6 Reasons I loved Substitute Teaching

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I just spent a solid 30 minutes scrolling through the 30,000 photos I have on my phone looking for pictures that represent this blog post. My heart is so warmed after smiling over the number of pictures I have from the 2020-2021 school year in my classroom… long before the opportunity even presented itself. So many of the moments were shared on my stories throughout the year. You all have seen so much of my students personalities and the classroom already 🙂

I’ve had a lot of people reach out asking if I liked guest teaching… or more commonly if I felt embarrassed I had to guest teach. The first person asking that question kind of caught me off guard, but weekly it became a common question. I had no idea there was a “power” or “prestige” difference between being a daily teacher and a guest/substitute teacher… or the assumptions that may arise if you’re a guest/substitute teacher.

Personally, I loved it… and the skill set it takes to be a guest/substitute teacher is impressive. You have to be able to walk into any classroom, to teach any subject, with any group of students, with sometimes less than 30 minutes notice. You’re reading another teachers lesson plans, with typically only 30 minutes to figure out the classroom, and what you’re suppose to do for the day. That’s in addition to being a stranger in a group of students classroom… and the perceived student mindset of what it means to have a guest/substitute teacher… while being expected to get through the substitute plans, pull from your own teacher tool box for classroom management, and sometimes not being familiar with the school community.

As a teacher that loves organization, structure, and routine, guest teaching was hard for me. I had to learn to be intensely flexible routinely and let go of any amount of control I had once enjoyed in the classroom. Being a guest/substitute teacher is hard freaken work. And it was honestly the perfect transition back to the classroom, in a new school district, after having the experiences I had just encountered. It’s honestly the ultimate balancing act.

6 reasons I loved guest/substitute teaching (and possibly why subbing for a year might even be the right choice for you)!

1. It’s flexible: you create your own schedule and have choice in when and where you work. It’s almost like you’re an independent contractor. You can book your schedule out days or weeks in advance or wait until the morning. If you’re looking for something that allows you to take days off while taking a paycheck– subbing is perfect.
   
2. Learn new teaching skills and gather ideas from others: I’m a person that loves structure, but with guest teaching, it requires a lot of flexibility and winging it. Throughout having to strengthen those abilities, I’ve gathered so many different ideas from the classrooms I’ve been in. From teaching strategies, classroom décor ideas, project ideas… it’s been a never-ending way to develop my teaching skills.
   
3. No take home work: you literally don’t have work to take home. With that being said, figuring out someone else’s plans for the entire day, 30 minutes before students arrive can be a bit of a challenge. That’s where the flexibility and winging it comes in.
   
4. No meetings: I know… literally everything you get is actually in an e-mail. Everything. This frees up SO much time in a work day.
   
5. Experience all the different types of content areas and grade levels: you have the opportunity to work in every certified role within a school district. There’s no other way to get this type of experience except for substitute teaching. Honestly, during administration prep programs, while admins are interning, they should have to spend a quarter substitute teaching in the district. That way they’re experiencing every type of grade level and content area. It really prepares you and you get a sense of what you could or should be teaching to prepare kids… as well as learn your preferences and what you like to teach.
   
   While I’m a special education teacher by trade (with a preference in elementary and middle), I’ve learned I love teaching high school English. I never would have known that in a million years if I didn’t have this opportunity.
   
6. Relationship building: You have a unique opportunity to build relationships with staff members and students. With staff members by helping them out and students by finding ways to relationship build within a very short time frame.

The gist? You develop a whole new set of skills that can be applied in the classroom… or are in the classrooms with kids but have a flexible work schedule and huge decrease in responsibilities. It’s awesome!

If you’re moving, feeling burnt out, or want to learn more about public education and the different types of classrooms… take a year to guest teach. It’s the most authentic learning experience you can get 🙂

with kindness | ashley

P.S… if you’re a guest teacher or substitute teacher reading this… HUGE SHOUT OUT TO YOU. YOU ARE AMAZING. I appreciate you.