One thing most supply teachers do not suffer from is boredom. They are often asked go out to work, come rain or shine, in areas within a range of time or mileage they set and not often is their day the same as the previous one unless this is what they want.
The old phrase ‘variety is the spice of life’ really does apply in the role of a supply teacher, with the assignments offering a range of subjects, abilities and ages. Schools book ‘general cover’ when they have a number of lessons throughout the day which may all be different; for example, a secondary school may call us for a teacher to cover a day of Art, Science, History, English and Music. In this instance, the cover manager will try and arrange for a specialist of one of the subjects to come in, perhaps with their second subject also being required for the day.
How can a teacher manage such variety during their day? The best tip we can offer would be to always be prepared – take previous lesson plans or resources that you have used, which may assist you in your subject. In the subjects that you are not so knowledgeable about, keep a hand on the behaviour management and always walk around the room and keep the students focussed and on track. The cover manager will appreciate that you may not be able to answer questions about Bach in a Music lesson when you’re a teacher of Maths, but read along with the lesson you’re in and try and help where you can.
Supply teaching gives teachers the opportunity to fall back in love with teaching, rediscover subjects they may not have taught in a while, and enjoy trying a number of different schools and different ages along the way.
If you’re interested in registering with us (complete the form below) and adding a bit of variety into your teaching, please contact one of our consultants and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
