As a parent, I couldn’t ignore all of the headlines and news stories about the teacher shortage currently happening.  In fact, California was ranked third in a study of states with the highest teacher shortage, see article here.  But this is by no means a local problem, but a global one.  Last October, UNESCO reported a need of more than 68 million additional teachers to achieve universal basic education by 2030.  I realize that not everyone can afford to pursue the teaching profession, but I’ve heard that the next best way to support the teachers we already have in the classroom is to volunteer as a substitute teacher.

Beyond the sick days, teachers need substitutes for a number of other activities, like parent/teacher conferences and professional development.  A few weeks ago, I was a floating substitute for three different classrooms during the day, so all of the grade level teachers could have 2 hours of professional development.  The school invited a reading specialist to help teachers with some new instructional approaches.  During other times, all of the grade level teachers get together to coordinate on curriculum for the semester.

I once asked during a substitute teaching job interview what would happen if a school couldn’t secure a substitute for the day.  When this happens, the class without a teacher might get split and put into another grade-level classroom for the day.  For example, if a school has three kindergarten classes of 20 students each and one teacher is absent, the students might be grouped into two classrooms of 30 students each.  As you can imagine, the larger class size adds more complexity for the remaining teachers, as they are left to juggle classroom resources to absorb the additional students.  Another possibility is that a school staff member might step in for the day.

Becoming a substitute teacher is a great way to see what happens inside the classroom.  If you have school age children, I know that sometimes dropping kids off at school seems like a black box.  How many times have we asked our kids, “How was your day at school?” or “What did you do at school today?” only to get some blank stares, or responses like, “I don’t remember.”  Every time I visit a classroom, I love seeing how children come together as a community.  Often times, classroom management is easier when students start encouraging each other to do the activities in the lesson plan.  To provide the occasional relief for teachers, make that positive impact on a child and consider becoming a substitute teacher!  I’ll have another post that outlines the steps you can take to get your substitute teaching credential.