A Former Teacher's Perspective On Substitute Training | software for school administrators

Our staff features multiple former teachers that help us fix real-time problems school districts face!

At the App-Garden our staff is made up of a number of former school district employees ranging from Assistant Superintendents of Human Resources all the way to teachers, with plenty of experience in between. So when we say we understand schools – we mean it. What makes our programs so unique is that by having that experience on staff allows for us to really hit the nail on the head when anticipating the needs of the customers. Our former teachers are the go to when it comes to meeting the needs of our Substitute Teacher Training Modules. They can tell us first-hand what is vital for a substitute to know coming into a classroom. Sharon Webb, a member of our Implementation Team shares her experiences with us on the importance of training substitute teachers.

‘I enjoyed twelve years working as a classroom teacher and fortunately I didn’t have to miss very many days. However, teachers do have to be away from the classroom on occasion and need to feel confident that the substitute teacher will be ready and able to smoothly transition into the daily classroom routines that the teacher has established. I carefully planned each day for my students, and it was very important to me that the substitute teacher followed my plans as closely as possible. I also wanted the assurance that the sub had a foundational understanding of lesson plans and teaching methods so that he or she could effectively teach my class while following the lesson plans I had provided. The school district had implemented a discipline plan, but that was generally utilized in extreme cases of misbehavior. Effective teachers understand students from a developmental standpoint and can often proactively avoid the need for serious intervention. I wanted my substitutes to know how to interact with my students with realistic expectations.

Instruction is, of course, the priority for most regular classroom teachers and I outlined each subject’s goals and objectives very carefully. Although other important information like safety procedures was available, it wasn’t always included in my lesson plans. Substitutes may not have enough time before the students arrive to prep for the day of lessons and also review district policy and safety procedures. I heard about one substitute who was in a classroom during a lock-down drill and she had not received the district procedures for lock-down. The students knew to come into the room, move away from windows, and close the door. They had been through the drills many times. They didn’t know that the classroom teacher always locked the door. When the principal walked the hall and checked doors, it was unlocked and the substitute was reprimanded. It’s too bad this critical information wasn’t covered prior to the sub ever entering the school!

Substitute teachers serve a key role in every school and deserve to have the opportunity to be fully prepared. Training substitute teachers in instruction, child development and classroom management will give regular classroom teachers the assurance that their students are in good hands while they have to be away, and more importantly, it will give the substitute teachers the knowledge and confidence to be effective and successful every day!’

Visit www.app-garden.com/virtual-sub-training to learn more.