Instinct By Cathy-Dee

Have you ever had your own class for a period of time?

Teachers tend to spend the first 2-3 months ironing out all the behaviours and getting the students on task. So when you walk in the door, it's like the first day of school for you and those students. You cannot expect them to be the same for you as they are for their classroom teacher. Providing they are getting the work done and behaving for the most part I wouldn't worry. The fact you are being invited back by a number of teachers means you must be doing a great job!

Meanwhile for most classes, keeping them busy is one of the key issues. So always arrive at least 20 minutes before the students so you can go through the plans and be ready for the day. Also have a folder of little activities you can do if all of a sudden you have 10 minutes to spare. For younger grades - an activity page, short games, I spy, a song or poem to learn, - For older grades - game cards from games like Outburst Jr or other similar games, activity pages, etc., When students are busy they are less likely to be off task.

And yes bribery does work at times - I have no problem using extrinsic rewards from time to time to motivate my students.