Substitute teacher

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable because of illness or other obligation. While "substitute teacher" is the generally used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, supply teacher is much the most common term in the United Kingdom (though the term is also used in Canada), and relief teacher is used in Australia and New Zealand. There are also various other terms which may be used in a particular region (such as teacher on call in the Canadian province of British Columbia).

1 General qualifications
2 Pay
3 Reasons people may become a substitute teacher
4 Perceptions of substitute teachers
5 Substitute Educator's Day
6 Substitute teachers in fiction
7 References
8 External links

[edit] General qualifications

The qualifications for substitute teaching are usually not as strict as a regular teacher. Some areas require a college degree and the successful completion of competency tests; others require only that the applicant possess a high school diploma or its equivalent. A substitute teacher may not have any training in the subject to be taught and may simply be present so that students can maintain the routine of going to their regularly scheduled class, even if no new material is covered. At lower grade levels, however, any person qualified to teach should be able to smoothly transition into the materials in the lesson plan for the day.

[edit] Pay

Rates of pay for substitute teachers vary very widely. In the United States the position is often very poorly paid, with the national average being only US$65 per day,^[1] although where there is high demand school districts may pay significantly more. In the United Kingdom, however, teachers employed by a local education authority or school directly must be paid a daily rate of 1/195 of the annual salary to which they would be entitled were they employed in the position on a full-time basis.^[2] Teachers employed through agencies are not subject to this rule, but nevertheless daily rates are generally over UK£100. Long-term substitutes may get increased pay the longer they work in one assignment.

[edit] Reasons people may become a substitute teacher

There are many reasons individuals become substitutes. It is usually not considered a long term career but some have been in the occupation for many years. Those who substitute are usually retired teachers who still want something to do, those training to be a regular teacher and in the process of earning their certification in order to gain classroom experience and those who have earned a credential but have not been hired as a regular teacher due to limited openings for their particular subject matter. Some school administrators may not hire full-time teachers unless they have had substitute teaching experience. ^[3]

[edit] Perceptions of substitute teachers

Substitutes are generally considered to be marginal members of the education community and may be considered a "warm body" or baby-sitter who is there to fill a void while the regular teacher is out. They are not regarded as full professionals by regular teachers, students and administrators and most substitutes feel this way also although they often consider themselves to be effective instructors.

The main challenge attributed to substitutes is classroom management. Students generally view the presence of a substitute as signal to misbehave and many times that is compounded by incomplete or missing lesson plans to work from. The training of newly hired substitues has also been of low priority in many school districts. ^[4]

[edit] Substitute Educator's Day

The United States observes a Substitute Educator's Day, which was instituted by the National Education Association (NEA). The purpose of this day is to highlight the role and importance of the substitute teacher by providing information about, advocating for, and helping to increase appreciation and respect for this unique professional. This day also focuses on the needs of substitutes, which include better wages and health benefits and continual professional development. Substitute Educator's Day is observed on the Friday during American Education Week. Other countries and jurisdictions have similar observances.

[edit] Substitute teachers in fiction

A series of movies feature a mercenary posing as a substitute teacher in order to take on criminal elements within the school. The first, The Substitute, starred Tom Berenger. The remaining three starred Treat Williams, and were The Substitute 2: School's Out, The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All, and The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option.
A sequel to Class of 1999, which featured teachers in gang-run schools being replaced by deadly robots, was titled Class of 1999 II: The Substitute.
A scene in Catch Me If You Can portrays famed con man Frank Abagnale convincing a class that, rather than being a new student, he is in fact their substitute teacher.
Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed an undercover police officer who disguised himself as a long-term substitute teacher in the movie Kindergarten Cop.
Harry Allard and James Marshall wrote a series of children's picture books about Miss Nelson and her alter ego, a strict substitute teacher named Miss Viola Swamp.
The character of Steve Barkin, from Kim Possible, is Middleton High School's "permanent substitute teacher", having taught just about every class at some point.
In a second season episode of The Simpsons, Lisa Simpson develops feelings for an unconventional substitute teacher named Mr. Bergstrom voiced by Dustin Hoffman in the episode Lisa's Substitute.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

National Substitute Teachers Alliance: a national organization that offers a unified voice for substitutes
"Tricks of the Trade": website that discusses the experiences of a substitute teacher, offers advice for people who want to be a substitute and why someone would want to go into the field
"Substitute Teaching: An Insider's View": an article providing guidance to current and potential substitute teachers
Education World: Substitute Teaching: a complete description of the good, bad, and the ugly of Substitute Teaching
Substitute Teaching: Teacher-Tested Tips: tips for subs by subs and classroom teachers
Not Just a Warm Body: Changing Images of the Substitute Teacher - From the ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education