Substitute Teachers Lounge
Substitute Teachers Lounge
Stuff Substitute Teachers Will Forget First Week Back
Ever wondered what essential items you might be missing in your substitute teacher’s bag? Join me this week on Substitute Teacher's Lounge, where I uncover practical and mindset-related essentials inspired by my wife's hiking and biking groups.
Greg Collins. Substitute Teacher's Lounge, august 13th 2024. You know I'm not going to be talking about today what everybody is telling you you should have in your substitute teacher bag. I'm going to be talking instead about things you may forget to put in there or things you never realized you needed in the first place. Substitute Teacher's Loud. All right, we're back again. Episode 265.
Greg:I'm kind of excited today. First of all. All right, we're back again. Episode 265. I'm kind of excited today. First of all, let me mention I meant to mention this when we started. Every time I continue to hear that student opening where they say substitute teachers lounge and I'm reminded that those kids were in the sixth grade when they recorded that for me. And those same students are juniors now in high school and the last time I tried to take it off thought maybe I might have been embarrassing them they fussed at me a little bit. How come you took our voices off. So hats off to them. Who knows, if I'm still doing this in 10 years, you may still be the students of choice on that opening. Excited.
Greg:We're starting to get a little fan mail in for the podcast. Let me remind you that, no matter how you listen to your podcast Apple Spotify, right on the Buzzsprout website or the SubstituteTeachersLoungecom website, there is a link you can click that says send a text message, and we're starting to get some, and I'm going to mention one today. I will give this person's first name, where they're from. I don't want to give out their full information, of course, but this is a good one. I like it. Thanks so much to Ben from Kansas. Hey, greg, I love the podge. I just started listening because I'm going to substitute this school year. I love it so far only in episode four. Bless your heart, man. You got 260 to go. I'll even give you permission to skip some, if you want to, to get up to the more current ones. It's funny how things have changed over the years. I plan to get through those quickly. Thanks a lot for doing this. Thank you, ben. I'm glad you're one of the listeners that we had Last week's episode.
Greg:We were talking about short-term versus long-term substitute teaching and whether you want to get into elementary, middle or high school, and you know those are really hot-button topics. You know I even mentioned briefly about how I try to make my titles as specific as I can because you all like that when that was downloaded, it's the second most downloaded episode in its first week. That's that's. You know, that's what we usually compare episodes to. They'll get a lot more after that as well. But the real indication of how strong a podcast episode is is how many listens you pick up first day and first week, and that was the biggest one since March our second most listened to in its first week of any that we've done this year.
Greg:You know, I'm not sure I know what I want the title of this to be, and you guys have already seen it. I haven't yet. While I'm recording this because the AI, I'm gonna let the AI pick it out for me. But here's the gist. I got to thinking when I saw my wife order something. My wife is really into a lot of clubs that hike and bike and kayak and she's very good at coordinating all that. They depend on her to do that and one of those groups they're kind of recruiting I guess. I don't know the whole story, but she ordered something and it made me think boy, that would be a great idea for a substitute teacher as well. So I figured what the heck?
Greg:It's time to do an episode about, not just what every substitute teacher brings with them when they substitute teach, but things you may have forgotten or not even considered. Some are going to be simple. Some are going to cost you some money. I'll talk about both physical things and for lack of a better word, you know I guess you'll call them mental things or mindset type things. We'll talk about both of those. I know substitute teachers. They don't make that much money anyway, but when I talk about things that will cost you money, everything I talk about today that costs you money you can probably pay for in a half a day of substitute teaching. I'm excited. I know some of you are back at school.
Greg:I start my first substitute teaching job tomorrow, the August 14th. I've already had three schools contact me, not so much they're just waiting for me to get in there, but standpoint, they just want to make sure I'm still going to sub this year. They want to keep me on their active list. That is certainly encouraging. I have seen about four sub jobs pop up. Some of them I've let go to other people because it's not my chosen topic to start out with, but I might scramble here at the last minute and have to pick something up.
Greg:But with all that in mind, your best substitute teachers are prepared. I'm just going to say it like that If you go in unprepared as a substitute teacher for what you're about to face, the kids are going to know that and they're going to play towards that. They might think so far this person doesn't act like they really want to be here. They're going to know that and they're going to tune you out Even the administrators, maybe the person that called you to come in that day. If you come in all disorganized and not prepared, not bringing a pencil or anything with you to write down things, because you know we do live in an electronic world, but still you need something to write with. So all those things rolled into one, these are ideas that will help you stand out more, that will give yourself a name.
