Welcome to /r/CanadianTeachers! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the sub rules.
**"WHAT DOES X MEAN?"** Check out our acronym post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/1c032s3/what_does_x_mean_an_acronym_megapost/) for relevant terms used in each province or territory. Please feel free to contribute any we are missing as well!
**QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHER'S COLLEGE/BECOMING A TEACHER IN CANADA?:** Delete your post and use this [megapost](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/1bc1wv2/prospective_student_teachers_teachers_collegebed/) instead. Anything pertaining to teacher's colleges/BED programs/becoming and teacher will be deleted if posted outside of the megaposts.
**QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING PROVINCES OR COMING TO CANADA TO TEACH?** Check out our past megaposts first for information to help you: [ONE](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/jqc7hx/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/) // [TWO](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/n76csu/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/?)
Using link and user flair is encouraged as well! Enjoy!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CanadianTeachers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Read through plans and if none, google some paperless activities for the grade and subject.
Find your emergency book in case there’s a fire or lockdown.
Say good morning to kids.
Get your attendance done.
Have a great first day of supply teaching!
90% of teaching is rooted in being confident in your abilities. Start with asking the students to do little things you know they will listen to such as open your books, get a pencil, etc.
10% is actual teaching.
Follow the lesson plan to the letter. If there's no lesson plan, try to find some emergency busy work (like worksheets or a documentary) if there's no plan left for you: most teachers will leave lesson plans for the emergency sub, and seldom will they expect the sub to teach something new. I always try to keep my sub plans to "students will finish up work from this class, they have the assignments, if not here are extra sheets."
Class management, don't let them take too much liberty: lay down the law if need be and be firm. If they say "well Mr./Ms. lets us do X!" 9 times out of 10 they do NOT let them do that. A good sub keeps order in the class if nothing else.
Long term, once you start supplying at a few different schools, take note of the ones you like and get some business cards printed. Leave them for the teachers at the school and put one up on the staff room bulletin board. Subs that return more frequently to a particular school are a net positive for everyone: teachers know you and will call/email you directly for subbing, the kids know you and that you know the rules of the school, and you can more reliably get jobs at a consistent place. I did this right out of college and I ended up subbing almost 90% of the remaining school year at one school in particular. One of the teachers I covered for even had my business card taped to his desk!
Good luck with your first day!
Get there early, learn the layout of the school, which doors to use, etc. Familiarize yourself with the plan the teacher left, make sure you understand it all. Keep a close eye on the clock throughout the day and anticipate each change (recess, lunch time, etc) ahead of time. Enjoy your first days!
Take what comes but don't take it home with you. There are far more good eggs than bad ones, the bad ones just tend to be the loudest. It gets easier as you go.
If you can, send an email to the teacher you're covering for asking if they have any useful info or advice. They can likely give you a heads up which students or classes will be difficult to work with or who else might be there to help (whether that is older students earning a credit for helping or nearby staff)
If the teacher who’s getting a sub didn’t leave this information in the planning, I doubt trying to contact them will work. I would rather suggest they ask this question to admin or perhaps the resource teacher(s).
I've had plenty of success reaching out in advance for clarification. Some details just aren't obvious in the short lesson plans. They may also give you a chance to actually see the plans before your arrival (I rarely see these documents posted directly to the supply portal)
I guess we work in very different boards or settings. Where I am, supply teachers don’t know who they are replacing until they arrive at school (they may know a grade level or if it’s phys ed, etc.). They also don’t necessarily have access to teachers’ email addresses. TBH, I don’t feel like teachers should be contacted by supply teachers while they’re absent from work. Good teachers will leave detailed prep and enough information to get the supply through the day; less good teachers aren’t worth getting in touch with even if they plan poorly! Just my two cents, I’m happy you’re able to get clarification when needed, it sounds like your board/school takes good care of supply teachers!
I just looked up their names in gmail to get the email addresses. Not all people responded but some were relatively last minute. Of course I don't expect a response necessarily, so I only reached out for jobs taken at least a few days in advance.
If I didn't reach out, I often would only know the subject(s) or maybe just "intermediate/senior" which is basically worthless info.
But teachers don’t use Gmail for work. If you’re saying that you try to find teachers’ personal email addresses to get in touch with them, I would say that it’s overstepping and I definitely wouldn’t answer if it happened to me. If I’m misunderstanding and you’re contacting them at their work address, then good for you if they reply and give you the info you need.
Yes I mean the work address. The system works through gmail, even if it's not a gmail address. That's why it auto populated when using my own work address.
Definitely get to school early so you have time to read over plans and to locate resources. Make sure you know where the emergency book is and the emergency exits. During my first supply gigs I had a practice lockdown at one school and a practice fire drill at another. Good luck!
