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Binders and pens with teacher in the background

Creating a Substitute Binder

Calling all teachers! If you don’t already have a substitute binder, we highly suggest you consider making one. Substitute binders are extremely helpful to guest teachers and are sure to keep the quality one’s coming back. What to Include Welcome Letter: The “Welcome Letter” should be the first page of any substitute binder. Your letter…
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Three students with substitute teacher in the background.

Using “I” Statements

You know the situation. There is one student, let’s call him Daniel, who has been whispering to his buddy all class long. Now it’s starting to distract other students too. The teacher decides to address him about the disruption and says, “Daniel, don’t talk during my lesson. You are making it difficult to teach.” At…
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Students raise their hands and smile in classroom

Establish Classroom Expectations

As a substitute or teacher, it is important to establish your expectations at the beginning of class. Maintaining a balance between your authority and your connection with students can be difficult, but these simple techniques can help you do both! Help Yourself Out: Create Your Own Poster When you enter a teacher’s classroom, you may…
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Students raise their hands in a classroom.

10 Classroom Attention Grabbers

If you’re a sub, getting the attention of a distracted class can be tricky. That is why many teachers rely on visual and auditory exercises to refocus their classes. After you accept a job, message the teacher and ask if the students are familiar with any particular attention grabbers. This way, you’ll know what to…
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March sub of the month name on whiteboard

March Sub of the Month

Tagg’s Sub of the Month for March is Tamara Stackhouse! Check out our interview with James below to see what he loves about substitute teaching. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself I am a recent college grad, who has lived all over the United States and studied in Columbia, Missouri, San José, Costa Rica…
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Students laugh while substitute teacher reads to them

3 Books To Prepare Students for a Substitute Teacher

“Class, tomorrow you will have a substitute teacher.” These words have the power to bring out the worst or the best in students. For particularly little ones though, the absence of their regular teacher can elicit fear. To help students feel comfortable and to prepare them to be on their best behavior while you are…
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February sub of the month name over thumbs up

February Sub of the Month

Tagg’s Sub of the Month for February is James Farley! Check out our interview with James below to see what he loves about substitute teaching. Tell us a bit about yourself: I am a retired Air Force Linguist and Instructor. I taught English, Spanish, Effective Writing, and Technical Analysis and Reporting. I worked in industry…
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Substitute teacher reads at desk by chalkboard

Set Your New Substitute Up For Success

Imagine you’ve just had a sub accept a request to cover your classroom tomorrow. Great! Now you have peace of mind about taking the day off. As you look at the confirmation email though, you realize that you don’t recognize the name. It’s a new sub. You start to imagine how they may be feeling.…
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January sub of the month name on corkboard

January Sub of the Month

Tagg’s Sub of the Month for January is Courtney Mitchell! Check out our interview with James below to see what he loves about substitute teaching. Tell us a bit about yourself? I’m a Virginia native, but have called Colorado home for twenty years. I’m fortunate to have taught preschool through college. Why did you decide…
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Students do their homework at a coffee shop

How Coffee is Teaching Kids Math, Marketing, and More

A school in Kentucky has implemented a new learning experience and we bet you can’t guess what it is. Thanks to a partnership with J.C. Mercantile, a local shop that imports and sells Brazilian goods, Wurtland Middle School kids get to play baristas every week. That’s right, fifth graders are practicing how to brew and…
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