This morning, Ms. Paula, the substitute teacher coordinator at the school where I work the most, told me that one of the reasons she uses me so much is because I’m always at school long before the first bell rings. I didn’t tell him that I’m usually a basket case until I have the teacher’s homework in my hands and I feel confident that I understand what the teacher wants and that I can do what the teacher asks of me. As soon as it’s over, I can relax a bit. What surprises me, and Ms. Paula as well, are the substitutes who show up two minutes before the bell rings and expect to have a successful day. Common sense alone should dictate that you’ll need some time to prepare for the next day and that has certainly borne out in my experience.
However, there is something you will feel pressured to do that will ultimately not be in your best interest. On my first day of substitution, I was given a map of the school with the classroom I would be working in circled, a sheet showing what hours and grades I would be teaching, and an attendance sheet for each class. . I asked when they needed the assistance and was told to send it to the main office as soon as possible after class started. For weeks, maybe months, I dutifully stepped into the role as soon as possible after the bell rang until I realized I was making a huge mistake. While it may be true that the front desk wants you early, that doesn’t mean it has to be the first thing you do. Let me explain.
Your first and most important priority at the beginning of each class is put students on homework. If you have come early, you will have had a chance to read the teacher’s instructions and post the assignment on the board. That means as soon as students walk into your class, you can point them to the board and ask them to start.
Do this first thing in the morning and you’ll see the rest of the hour go by without a hitch. Why? If you wait until after the bell rings to take attendance, students will know that no work can start until you have finished taking attendance. The longer they can delay it, and they can be very creative in this regard, the longer they can delay their work. On the other hand, if they are already working, then attendance is often nothing more than asking one of the students to tell you who is missing. By resisting my initial instinct to jump into the role right away, I end up doing it a lot quicker than I would if I had tried to take it like most new understudies do.
There are variations on this. Sometimes it is important to know where each person sits, so in those cases I will draw a seating chart and walk around the room asking each student for their name marking it on the chart as I do. It only takes a moment for them to tell me and then they get back to work. The seating chart can also be helpful if your school has a fire drill. Generally, if that happens, students are expected to leave school in an orderly manner, gather at an agreed location, and then you are expected to assume the role. If you’ve already mailed the paper to the office, you’re out of luck…unless you have your seating chart handy.
Save yourself the hassle by resisting the urge to take attendance like other newbies (Bueller? Bueller? Ferris Bueller?) and get your students on task as soon as possible; even before the bell rings if you can. It will tell them that you are a professional more than anything else you can do.