Substitute Teacher Corps
Because learning shouldn't stop
How They Work Highlights Training Contact Information
There are shortages of substitute teachers in communities across the nation, with this problem being most acute in urban schools. When substitutes are not available students are separated and assigned to other teachers' classrooms or different staff members are in and out of the absent teacher's classroom all day to provide coverage.
When substitutes can be located they typically walk into a classroom unfamiliar with the students – their routine, behavior and challenges-- and the teacher's curriculum. As a rule, teachers' substitute plans are limited to folders containing worksheets and similar material designed to keep students busy.
Now in its third year, the Substitute Teacher Corps (STC) operates in urban schools and contributes to academic achievement by:
• fostering uninterrupted learning in the face of teacher absenteeism;
• responding to the inadequate number of available substitutes in urban school districts; and
• generating a pool of individuals with the prospect of assuming district teaching and paraprofessional positions in the future.
How It Works
Concentrating on schools with high rates of teacher absenteeism, STC members are usually assigned in pairs to a single school. They report each day prepared to carry out a variety assignments depending on the school needs that given day. Their responsibilities include:
- Providing direct service as substitute teachers for all or part of the school day. In most cases, especially after the first month or so of the school year, the members implement the teachers' lesson plans, following the students' daily academic routine.
Many times a teacher is absent only part of the school day, due to sudden illness, or the teacher is scheduled to be out of the classroom (e.g., for a parent conference, to attend a workshop, participate in a planning group). On these occasions the member typically consults with the teacher prior to taking over the class and continues with the planned lesson.
- Assuming responsibility for writing lesson plans, assessing students, and conducting instruction in line with the school's curriculum when teachers are absent for an extended period of time.
- Assisting classroom teachers with instruction and testing when they are not needed to substitute teach. Members provide extra assistance to individual students, conduct small group instruction, respond to disruptive students, and serve as the teacher's partner. Members have the opportunity to observe teaching and become familiar with curricula, projects, supplementary materials, supplies, and areas of student strengths and weaknesses.
- Providing academic assistance and tutoring outside of the classroom for children who may have been absent and need special attention and assistance.
- Provide direct service before and/or after school. STC members assist with breakfast programs, afterschool programs, tutoring, afterschool clubs, and special programs in the schools where they substitute. During the school day, as members encounter their afterschool students, they encourage those students to focus on their goals and the steps to reach them.
- Assisting with planning and implementation of service-learning activities. Members engage students in service-learning projects on Martin Luther King Day of Service and National Youth Service Day. The service-learning projects enable students to apply basic skills to real world activities, strengthen their sense of self, and give them a sense of connection to their community.
Training
All STC members attend EW and school district trainings. Members attend EW's two week pre-service training which includes information and techniques on:
Child/Adolescent Behavior |
Behavior and Classroom Management |
Following and Creating Lesson Plans |
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Instructional Techniques |
Learning Styles |
Understanding the School Work Environment |
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Crisis Intervention |
Special Needs Students |
Legal and Ethical Considerations, |
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Overview of curriculum and core standards |
Trends in education – teaching materials, cooperative learning, differentiated learning |
Immediately following pre-service training, STC members report to the district to participate in New Teacher Orientation as well as school specific orientation and training. on specific curricula, and current initiatives and issues.
Additional full and half day trainings are held by EW on days schools are closed, to address specific issues being encountered by members at their sites and for members to share their best practices.
Highlights
Last year, STC members served as substitutes in 71 classrooms for 79% of the days schools were open.
On days members were not substituting for absent teachers, they served as assistants in assigned classrooms, prepared 100 Book Challenge and Voyager curriculum materials for classrooms, assisted with NJ ASK assessment preparation, and participated in Parent Teacher Organization programs to assist parent understanding of the new math and NJ ASK Assessment.
STC members participated in breakfast and after school programs serving 270 students. They also assisted with student arrival and departure, and monitored playgrounds to maintain a safe and peaceful environment.
Contact Information
Katrina Looby, NJ Supervisor, (609) 392-6662 ext. 130 or KLooby@EducationWorks-Online.org
