| Being a teacher in England is becoming increasingly | | | | paper, using one of your favourite stories as stimulus. |
| difficult with many teachers now opting for supply | | | | Having some good quality worksheets to hand is |
| teaching as a way of 'having a life'. | | | | always a useful standby. |
| Although supply teaching means that you can enjoy | | | | Teaching Assistants |
| your evenings and weekends free of all that marking | | | | If you are lucky then you may have a teaching |
| and planning - it is not without a downside. Here are | | | | assistant working in your class. You will find the |
| some ways to survive on supply. | | | | support teacher will know the children well and be of |
| Arrive Early | | | | invaluable help, so talk to them. Many supply teachers |
| Always remember that the class you are teaching | | | | can feel undermined when faced with an unhelpful |
| that day is Not Your Class. You must enforce the | | | | teaching assistant. You need to remember at the end |
| rules and routines already established by the teacher | | | | of the day that it is you who are responsible for the |
| no matter how small. A teacher should be able to | | | | care and safety of the children in your class. |
| leave their class knowing that rules and routines will be | | | | Marking |
| carried on in their absence. Of course there will be the | | | | Supply teachers often ask about marking children's |
| odd child that will 'play up' and take advantage but | | | | work. If possible get children to mark their own work. |
| these are easily spotted and dealt with. | | | | Mark work as you go along - this will save time at the |
| Some schools have folders for supply teachers | | | | end of theday. Use the marking policy in place. |
| containing valuable school and class information. It is | | | | Staff Room |
| worth arriving early to read through such information. | | | | Many supply teachers tell me that they don't go to the |
| You need to know about any special needs the | | | | staffroom at all. Some staffrooms are friendlier than |
| children in your class have including medical conditions | | | | others but don't take it too personally if you are |
| and any behaviour difficulties along with how these are | | | | ignored - most teachers are preoccupied with work |
| normally dealt with. | | | | and some school staffrooms are just not very |
| You will need to know about 'rewards and sanctions' | | | | welcoming. One of the advantages of supply teaching |
| and make sure that you use these effectively. | | | | is that you don't have to go back to schools you don't |
| Carrying special stickers or stamps can be very useful | | | | like. |
| as kids love these instant rewards - a bag of delicious | | | | Many supplies spend their breaks marking. |
| sweets is equally useful, but be aware of nut allergies | | | | Fresh air can make you feel refreshed for the |
| etc. | | | | afternoon session. |
| Planning | | | | Staying after School |
| If a teacher has left planning - that's great. Again it is | | | | Some supply teachers have been seen scrambling |
| worth arriving early to read through and absorb. | | | | over children to get out of school! Aim to spend some |
| Sometimes other teachers' planning is hard to interpret | | | | time after school to finish marking and making sure the |
| and you may need to find resources- a difficult task | | | | classroom is tidy. It is helpful to leave a note for the |
| when you don't know where to look and everybody is | | | | teacher telling them of any incidents. It's always nice |
| very busy. There are times when you will just have to | | | | for teachers to be told if their class has behaved well |
| improvise so be prepared for this. | | | | in their absence. |
| Lessons | | | | New Teachers |
| If there is no planning available for you then it is worth | | | | Supply teaching is a great way to gain experience of |
| having some ideas for lessons written down that are | | | | many different schools and the way they operate. It is |
| self limiting and don't require differentiation. For a | | | | important that you find the right school for you if you |
| numeracy lesson you could simply ask the children to | | | | want to take on a permanent position. Supply teaching |
| find ways of making 5, 10 or 20, 50 and so on | | | | can offer insights into how other teachers operate in |
| depending on the age group. For Literacy you could | | | | their classrooms. Take the opportunity to gather ideas |
| ask the children to make their own books with folded | | | | for when you have your own classroom. |