When there aren't enough subs, part 2: What leaders can learn
Some days, it’s as bad as they say it is.
I’ve had middle schoolers throw things at each other, and at me. My efforts to connect get us nowhere. Students ignore pleas to keep their mask over their nose, or to sit in their assigned seats. Two or three will hunker, heads down, waiting for the period to be over. The rest will do whatever they want. It might be this way because they were locked away at home last year, which they either loved or hated but aren’t allowed to do anymore. It might be social media. It might be everything. And it’s definitely because I’m just a sub.
Other days are just fine. Refreshing, even. Second graders will wrap their arms around me before they even know my name. A room full of sophomores will stage an inquisition: How old am I? Where did I grow up? How many kids do I have? (The tactic is equal parts delay tactic and genuine curiosity.) Some kids, when they hear I’m an English teacher, are eager to show me the paragraph they’re writing and ask for help. They are kind, interested, goofy. As I stumble my way through the routines of a new classroom, and they are forgiving. After all, I’m just a sub.
This is no secret: as many teachers call in sick to care for themselves or family members, school districts simply don’t have enough adults to fill classrooms. I’m an instructional coach; like many other educators, I strive to keep my efforts within the lanes of instructional leadership that makes a tangible difference. Nowhere in the definitions of high-impact practices do we see the phrase “cancels plans, fills in as a substitute teacher”. Well.
I am not alone. A perfect storm of pandemic surge and substitute teacher shortage has many educators trading in their district name badge for someone else’s roster and room keys. The recent crisis has made headlines alongside severe social emotional needs, and an alarming increase in fights at school. Some days this year, subs are what is needed more urgently than anything else.
It’s humbling, and there is a lot to learn.
By doubling as substitute teachers, educators- many of them leaders- are stepping back into a role they haven’t been in since getting their teaching credential. It isn’t comfortable. But it can offer a valuable perspective. Here are a few ways substitute teaching has influenced how I see our schools:
A sense of wonder at the span of skill sets that comprise a K-12 teacher pool. As leaders, we often gravitate to a category where we can offer the most expertise: dual language instruction, secondary education, math interventions, and so on. We become deeply familiar with the unique needs of students and teachers who fit within our orbit. Subbing in a 2nd grade classroom one week, and high school classroom the next, however, paints a vivid picture of the vast array of teachers who make a school system thrive. Which ones do the best work? All of them.
A K-12 district depends as equally on teachers who can shepherd five year-olds through the rhythms of their first school days, as it does on high school choir directors preparing their students for regional competitions. The myriad of talent that makes up a comprehensive school system is breathtaking.
Deep appreciation for the adults many people don’t notice. I recently subbed in a class of children with severe special needs. There is no need to mince words here- I was scared. I can show students the finer points of iambic pentameter, or tap into their home language to decode complex words. But I have never changed a third grader’s diaper. For a whole day of subbing, I was wholly dependent on the marvel of a high-functioning paraeducator team. They operated, smoothly, with compassion and competence. Those skilled individuals, like many small and crucial teams across a school district, do most of their work behind the doors of a self-contained classroom.
Likewise, can we talk about office staff? Office managers and attendance secretaries are a lifeline in a day of substitute teaching. (The ones who will kindly point you to the staff refrigerator, so you have a place to store your lunch, are my favorites.) They are the primary point of contact for distributing classroom keys, helpful phone numbers, and student rosters. As the first and last people a sub interacts with, an efficient and friendly office staff can set the tone for the whole day.
Empathy for teachers’ constraints on time and place. “Can we reschedule?” is not something they can ask a room full of fourth graders. So little flexibility exists in a teacher’s day. Bells don’t reset themselves because of a meeting with your boss, or a phone call with the pediatrician. Substitute teaching serves as a solid reminder of how many minutes in a teacher’s day are invested in the immediate needs of instruction and classroom management. Emails, collaboration, and grading must fit into a miniscule pocket of time. And yet teachers still graciously open their doors to students, accept late work, and take the time to offer their input on district initiatives.
Systems check. Leadership tends to draw educators out of their own classrooms with the lure of system thinking. We work hard to disrupt, maintain, or create systems that can impact thousands of learners in a community over time. But how often do we get the valuable feedback of lived experience within a system that we help uphold? Spending a full day in a class that- like students- you did not ask to be a part of, can force an honest look at where our systems are working, and where they are not. Noticing which students feel at home in certain elective classes has been a good reality check for me. Even systems as simple as bathroom pass QR codes have been a study in ideation versus implementation. When leaders fill in as subs, they are immersing themselves with the people who they build those systems for. How’s that working out?
Stepping in to substitute teach is not glamorous; some days are hard. However, it is an opportunity to lead through service.
It may mean leaving a space where you are sought out by colleagues, so you can arrive barely-on-time to a campus where no one knows your name.
Despite your training and experience, you are, for the day, just a sub.
Being a guest in your own district can offer newfound perspective on the system as a whole. It can renew appreciation for the many people we depend on- both guest teachers and longstanding faculty members- to lead a generation of learners. There is valuable insight to be gained if we are willing to look for it. Hold on to what you see, the good and the bad. Being a sub just might make you a better leader.
