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 for fifteen years as a Test Engineer and in computer/network/industrial security. I have also been involved with Science Olympiad as a coach and Arizona State event coordinator for Astronomy and Engineering events.
Why did you decide to try subbing?
I decided to try subbing as a potential transition to a permanent position as a teacher.
What do you love most about substitute teaching?
I love working with the various schools and all the different types of students. Each school has a slightly different philosophy/methodology to teaching and the students range from awesome to very challenging. The experiences I am gaining as a substitute teacher will help me in my future career as a full time teacher.
Do you have any favorite grades or subjects that you like to teach and why?
My favorite is 8th grade. I really like to teach English and Spanish but Science and Math are fun as well.
If you had to give any advice to a new substitute teacher, what would it be?
The one piece of advice I would give to a new substitute would be to have patience, lots of patience. Walking in cold to a new class can be daunting, even scary. The students will test you and just when you think things are going great, they will test you again. Sometimes, you will need to exercise all of your classroom management skills within the first five minutes of each class. Each time you sub at that school, the students will get to know you and even get used to you. You will be a familiar face and they won’t be so distressed that their regular teacher is not there. Hang in there and develop/perfect your teaching skills. It does get easier.