The regular teacher will see from your sub note that you’re a responsible sub who cares about the work you do. When that long-term subbing position opens up, you’ll be the first they recommend for the job.

Here are some tips for writing a thoughtful note that has teachers calling you back again and again!

Psst – grab our free, downloadable 1-pager that lists out vital topics to report to the regular teacher. You’ll stand out as a stellar, professional educator!

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Why you should write a substitute thank you note

When a teacher is out for a day or two, they’ll usually feel worried about their classroom. They’ll wonder if their students are learning and behaving well even when they’re gone.

You can alleviate the teacher’s stress by writing a sub note that covers all the important details of the day.

Sub notes will help the regular teacher get back into the swing of things when they return. This gives the students a seamless learning experience.

Also, subs who leave helpful notes have a higher chance of being requested again in the future. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Download our “Sub report” template

Coming in with copies of your own “Sub Report” form will definitely help you stand out from other subs. You’ll also get used to organizing your thoughts in a systematic way each time you sub. Here’s what you should take note of throughout the day:

• Absent students
• Student and classroom behavior
• Any unfinished work or activities you couldn’t get to
• Lesson plan modifications
• Extra comments about the day

Download and print out our template to make it easier to leave sub notes!

Get your free template

Tips to write an amazing sub note

1) Stay professional and informative

Since this note is going to be seen by the regular teacher and could potentially lead to more job opportunities in the future, make sure to keep your notes professional, informative, and thoughtful.

Organize your notes in a template that’s easy for you to fill out and for the teacher to follow.

Then, make sure to write a formal letter to leave a strong impression on the teacher you covered for.

You can address them as “Dear Mrs.”, “Dear Ms.”, or “Dear Mr.” followed by the teacher’s last name. If you don’t know how to address them, just saying “Dear teacher” works too.

Instead of using bullet points, use full sentences. Think of this as a formal letter, with a greeting, body paragraph, complimentary closing, and a signature.

2) Take notes throughout the day

Sometimes, subs forget to write thank-you notes at the end of the day. This can happen if their day is too busy or if they’re just wiped out from a long school day. Don’t let this happen to you!

Write down small notes to yourself throughout the day so you don’t miss anything. Keep these notes in front of you so you see it. When school is over, you can compile everything quickly and easily.

Carry around a clipboard and fill out a “Sub Report” template to keep track of your short notes. You can also opt to record everything in a notebook.

Bonus tip: Tell the class that you’ll be recording down the names of exceptional students to let the regular teacher know. This can be a great classroom management tactic!

What to include in a sub note

 

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1) Absent students

You should always remember to take attendance for every classroom you sub for. This is a task that subs often forget to do so make sure to cross this off your checklist the moment class starts.

Take attendance using the class roster that is provided to you and write down any students who are missing.

At the end of the day, let the teacher know which students were absent or late to class in your note. This way, they’ll know who needs to get the makeup assignment. The teacher will be grateful for your thoughtfulness.

2) Changes to the sub plan

Many teachers will leave sub plans for substitute teachers to follow in case of their absence. Usually, following the lesson plan will help you get through the school day without a problem.

However, you won’t always be able to finish the lesson plan. Some students may fall behind on an activity or the whole class couldn’t get to the next section of the lesson plan.

It’s okay to not complete everything. You just need to let the regular teacher know, so they can easily pick up where you left off.

What if there are no sub plans?

Sometimes, teachers won’t leave lesson plans behind. This can happen if a teacher has to suddenly take time off for an emergency, or if they were just too busy to get around to making a plan.

First, consult other teachers in your curriculum. Try asking the next-door teacher to see if they can give you ideas for activities. Or they just might lend you some spare materials and lesson plans for the day.

If all else fails, thankfully you can bring in your bag to fill up the time!

3) Student behavior

Write down how well behaved the students were. Any teacher would be happy to hear that their class was amazing in their absence!

You can talk about how they paid close attention to instructions or did their work quietly and efficiently. Mentioning important things like this will help the teacher feel a lot better about missing a day or two of class.

Mention the students who actively contributed

Write down which students were exceptionally helpful and contributed to helping the class progress through the lessons and assignments.

The teacher will greatly appreciate the extra time you take to recognize the great students in the classroom.

Had some challenging students?

Sometimes you’ll encounter some particularly challenging student behavior. It happens to the best of us!

