subbing in younger grades

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subbing in younger grades
By Cathy-Dee

First of all I'd like to say YES, you are teaching even if you are only in the same classroom once or twice over the year. Substitute teachers play a vital role in our education system. Teachers cannot always plan their
absenses and a good substitute teacher sure takes the stress off the regular classroom teacher if they have to be away.
And sometimes I have even misinformed my class about something and have had to go back to correct it. Learning is life-long and if you do not know everything I think it is actually better as then you get to share with the kids you are teaching how even grown-ups still

need to learn new things.

Now as far as the little ones - I teach grade 1 and when I was substitute teaching I was in classes from Kindergarten to grade 5. There is a world of difference from the younger grades to the older ones. Your day sounds pretty much like my normal day. We are finally after 6 weeks settling into the routine of school, but I still have to be on top of things almost constantly. And frankly there are some days that I just don't feel like being on top of everything all day long. However the kids are learning, even if it doesn't seem like they are. Some of my kids in 15 minutes on the first day of school were only able to print their name once or twice on a sheet. Now they could print it 8 times or more.
But you are correct that with the younger grades things feel more hectic and chaotic.

The one really great thing about substitute teaching is that you often get the chance to teach in different grades and so you will get a better idea of what you prefer. Some teachers really do not like working with the little ones, and I would not like working with grades 5 or higher myself. So when you start to apply for permanent positions you can narrow the field to the grades you prefer.
And another terrific thing about substitute teaching is the gathering of ideas from all the different classrooms.
One suggest - bring a small camera with you to all your classes - take pictures of the neat displays, classroom set-up, etc., these you can use when you have your own class to develop your own classroom arrangement and decor. I always took pictures when the kids were out of the room so that it was just the room I was taking.
I also kept a notebook handy to jot down ideas that I thought were great. It was very nice for my first year in my own classroom.