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News
With support from the Substitute Teaching Institute at Utah State University.
May 2007
“I understand” are perhaps the two most powerful words in a substitute teacher’s vocabulary when it comes to dealing with verbal student protests. They enable you to acknowledge what students are saying without giving up any of your authority or getting emotionally involved.
If a student says, “That’s not how we usually do it,” you can say, “I understand, but the instructions for today say to do it this way instead.”
If a student says, “You are the worst teacher ever!” you can say, “I understand, however I am your teacher for the day, now please sit down and begin working on your assignment.”
If a student says, “I’m not going to do it!” you can say, “I understand you don’t want to do this assignment, however you are expected to have it completed by the beginning of class tomorrow and not distract other students while they are working during class today.”
From “This assignment is stupid,” to “I hate you!” your best response to student outbursts is to remain calm, say “I understand,” and then redirect student behavior. These two little words can stop protests from almost any student, prevent heated debates, and allow you to remain in control of the classroom. So you think it seems too simple to be effective? I understand, give it a try anyway and I’m confident you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
Often permanent teachers will leave fill-in activity suggestions just in case you end up with some extra class time, but sometimes you’ll have to come up with them on your own. Having materials in your SubPack for several of these three different types of fill-in activities will help you keep students engaged and prevent the inappropriate behavior that often occurs when students are bored and have nothing to do.
Five-Minute Fillers are usually whole class, teacher directed activities that take about five minutes to complete.
Examples include a short picture book, riddles, making a list, and stand up/sit down activities. They are useful when waiting for the bell, lunch, recess, a guest speaker, etc.
Early Finishers are independent activities designated for individual students who finish assignments before the rest of the class. They may include crosswords, tangram puzzles, silent reading, art projects, etc. Having a fun early finisher activity can motivate all students to complete their assignments quickly.
Short Activities are appropriate for the entire class when either a lesson can’t be completed or there is a significant amount of time left after the planned work is done. A poster contest, bingo review game, classroom scavenger hunt, and creative writing assignments are just a few of the short activities that could be used when you have 20 minutes or more of class time to fill.
Remember, fill-in activities should not replace or preempt any of the plans left by the permanent teacher. They are only for those situations when students finish assignments ahead of schedule or, if for some reason, the lesson plans can’t be carried out.
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