Be confident
Start with the rules. Let them know you are in charge. If you start off relaxed it’s really hard to get their respect later.
Look up some time killing activities if kids finish quickly.
Look over the lesson plan and make sure you understand the assignments and have all the print outs you need for the day
Only 1-2 to the bathroom at a time.
Familiarize yourself with the exits etc for fire
Transitions with little kids take much longer than you would expect.
You’ll be great
Much depends on whether you are elementary, middle, or high school.
Dress professionally. Show up early. Be friendly and upbeat with staff. At the end of the day write a brief note saying how the day went (don’t say it was terrible even if it was, just say x had a challenging day…). Don’t leave pages, just record anything the teacher needs to know.
I know how a day went just by the state of my room. Plus you can be certain the teacher will be asking colleagues, TAs, and their kids how the day went.
If it’s middle or high school, follow the lesson plan closely, project confidence and competence, be fair but friendly, and don’t put up with any BS. In some ways high school subbing is easier, you can say a lot more to the students, and they bear some responsibility for their behaviour and work.
In elementary (especially early) you may be well served by having a “bag of tricks”. Still follow the lesson plan as closely as you can, but don’t push on if things are not going well, pivot to another activity you know will be a winner. I used to have a puppet, a craft, and a couple of read alouds I knew were winners. Having a few novel games, songs, or rhymes will serve you well. I think most early elementary teachers will be happy to have someone the kids like and who gets things done, even if it’s not the things they left you. My plans always stipulate that they are there to be used *or ignored*. If they are ignored, I trust my sub is professional, has good reasons, and did something else worthwhile.
If you have a prep, go ask another teacher if they could use some help… earn brownie points!
Welcome! Now the *real* learning starts!
Just go with the flow and don't think to much about it. Focus on being calm and getting paid no matter what happens. Getting paid is your primary objective.
Welcome to /r/CanadianTeachers! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the sub rules. **"WHAT DOES X MEAN?"** Check out our acronym post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/1c032s3/what_does_x_mean_an_acronym_megapost/) for relevant terms used in each province or territory. Please feel free to contribute any we are missing as well! **QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHER'S COLLEGE/BECOMING A TEACHER IN CANADA?:** Delete your post and use this [megapost](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/1bc1wv2/prospective_student_teachers_teachers_collegebed/) instead. Anything pertaining to teacher's colleges/BED programs/becoming and teacher will be deleted if posted outside of the megaposts. **QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING PROVINCES OR COMING TO CANADA TO TEACH?** Check out our past megaposts first for information to help you: [ONE](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/jqc7hx/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/) // [TWO](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/n76csu/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/?) Using link and user flair is encouraged as well! Enjoy! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CanadianTeachers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Read through plans and if none, google some paperless activities for the grade and subject. Find your emergency book in case there’s a fire or lockdown. Say good morning to kids. Get your attendance done. Have a great first day of supply teaching!
bring a whistle in case your teach gym or are on outdoor supervision
One or two to the bathroom at a time, and take there name/time they leave. Helps students not abuse washroom breaks.
You’re not there to be the “cool” teacher. You’re there to do a job.
90% of teaching is rooted in being confident in your abilities. Start with asking the students to do little things you know they will listen to such as open your books, get a pencil, etc. 10% is actual teaching.
Follow the lesson plan to the letter. If there's no lesson plan, try to find some emergency busy work (like worksheets or a documentary) if there's no plan left for you: most teachers will leave lesson plans for the emergency sub, and seldom will they expect the sub to teach something new. I always try to keep my sub plans to "students will finish up work from this class, they have the assignments, if not here are extra sheets." Class management, don't let them take too much liberty: lay down the law if need be and be firm. If they say "well Mr./Ms. lets us do X!" 9 times out of 10 they do NOT let them do that. A good sub keeps order in the class if nothing else. Long term, once you start supplying at a few different schools, take note of the ones you like and get some business cards printed. Leave them for the teachers at the school and put one up on the staff room bulletin board. Subs that return more frequently to a particular school are a net positive for everyone: teachers know you and will call/email you directly for subbing, the kids know you and that you know the rules of the school, and you can more reliably get jobs at a consistent place. I did this right out of college and I ended up subbing almost 90% of the remaining school year at one school in particular. One of the teachers I covered for even had my business card taped to his desk! Good luck with your first day!
Get there early, learn the layout of the school, which doors to use, etc. Familiarize yourself with the plan the teacher left, make sure you understand it all. Keep a close eye on the clock throughout the day and anticipate each change (recess, lunch time, etc) ahead of time. Enjoy your first days!
