younger grades will often have material you are familiar with, but the kids need more supervision and you have them all day vs. a 45 minute class, so you have to keep varying things as well as get them to music, art, recess and lunch on time.

You also seem very nervous about classroom management. What's your experience in this area? Kids' behavior varies by the kid and the classroom - what's the structure they are used to, what are the expectations? There are a lot of kids with behavioral issues, sensory issues, medication needs, etc. - if you're an occasional sub, you won't even know their names, let alone how to manage the ones with problems. Sometimes a disruption (like a sub) can throw off kids who deal better with consistency.

Teachers who know they will be out usually have a good lesson plan prepared. Most teachers have an "emergency" lesson plan in the file for unexpected absences. And yes, you'll get a call the night before or maybe at 6 AM for that day. You have to be incredibly organized as well as confident in your abilities.

You might start with something like the library or the resource room if you are so unsure of yourself and your abilities. If you get to know the school and the staff, you'll fare much better. Subbing is a lot more than babysitting while the kids do worksheets all day. I suggest a few detailed interviews with the sub coordinator or the district-wide curriculum person to identify your strengths/weaknesses and learn more about how your particular district operates.

Basically you have to be up every morning ready to walk out the door. If they call you at 7:45 they expect you to be there and in the classroom in a few minutes.

As for subbing a class you're not qualified to teach....that's just basic babysitting and keeping them from tearing up the building. That's why so many subs are there and just sit at the desk. In the lower grades they do actually teach more since it's basic stuff and you're there with the kids all day. It's easier to me, to step in and actually have kids that are ready to learn and want to be good for you.