Familiarize yourself with the discipline plan that is already in place in the classroom. It’s typically better to utilize a system that already exists; it becomes disorienting for children if your plan differs greatly from their teacher’s. If this is not possible, come prepared to unveil your discipline plan in front of the children at the start of the day. For example, you can say, “Students must raise their hands and be called on before they can speak.” Write these rules out on the chalkboard or a large piece of paper to serve as a reminder to the children of your expectations.
Ask the principal, the teacher you are substituting for or other teachers about the school policies for discipline. Many schools also post their discipline policies online. For instance, inquire about whether teachers issue demerits or detentions when students misbehave. When you talk about your discipline plan in front of the children, ensure they understand that there will be consequences if they don’t meet your expectations. For instance, you can set up a warning system. If a child misbehaves once, she will receive a warning, and three warnings mean that you will issue a demerit or detention to the student. Enforce your rules consistently throughout the day and each day you substitute in the classroom
Deal with disruptions swiftly. If you take too much time to handle misbehaving students, the other students will become anxious and you will disrupt the flow of your teaching. If a student isn’t paying attention to your lesson, ask him a question about the lesson to refocus his energy on the topic at hand. If you need to have a lengthier conversation with the student who is misbehaving, do so in private.
Plan for a full day of teaching, and don’t allow for any downtime. Children are more likely to misbehave if they don’t have structure. Consider bringing time-filling materials from home that are appropriate for the grade you are subbing for. This could include educational games, brain teasers or books you could read aloud from. At lunchtime, or when you have a break from the children, reassess the time-filling activities you have for the rest of the day. Devise activities that are relevant to the subjects you’re teaching during this time.