[nobe-l] Substitute Teaching

[vparadiso92 at gmail.com]

Hi Tara,

Congratulations on almost being done with school! Yes, I have substituted before.  I have dealt with a lot of the same issues in the past. But you are right. I wouldn't discard this opportunity because it's a great way to get experience and some extra money while looking for full-time work.

As far as lesson plans go, especially if you're going to be subbing somewhere long term, you can request to have these files sent to you electronically. Or you can sit with someone during your break to read any handwritten notes. I have done this and it is not an inconvenience. You want to make sure you know what it is that you are giving the students prior to handing any work out.

As far as transportation goes, it's pretty easy to get around in New York. I don't know what things look like out where you are. Is there a train system? Another option is Uber or Lift although that can be expensive. But this is the fastest way if you need to get somewhere immediately and there's no subway  system where you are. If this is your only option, I would advise only excepting jobs that are nearby, and developing a budget for cab fare for each week. Remember though, substitutes don't make very much. So you want to plan your trips out in advance as much as you can. You don't want to be blowing all  your salary on cab fare ha ha because then the trips don't    end up being worth it. What a lot of individuals do is try to get a long-term placement. So you get used to the route. You know what to expect. And it helps you get adjusted to the travel time as well as the people you will be working with. If that were the case, not only would you have the opportunity to see if you truly enjoy teaching in one of the more difficult placements, but you could even set up a carpool or some other arrangement with other teachers. Believe me, if you can survive subbing, teaching is definitely for you. Ha ha that was what I learned during my own experience.

The biggest thing I struggled with during subbing opportunities  was the fact that students don't always take the substitute seriously. Add being blind on top of that and kids usually see the class as party time. You want to set up your rules and expectations as early as possible. It's hard when you are not the ordinary teacher. But it's doable. I would advise you to not feel in the way or let adults handle you as  though you are a student.

Warmly,


--
Valeria

> On Feb 25, 2017, at 1:22 PM, Tara Abella via NOBE-L <nobe-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello all,
> 
> I was wondering if any of you have had any experience substitute teaching. I'm considering getting my substitute teaching license, so I will be able to get some additional teaching experience after I finish student teaching. My university usually lets out a month before most elementary schools, so I was thinking about subbing during that time while looking for jobs. Some of my questions include:
> 1: how do you handle reading lesson plans and materials? My cooperating teacher hand writes her notes for substitute teachers, so this would be impossible for me to read.
> 2: how do you handle getting Transportation on such short notice?
> 3: what were some of the challenges you faced was substitute teaching, and how did you resolve those issues?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tara
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
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