Substitute Teacher Training

I arrived at my county’s educational service center about 7:40 a.m. one recent Thursday and patiently waited for the woman at the front desk to put down her phone. When she recognized my presence, the woman pulled the phone from her ear and pressed it her neck. She whispered, “Substitute teacher training?”

I nodded affirmatively and she pointed toward the direction in which I had just come. She whispered, “Go back out and take the door on your left.” After walking down a staircase and through several hallways, all helpfully labeled with “substitute teacher training” and directional arrows, I found a large room with several tables and chairs. At the head of the room was a man, who introduced himself as Harry, and a woman, who he introduced as Susan. Both smiled at me. I was early – about 40 minutes early.

I recognized Harry’s name from several stories I had written about his wife, who organized a trip for area gifted high schoolers to Washington D.C. for last year’s presidential inauguration. Susan seemed familiar, too, but I couldn’t place her.

The training last about eight hours and consisted of watching short video segments and a very long Power Point presentation. My classmates and I (about 22 of us) learned the the basics of how to handle a classroom full of kids and the mechanics of substitute teaching.

About five of the eight hours of training consisted of learning about interpersonal skills and de-escalating situations. I’m a natural escalator. I’ve also studied argumentation for years. And, as a reporter, I was taught to challenge sources when they lied. So, this idea of avoiding conflict was very foreign for me. It was a very positive thing for me to learn; however, and I feel this is personally the most worthwhile thing I absorbed at substitute teacher training.

I feel as though the training was highly successful, although I know there is so much that I don’t know about teaching. Despite the training, I’m still not really prepared to deal with a disruptive class. I’m not sure any amount of training can prepare a person for that. Rather, I think it is something a person must experience. From that experience I believe a teacher develops strategies for future crises.

At the end of training, we all filled out applications for our licenses. I’m seeking a five-year long-term substitute teaching license in language arts for grades seven though 12. I’m currently waiting for my license to arrive in the mail. When it does, I’ll begin the process of approaching area school districts. I’m excited for when that time comes.