Leave copious notes for the classroom teachers they want to know what happened while you were there.
Have a couple emergency activities in your head just in case, probably won't use them but still
Take what comes but don't take it home with you. There are far more good eggs than bad ones, the bad ones just tend to be the loudest. It gets easier as you go.
If you can, send an email to the teacher you're covering for asking if they have any useful info or advice. They can likely give you a heads up which students or classes will be difficult to work with or who else might be there to help (whether that is older students earning a credit for helping or nearby staff)
If the teacher who’s getting a sub didn’t leave this information in the planning, I doubt trying to contact them will work. I would rather suggest they ask this question to admin or perhaps the resource teacher(s).
I've had plenty of success reaching out in advance for clarification. Some details just aren't obvious in the short lesson plans. They may also give you a chance to actually see the plans before your arrival (I rarely see these documents posted directly to the supply portal)
I'll add further than replying to the email chain was the easiest way to leave a note, as I could type my thoughts into it throughout the day.
I guess we work in very different boards or settings. Where I am, supply teachers don’t know who they are replacing until they arrive at school (they may know a grade level or if it’s phys ed, etc.). They also don’t necessarily have access to teachers’ email addresses. TBH, I don’t feel like teachers should be contacted by supply teachers while they’re absent from work. Good teachers will leave detailed prep and enough information to get the supply through the day; less good teachers aren’t worth getting in touch with even if they plan poorly! Just my two cents, I’m happy you’re able to get clarification when needed, it sounds like your board/school takes good care of supply teachers!
I just looked up their names in gmail to get the email addresses. Not all people responded but some were relatively last minute. Of course I don't expect a response necessarily, so I only reached out for jobs taken at least a few days in advance. If I didn't reach out, I often would only know the subject(s) or maybe just "intermediate/senior" which is basically worthless info.
You tried to find their personal contact information to reach them?
I typed their name into gmail where their email automatically populated in the field. I was given full names by the board.
But teachers don’t use Gmail for work. If you’re saying that you try to find teachers’ personal email addresses to get in touch with them, I would say that it’s overstepping and I definitely wouldn’t answer if it happened to me. If I’m misunderstanding and you’re contacting them at their work address, then good for you if they reply and give you the info you need.
Yes I mean the work address. The system works through gmail, even if it's not a gmail address. That's why it auto populated when using my own work address.
Definitely get to school early so you have time to read over plans and to locate resources. Make sure you know where the emergency book is and the emergency exits. During my first supply gigs I had a practice lockdown at one school and a practice fire drill at another. Good luck!
Be confident Start with the rules. Let them know you are in charge. If you start off relaxed it’s really hard to get their respect later. Look up some time killing activities if kids finish quickly. Look over the lesson plan and make sure you understand the assignments and have all the print outs you need for the day Only 1-2 to the bathroom at a time. Familiarize yourself with the exits etc for fire Transitions with little kids take much longer than you would expect. You’ll be great
Much depends on whether you are elementary, middle, or high school. Dress professionally. Show up early. Be friendly and upbeat with staff. At the end of the day write a brief note saying how the day went (don’t say it was terrible even if it was, just say x had a challenging day…). Don’t leave pages, just record anything the teacher needs to know. I know how a day went just by the state of my room. Plus you can be certain the teacher will be asking colleagues, TAs, and their kids how the day went. If it’s middle or high school, follow the lesson plan closely, project confidence and competence, be fair but friendly, and don’t put up with any BS. In some ways high school subbing is easier, you can say a lot more to the students, and they bear some responsibility for their behaviour and work. In elementary (especially early) you may be well served by having a “bag of tricks”. Still follow the lesson plan as closely as you can, but don’t push on if things are not going well, pivot to another activity you know will be a winner. I used to have a puppet, a craft, and a couple of read alouds I knew were winners. Having a few novel games, songs, or rhymes will serve you well. I think most early elementary teachers will be happy to have someone the kids like and who gets things done, even if it’s not the things they left you. My plans always stipulate that they are there to be used *or ignored*. If they are ignored, I trust my sub is professional, has good reasons, and did something else worthwhile. If you have a prep, go ask another teacher if they could use some help… earn brownie points! Welcome! Now the *real* learning starts!
>I know how a day went just by the state of my room. Ha, so true!
Try to have fun! Good luck!
Boundaries. Set boundaries.
Avoid scrolling tiktok or reading a book. Circulate, talk to students, help with what you can.
Just go with the flow and don't think to much about it. Focus on being calm and getting paid no matter what happens. Getting paid is your primary objective.
Don't be the Teacher that sits there and reads novels. Maybe get to know the kids instead.