I am in a permanent sub job and trying to get my classroom management under control. Is there anyway you can be a nice teacher? Or should you always be tough and then nicer?

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In my opinion, no matter what position you’re in, you need to have clear and consistent consequences for students. Always carry yourself in a manner that commands respect. These ways will help with classroom managements

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As a substitute I sometimes do let the students have extra chances for bad behavior. I saw that way of thinking bad fired because the students did not know if I was serious or not.
I think that me being consistent is the key.

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Sometimes it is ok to be their friend. Sometimes that is what they need. Three of the most important classroom management criteria are as follows: structure...something the kids can count on on a daily basis, relationship building...getting to know your students beyond the their academic ability builds trust and respect, and engagement...once you’ve earned their trust and respect, they will be more likely to cooperate in regard to class expectations, assignments and general behavior.

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Trust isn’t something that is built quickly. I just make sure I listen to my kids whenever they have something to tell me and encourage them to share anything with me!

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I was always told that you need to start off strict and on top of behavior. If you are more lenient at the start, it’ll be harder to regain control if it’s lost.

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You can keep a kind , warm, and consistent attitude from beginning of the school year to the start without starting off the year seeing as if you are the toughest teacher on the block. Consistency and standards are key In my opinion

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It’s not a matter of being tough or nicer, it’s a matter of “Do you have structure and engagement?”

likeuplifting

Engagement starts with taking the time to understand what your students interests are and then somehow leveraging that knowledge to make relevant lessons. Structure comes from clear expectations, directions, and holding them accountable. It’s also important to build trust with your students by humanizing yourself.

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Always start out with clear expectations and be firm on holding all students to them. Consequences should also be clear for not meeting those expectations.

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No, be strict and mean what you say every time. You are NOT their friend! You are their teacher. They need you to be their teacher.

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I said, mean what you say. Not be mean. Strict and mean are very different. My students say they love me because “I don’t let them be bad."

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Be clear about what you expect. “We will have all kinds of fun. We will laugh, joke and play but when I say bring it back. That means I need your attention. I can be whoever you need me to be, your favorite teacher or the one you hate but it’ll all depend on you."

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I agree with everything everyone has said. However, I had a pretty extensive subbing experience before being hired to a full time position, and I think it should be acknowledged that subbing will never compare to having your own established classroom from day one and potentially having years to build a reputation and even interacting with students who aren’t in your classes, but are just kind of around in the hallways, study hall, etc. I love building rapport with kids who I don’t even teach just because it’s a different thing, yet it still helps and benefits students.

Yes, take your job seriously as a sub. Yes, practice your classroom management skills. Yes, set up clear and consistent expectations. That will benefit you as you see students across the different classes you sub. However, I’ve watched it play out many times when the sub that was hired has a miserable first year because the students never saw that teacher as any more than a sub... a stand-in... and they didn’t respect them because of it.

End of the day, nothing compares to having your own classroom. Looking back at it two decades later, I wish I’d have taken myself way less seriously, read the situation for what it was, and relaxed.

That being said, whatever you do, execute the teacher’s lesson plans. They’re written that way for a reason. There’s nothing that infuriates a teacher more than leaving solid plans and having them be ignored. We are professionals, and we leave plans as professionals assuming we’re communicating with other professionals (except clearly enough that a 5 year old could understand them). Teachers talk... too much. I try to have a long fuse and stay out of it. However, if it happens enough times, you start to hear other teachers talk about the same things, and a reputation is established within the teachers, and we dread it when we see that person is subbing for us because nothing is going to get done, and we’ll have to clean up the mess when we return. Whatever you do, don’t be that person.

There’s a sub in my building who’s a complete nutter, but she tries hard to do what I say to do in my plans, and I appreciate her greatly because of it. I don’t necessarily want to have a conversation with her if we happen to have lunch together (I still do because that’s the right way to treat people), but I know for sure she’s trying to do her job.

As a sub, that’s ideal. You do your job, and your colleagues respect you. I’m fortunate enough that I eventually (five years and three schools later) ended up working at a building where the staff always treated me fantastic when I was a sub here. I try to pass that respect along to all the subs with which I come into contact because I remember how good it felt to be recognized and included in the staff banter 20 years ago. It’s always awkward to be the full-timer interacting with the young, or old, sub (especially when you’re like I was and didn’t recognize the difference), but I think treating everyone well who’s trying to work hard and do their best in the school setting is the right thing.

Do right by our kids (first) and by us (second), and pass that along to others, and you’re doing what you’re supposed to, and good on you! :)

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Ideally,you want to be a warm demander. You care, and they know it,but you also hold them accounrable, being consistent and fair.

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Regardless of what you may have been told in your teacher prep program, your number one job is to be the best adult you can be and to interact with students sincerely on that score. That doesn't mean being stern or rigid. It means you are tasked with modeling the best of humanity so that we get more of that reflected in the next generation. In terms of classroom management, you need to show up with a simple, consistent code of conduct with clear modes of communicating with the students. You will need a reliable method for signaling that you need their attention. You also need to tap into the institutional knowledge in the room. As a sub, you don't know the existing expectations in the room, but they do. Leverage their expertise and reward them for stepping into roles of leadership and responsibility. When a student acts out, coach the other students on how you need them to step up and help their struggling classmate. Listen to your students (including their body language); you need to meet them where they are and you can't do that unless you take the time to find them first. And remember to always be you. Don't pretend to be infallible because you aren't and students will tune out a faker. Finally, teaching gets easier and more rewarding the longer you do it. Trust in that trend and let it carry you through the first phase of your career, which is almost certainly going to be the hardest.

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Look up No Nonsense Nurturing. There are ways to be loved but strict!

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I agree with these comments- the students have to know the boundaries first. I like to use character education books to model that. There is typically a teacher involved in the story working with students for success. It helps be present a visual for my expectations and gives me support as well.

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Choose your battles.
Find out how students learn, group them, and ensure they learn something every class.
Identify challengers, what makes them tick, and what their weaknesses are. Know what your working with!

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Warm demander strategies. Here are the expectations, here are the consequences. And then follow through. It’s taken me 6 years to fully embrace warm demander. You could also reset them with your students and have some student voice for classroom norms as well, might get more buy in

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In my day there was a book about first year teaching called “Never Smile Until Christmas.” It is easier to back off being tough than to reel in a bunch of out of control students. Good luck

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Start tough, because it’s hard to go the other way. I find that having common sense rules and expectations helps. I also set clear consequences, reward awesomeness and follow through on what I say

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Say what you mean and mean what you say

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When I did sub work I always would start my day off by introducing myself and saying “I can be nice or I can be nasty, which side do you want to see? “ Be nice, but firm. You are there to lead and teach, not be their buddy.

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Firm but loving. I think that's the best way to manage students. They have to know that you love and respect them, but they also have to know where the boundaries are, and held accountable.

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Tough at first then you can ease up a bit as the year goes on. Be clear on consequences and make sure you follow up on the consequences that you “threaten” to do because if you don’t, then they’ll take you as a joke. Build rapport too, I’ve noticed that if you have really good rapport with a kid no matter how “good or bad” they seem, there’s a better chance they will listen to you.

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