Greg:Now, first, this is the most basic thing that I mention every year and it is in fact, one of the things that a lot of substitute teachers I think they forget. I don't think they think I'll never need those. I think they just forget to buy dry erase markers. So you say, greg, why do I need to buy dry erase markers? They're already in the containers, on the whiteboards, they're already up there. Sometimes that's yes, sometimes that's no. By the way, the students, if I don't see them, will know where to find them. Why should I do it? Well, what I have found is I'm even going to say seven times out of ten, once you pick up one of those dry erase markers and start writing with it, they're faint, they're running out of ink or whatever that is inside those things and it's going to be frustrating. You're going to want to write your name for the students to see.
Greg:You might have some assignment duties based on the lesson plan that was left on the desk for you or on Google Classroom or wherever it is, and there's just some things. There might be some cool stuff that you want to write down to impress the kids. That's what you need your own dry erase markers that are fresh, that you always keep the cap on, that you don't give to kids. I would encourage you buy yourself a small set Amazon you can knock that out for well less than 10 bucks and take a Sharpie and write your name on the dry erase marker. So there's no doubt, even to yourself if you see some in the tray at the end of the day that are similar and you know some are mine. That's the other thing. Don't forget to pick them back up, or it's kind of pointless that you bought them. Pick your dry erase markers back up. Have your name on them. You got them for the next day. But that's a simple thing that can be so frustrating. You can't write things because you don't have your own markers. Now here's the thing that my wife gave me the idea for. She recently bought some personalized ink pens for one of these groups she's a part of and I got to thinking man, I'm starting to like that idea for a substitute teacher. Here's where I'm coming from.
Greg:Those of you that have listened to the podcast from the beginning, you know I'm not a big fan of business cards. I think they come across first of all they're old-fashioned now. I mean, who leaves paper business cards anymore? They're old-fashioned. They're associated with a business that I spent a career in that I never really liked. Maybe I'm a little biased in that regard, but I don't like business cars. I think they feel they seem desperate. I know the first day I ever substitute taught, another substitute had been there the day before.
Greg:She left notes for the teacher which is always good and then she stapled her business card on the front and I said you know I didn't do anything formal like that. Well, they never called that other sub back and they call me back all the time. I don't know what the difference was and we'll talk about how you leave notes here in just a moment, but they call me back. That business card did not help her. But I've got an idea and I think I'm going to do this myself. You can again go on Amazon, or you may even have your own source for buying personalized pens, that you don't have to spend a whole lot to personalize them.
Greg:All it's got to say. In my case it would say Greg Collins, substitute teacher, and I'd put my phone number on there so they could text me. Maybe I would even say text at and then substitute in my phone number. I like that idea. Here's why Every day that you substitute teach, you should leave notes for that substitute teacher.
Greg:Start out positively. You could. Some people have the theory that you start out with the negative stuff and end with the positive, to leave on a positive note. I'm here to tell you today that when you're a substitute teacher, if you don't start out positively, they probably won't even read the rest of your notes. That's been my experience. So say the positive stuff first. The thing I wouldn't call them negative stuff. And whatever you do, don't say the only negatives I saw. Don't call them negatives. Call them the only things that present a challenge, some kind of wording like that. You've got better wording than me. Leave that at the end and just say I truly enjoyed this job. And here's what you do. You leave that note in the prominent place on the desk. You lay that personalized ink pen on top. First of all, that's the other thing I was going to say.
Greg:Buy ink pens in general. Don't use the teachers, because I have lost so many teachers' ink pens and, to be honest, I've lost my own too. That's why I want to buy these personalized ones. Not only do I not mind losing them, I want to leave them behind, because right in the middle of that note you finish writing, there's that ink pen. I think they're going to think that's pretty cool. It's something they've never seen before a substitute teacher who has personalized ink pens. Now you might be thinking well, greg, that's just as desperate as business cards. Okay, do what you want to do, but I think the ink pens are a very unique and novel idea. Now, just in general.
