It’s a well-known fact that the faces of many a secondary school student will light up at the sight of a supply teacher, someone who doesn’t know the ropes, doesn’t know all the schools procedures and protocols. However a supply teacher need not be a push-over, you can still effectively run a class and manage their behaviour as a permanent teacher would.
It is difficult dealing with students that you have little information about and you can never be sure of the sort of classroom environment that you will be teaching in that day, however by following a few simple points you can be as prepared as possible.
- Be firm from the start – when starting the lesson it’s important to show the students that you are confident and in control.
- Remain calm and avoid head on confrontations – if behaviour starts to slip make sure that you are familiar with the schools sanction policy and calmly remind students of this without singling out individuals causing unnecessary confrontations.
And finally
- Keep the students busy by ensuring that you have a back-up plan of extra work should the lesson plan be completed early.
