Solving
the Substitute Shortage, Part 1: Four Rules to Keep Your Best Subs Coming
Back
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Between kindergarten and high school graduation, the average
student will spend 187 days -- more than one full school year -- with
substitute teachers. Learn what schools can do to guarantee the highest
quality education possible in the absence of the permanent classroom teacher.
Included: Four rules to help keep your best subs
coming back and tips for recognizing the contributions of your school's
substitutes!
Each day during the school year, about 274,000 classrooms in this country
are staffed by substitute teachers, according to figures provided by the
Substitute Teaching Institute(STI) at Utah State University. No one knows, however, how many additional
classrooms remain largely unstaffed -- with students forced to double
up or settle for little more than supervised study halls manned by school
resource teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, or even parent volunteers.
The fact is that school districts across the country are facing an increased
demand for substitute services, while at the same time they are dealing
with a serious shortage of substitute teachers -- a shortage fueled in
part by the actions and attitudes of the teachers and administrators most
in need of their help.
Between kindergarten and high school graduation, the average student
will spend 187 days -- more than one full school year -- with substitute
teachers. Yet according to the 1998 Survey & Analysis of Teacher Salary
Trends, conducted by the American Federation of Teachers, 90 percent of
state departments of education reported "some" or "great" difficulty meeting
the demand for qualified subs. A combination of factors has created the
crisis, including a high number of teacher absences due to an increase
in released time for personal and professional development, a booming
economy in which temporary workers can easily make more than the average
of $10 an hour paid to substitute teachers, and the growing shortage of
permanent teachers that has allowed many former subs to move into full
time positions.
Many districts have responded to the crisis by recruiting vigorously
or offering such incentives as higher pay, signing bonuses, and guaranteed
employment. Those strategies might have helped, but they have not solved
the problem -- perhaps because they failed to address the problem.
According to Max Longhurst, an education specialist at STI, when it
comes to attracting and retaining quality substitute teachers, money is
seldom the primary issue. Longhurst told Education World, "The number
one and two reasons substitutes cite for leaving teaching are (1) a lack
of respect shown by school personnel and (2) a lack of training in classroom
management techniques."
WHETHER THEY'RE TRAINED
Probably the most critical issue for many substitutes is a lack of training
-- especially training in specific classroom management techniques. Although
most systems say they provide substitute training, one study revealed
that in 91.5 percent of school systems, the training lasts less than two
hours.
"That isn't training," Longhurst pointed out to Education World. "It's
orientation."
Effective training, Longhurst added, consists of instruction in five
areas:
characteristics of a prepared professional;
classroom management techniques;
district guidelines and issues, including legal issues and emergency
procedures;
teaching strategies;
creation of a "sub pack" of lesson and activity ideas.
To help schools and districts improve the quantity and quality of their
substitute teachers, STI has developed a "Sub Success Kit," consisting
of a training handbook, a CD with more than 80 instructional video clips,
an association membership that allows subs to network with their peers,
and WebCT, a Web-based assessment package.
"Studies show that training reduces substitute complaints, improves
substitute quality, and increases the number of available subs," Longhurst
noted.
HOW THEY ARE TREATED
"There are a lot of thankless jobs out there. And then there's substitute
teaching. It's an occupation that only Rodney Dangerfield could appreciate."
That quote comes from
Substitutes Unite!, an article in Teacher
Magazine.
Many substitute teachers agree that they get little respect from the
students, teachers, and administrators they work with. Among the most
frequently heard substitute complaints are the following:
"I don't feel welcome in the teachers lounge."
"I'd love to have a place to put my coat and bag."
"Usually I'm simply handed a key and left to my own devices."
"I never even see a principal, much less get feedback on the quality of
the job I'm doing."
Those comments highlight the issues schools must address if they want
to maintain an adequate pool of quality subs. "Substitutes," Longhurst
says, "sense an attitude, among staff and students alike, that they are
not professionals. That attitude must change if schools want their substitutes
to keep coming back."
Four
Rules for Sub-cess!
Make substitutes feel welcome and appreciated.
Treat them like professionals.
Provide effective training.
Recognize their contributions.
Longhurst and other experts suggest that school personnel welcome subs when
they arrive and let them know that their presence is appreciated, that principals
emphasize the subs' professionalism by visiting classrooms and evaluating
their work, and that students be made aware that they're expected to treat
subs with the same courtesy and respect they show every other professional
educator in the building.
In addition, although surveys indicate that more than 70 percent of
teachers leave lesson plans for substitutes, 30 percent of subs say that
teachers fail to provide information about how to implement those lessons.
Does "Complete chapter 12" require a KWL chart, a Venn diagram, or silent
reading, for example?
"Provide the information we need," subs say, "to do a professional job
in your absence."
Finally, Longhurst told Education World, schools need to recognize the
contributions that subs make. Institute a Sub of the Month award program,
hold a yearly sub-appreciation luncheon, provide such perks as membership
in professional associations or paid registration at local educational
conferences and workshops. Let subs know they are valued and respected
as professional members of the educational community.
"Substitutes who are properly trained and treated professionally are
much more likely to have a successful experience," Longhurst said. "And
they're much more likely to come back!"
Solving
the Substitute Shortage, Part 1: Four Rules to Keep Your Best Subs Coming
Back