Greg:I would always have, you know, some pieces of paper where that'd be a notebook either for the kids to borrow. They shouldn't have to, but that's better than you trying to scramble through the room looking for a piece of paper. When you're trying to conduct the class, always have a few pieces of paper with you. When a long-term, I'd take a ream in, I mean a ream of paper. When you're trying to conduct the class, always have a few pieces of paper with you. When a long-term, I'd take a ream in. I mean, a ream of paper really doesn't cost that much and it keeps the class going forward. In fact, one long-term I hated her pencil sharpener. I bought my own on Amazon for eight bucks. That was really quiet and it shut off when the pencil was through, so it was much less distracting than what she had.
Greg:You're going to take some kind of container. I actually use a backpack to take my supplies and I take my laptop with me. That's up to you whether you want to take yours with you or not. Sometimes I actually use it to record a podcast during the planning period. But take what you want to record a podcast during the planning period. But take what you want to. I even I don't use a whole lot of things that need to be refrigerated that I eat for my lunch. I'll put them, like in a grocery, a plastic grocery bag, and have them inside that backpack and it's mine's, more based on a computer backpack. So that's kind of what I like to use. But I'm going to tell you this, and some of you will have more trouble, and I haven't done this yet myself but I have noticed that kids love to talk about what you bring in with you. So if you've got this thing about Bluey, if you've got this thing about, I just went and saw Inside Out 2 with my grandson and I loved it because I felt like the kids when they were 13 of my age, back when we were 13, could relate to it.
Greg:Kids today could relate to it. I read that it is now made more money than any other animated movie in history. So that's so cool, just the premise. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but watch it. I think it's, even though it's still in the theater. I think it's already on Disney+ so you could watch it there. It actually motivated me to go back and watch the first one, so I thought it was such a cool concept of getting inside a student's mind so that was really cool and I liked it.
Greg:Buy things that will make your students say, oh, mr Collins, I like your backpack. Or, for some of you, I don't think I'll ever buy a pair of Crocs. I don't know if I do, it's probably for the water when I go on vacation. Just listen to a great podcast about them, how they really took off during COVID and how they ended up buying the hey Dude brand. I guarantee you, if you wear Crocs or hey Dude shoes into the school to substitute teach, some of those kids will make comments about them and I already forgot what those little things are. You stick in the holes and all that kind of stuff, but they're really having fun with those shoes. So do some things. I'm not saying do some things to draw attention to yourself, but if you got to buy some shoes anyway, buy something that could be a talking point for your students, a reason why they say, hey, I like your shoes.
Greg:My talking point for my students about the clothes I wear for me is more I wear Hawaiian style shirts a lot. They're not all Hawaiian, they're more what you would call cruise wear. On Seinfeld. They called it cabana wear, but it's those types of really flowing shirts that have loud patterns. Just bought myself a western one to wear on a cruise ship that I'm going on. There's a western event on the cruise ship that I bought it for. But buy things like that that serve as talking points.
Greg:And the last thing I'll mention and this is more mental too, and you've already mentioned it before, but I think it's this important Always try to go out of your way to know what you're teaching. Okay, I do it by once I sign up, I try to look up the teacher on the school website. I don't try to hack into anybody's accounts. I'm just trying to find out what they're teaching, what age group they're teaching. If I can't find it there, or even if I do find it there, then I'll go to Facebook. And again, I'm not trying to get into people's private information, but most of the information people put on Facebook is public, so I'll look for their name. I'll look. Sometimes they'll say what age group they teach, and maybe even they'll be impressed by this. And sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't.
Greg:I'm guessing most people will choose not to, but if you want to send that teacher an email or some kind of note message just to say hey, I'm excited to teach your class tomorrow. Is there any specific topic that they're on? Is it on Google Classroom? Keep it simple. Don't make it several paragraphs, because she would have already left lesson plans for you anyway, but that's what I would do. So there you have it, some of the physical stuff to make sure you take with you Some of the mental stuff that you think about as you go back to substitute teaching. I have been so bored I haven't been bored this summer, what I'm saying, I've actually enjoyed my summer. I am so ready, though, to go back to school, start substitute teaching again. I see kids in the grocery, I see them in the gym, and they all say are you going to sub our classes again this year? And I always just say you, betcha, I'll be there.
