Do you mind substituting for Mr. XYZ today? Oooohhh...

How many times has somebody come up to you in the morning and asked you this question, "Excuse me, Ms. ABC... Could you substitute for Mr. XYZ today after recess?" Hopefully not too often...
Now, how many times have you said, "No?" Hhmm...

As much as we'd like to stay on schedule and be with our students, some things are just out of our control--bad cough, sudden fever, sick child, unpaid water bills, car wreck, and many more (hopefully not because of plain laziness to get up and drive to school, hehehhe...). When this happens to a colleague, somebody has to step up and still make things happen in class. That's where a substitute teacher comes in...

In some schools, they have designated substitute teachers on call, but in other places, they have to rely on each other. Every now and then, I get asked to substitute for a teacher. Now, I generally don't have a problem with being a substitute teacher, if and only if, I know the students and the materials. But often you get asked to substitute in a class that is known for its oddly annoying behaviors and is insanely rowdy, right? And to top that off, the absent teacher leaves no materials for the kids. So, what to do now?

I often hear that students don't respect a substitute teacher and it can be a nightmare for teacher. So the first thing I'd do is to get the students' respect first and foremost!

• I always carry these items with me to the class I substitute: a marker, something to write with, and a quiet chime! I believe that it's important to have a good control over the class and my quiet chime does the charm...  (I think all teachers should have this!) 
• Upon entering the classroom looking very serious (and mean, I guess), I introduce myself and I tell the students these golden rules: be respectful and be responsible!
• Find out something about the class, such as things that they're learning, to show that you invest certain interest in them.

I always tell the students that even though I'm "only" a substitute teacher then, I ask for the same respect that they have for their other teachers and I will treat them as if they're the students I teach daily. And it's extremely important that studying should still occur... Now, it's difficult if I come in empty-handed, so I think it's a matter of giving them appropriate choices for them to do while you're in the class.

I have enough experience of substituting for colleagues that I can say this: so long as you have a good control over the class and show the students that you care and respect them, I think substituting ain't that bad after all... :)