Essential Substitute Teacher Expectations & Advice

Inside: Substitute teacher expectations that you should know about if you are a substitute teacher or thinking about becoming one!

Becoming a substitute teacher is one of the best things you can do to support teachers. Having quality substitutes available makes it easier for teachers to take a day off when they need it, thus avoiding overwhelm or even teacher burnout. 

Substitute teaching is a great job for parents who want to spend more time in their kids’ schools.  And it is also a great way to gain classroom experience and make connections with teachers or administrators if you are looking to become a regular classroom teacher. 

Are you interested in becoming a sub but wondering about substitute teacher expectations? I have answers for you! Keep reading to learn more about what to expect substitute teaching. 

Is substitute teaching easy? Is being a sub hard? Is substitute teaching stressful?

Yes, yes, and yes. If you are wondering what to expect substitute teaching, it can be a mix of everything! This can make it a really fun job that keeps you are your toes and give you lots of new experiences. Or it can be hard and stressful if you don’t know what to expect or how to deal with it. 

Yes, substitute teaching can be an easy job. Often, you don’t have the extra responsibilities of a regular classroom teacher. As a substitute, you get to show up, teach, and leave, with no grading, committees, or the extra stuff that comes with being a regular classroom teacher. 

Your job as a substitute teacher is to follow the directions of the teacher and try to connect with the kids to help the school day feel as normal as possible with their teacher gone. 

So is being a sub hard? As much as subbing can be an easy job, it can also be hard. A substitute teacher needs to be flexible. You will be in a different classroom, with different students, rules, and curricula almost daily. The unknown of all that can be difficult. 

All of that can make substitute teaching stressful. A substitute teacher needs to be able to adapt to new situations all the time. It can be a lot to take at first but you can get used to the frequent changes and get into your own rhythm.

Do subs actually teach?

If you grew up in the 90s like me, sub days are synonymous with a TV cart, you know the one I’m talking about.

Sometimes, this is still true, the sub-plan will be to watch a movie or something easy like that, but it doesn’t have to be! 

Substitute teachers can teach! You can write easy-to-follow sub-plans that will still engage your students by following my tips in this blog post or in this podcast episode. 

If you are a substitute teacher, show teachers that you can follow their lesson plans and their classroom management systems, and you can become a trusted sub, so they will leave more teaching responsibilities to you. 

As a classroom teacher, I always worried that my subs wouldn’t know the content I taught, but I found that when I left well-written lesson plans with answer keys, my substitute teachers were able to teach my students. And student behavior was much better because they were aware that they weren’t just doing busy work. 

Can substitute teachers turn down a job? Do substitute teachers choose their own schedules? Do substitutes work every day?

This depends on your school or school district. There are substitute teachers who are contracted to work every single day. These substitute teachers will be assigned a specific school that they will show up to for contract hours and help in whatever classroom needs them. 

Many times, a substitute teaching position is not a contract position, meaning that yes, they can choose their own schedule and work as much as they are able to. 

In positions like that, subs are able to pick and choose which jobs they want to do and turn down the jobs that they are not interested in. Most of the time, schools or districts will have a minimum number of days that substitute teachers must work in order to keep their position active. 

With the shortage of subs in most places, there are likely enough jobs open that a sub could work every school day if he or she wanted.  

Every school and district differs, but look into it! The flexibility of substitute teaching can be awesome!

How should a substitute teacher dress? Are substitute teachers allowed to wear jeans? Can subs wear jeans on Friday?

Ask if your school or district has a dress code for employees. If they do, you will want to follow their protocols. 

Generally, you want to dress professionally. Professional dress will help to establish your authority in the classroom as students will see you as a professional.

Obviously, this can be different from job to job. If you are subbing for a PE teacher or an art teacher, you may dress differently to meet the needs of the position you are filling that day.

What exactly are substitute teachers supposed to do?

Simply, follow the directions the teacher left for you. Don’t do your own thing instead of the lesson plans that the teacher spent time preparing. It is so frustrating for teachers to spend time preparing sub plans only for the substitute teacher to not follow them.

A trusted substitute teacher follows school rules and expectations. They stick to the bell schedule and show up to things on time. They don’t let students out of class early. They enforce school rules about electronics and cell phones. 

Please, act professionally with students. Speak kindly to them. Stick to the school rules and policies.

Teachers, what are your expectations for your sub? What do teachers expect from substitute teachers?

We asked members of Wife Teacher Mommy Club about their substitute teacher expectations. Here is what they had to say: 

“For them to follow the plan that took me hours to write (one sub talked about Yogi Bear all day long and passed out candy during a Yogi Bear trivia game that he brought).” -Nic O

“Follow the doggone lesson plans and don’t go rogue!” -Lynda H

“Follow the lesson plans. And don’t use up all my candy. And don’t make my kids cry and talk bad about them (it’s happened).” -Jennifer C.

“Follow the plans you are given and complete the work on the plans. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left detailed sub plans and come back and the kids didn’t do the assignments. Then the note says they didn’t have time to do it. Well, what were you doing when you were supposed to be doing reading?”  -Michelle P.

“Follow the lesson plans provided (that’s if I had time to prep for the sub). Survive, if I couldn’t prep. Do what you can.” -Nicole S.

“Love my kids and have fun!” -Tammy T.

“For them to survive my class and live to sub another day, actually want to sub again, and not quit!” -Carrie K.

“Keep the kids from hurting each other. Do not destroy the room. Do not snoop. Do not move anything— my piles have a purpose, and if you touch them, you mess up my filing system.” -Ronda P.

“Keeping the children alive!!” -Heather L.

“Doing the plans that I thoroughly left. Leaving me notes. Not letting the kids use my electric pencil sharpener or letting them go into my personal space. Don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciate every single sub that shows up. That’s why I take the time to leave specific work with post-it notes on everything.” Jana M.

“Follow the actual plans.”- Heather K.

Substitute Teacher Expectations

To sum it all up, substitute teaching can be a rewarding job that is flexible and one of the best ways to support teachers.

Follow the lesson plans and instructions that are left for you and teachers will LOVE you!

Now you know what to expect substitute teaching, if you are looking for more resources such as how to be a prepared substitute or classroom management tips for substitute teachers check out the collection of blog posts just for substitute teachers to help you be completely prepared! And check out our best-selling “Word of the Day” Reward System in our shop or on TPT!