When this happens and you’ve used all your classroom management techniques, sometimes the best thing you can do is just let the teacher know about it.

Make a note of the student’s name and in your letter, say that you did your best but the student was still distracting to the rest of the class even with redirection and reminders.

It doesn’t feel good to call out a single student but at the end of the day, the teacher will appreciate it.

Don’t focus only on the negatives

Unless you had an extremely poor experience in the classroom, it’s best to avoid writing only negative things. Even if your time was truly bad, you still need to be specific about what could’ve gone better and the steps you took to help the student.

Try to sprinkle in praise and positivity wherever you can. Consider starting your note with 2 positive experiences, mention any bad experiences in the middle, and end on a positive note.

The last thing you want is to leave a bad impression on a teacher who couldn’t see your hard work!

4) Anything else the teacher should know

Did you notice that some of the students really struggled to keep up with the materials? Were there a few students who fell behind in their work, even after you tried to help them? Make sure to write this down!

If you notice anything unusual or saw something you thought the teacher would like to know, you can also write it in your note.

5) How to end your sub note

Now that you’ve written a thoughtful thank you note, all that’s left is to close it out. Here are a few phrases you can say to finish your note:

• It was a pleasure to sub for your class.
• I had a lot of fun subbing for your great students.
• Thank you for the opportunity to sub for your classroom.

Finally, sign off with your full name and leave the note on the teacher’s desk. Make sure to place it somewhere that the students won’t spot it. 

You can also ask the school admin you greeted that morning about where you should leave the thank you note.

Taking the extra time to write a thank you note shows the teacher and school that you sincerely care about your work as a substitute teacher. And if the school is hiring for a long-term substitute, you can be sure that the teacher will mention you to the principal and hiring sub coordinator!

Leaving a thoughtful thank you note can make you popular as a substitute teacher. The school you’re at will appreciate the extra though you put into the note and might request you again and again!

Want to start subbing with a company?

Here at Scoot Education, we make sure our subs feel completely supported. In addition to helping you write your thank you note, you’ll also get:

• Access to your own Scoot consultant, an expert in the education field who can answer all your questions. Whether you need help getting through the application process or need advice when teaching, your Scoot consultant has your back!
• Exclusive access to exclusive resources from experts in the education field, all from the comfort of your own computer. We care deeply that our educators feel prepared for success in the classroom.
• Full control over your schedule with our app Scoot 2 Work. We have no availability minimum so you can work as much or as little as you want!
• Weekly pay every Friday via direct deposit straight into your bank account.

Apply to substitute teach with Scoot Education and you can start subbing with great perks!

Apply now

Walking into a classroom with a bunch of students you’ve never met before can be challenging. Nearly all substitute teachers, whether they’re a first-year teacher or a veteran, are bound to experience something they didn’t expect.

To help you prepare for uncharted waters, here are 7 situations you might find yourself in as a first-year substitute teacher and what to do.

Download a guide to ace your first day teaching!

Download our “First-day teacher toolkit” that includes how to prepare for your assignment, introduce yourself, and classroom management strategies.

Get your free “First-day teacher toolkit”

1) Where do I park as a sub?

One of the solutions to the guest teacher’s woes is to arrive early.

But if you have time before your assignment, use Google to answer as many questions as you can:

• What is the route from your home to the school? 
• How long will it take? 
• What kind of parking is available in the area?

Always plan to leave 5-10 minutes early so you don’t feel rushed. This will also give you time to find parking.

When you’re a substitute teacher working with a company like Scoot Education, we are the ones who provide you with parking information in addition to anything else about the school that would help you have a great experience.

Regardless of whether or not you have the information, it’s always good to leave early in case something unexpected happens.

If you know you’re running late, make sure to let the school know immediately. But if you’re working with Scoot Education, call your consultant.

2) Where can I find the classroom?

Check in at the front desk to get your bearings.

You’ll likely teach in many different classrooms and on more than 1 school campus. So it’s normal to be a little disoriented when you first arrive.

However, try not to arrive late and out of breath to the classroom you’re covering for. This isn’t a good first impression for the guest teacher and schools will be less likely to call you back.

Upon entering the school, just go up to the front office staff! Introduce yourself and ask them where to find the right classroom (and nearest bathroom – just in case). 

You can also ask questions about the bell schedule, where the staff lounge is, school policies, and more.

No matter where you sub, it’s good to be friendly with everyone working there. You’ll never know where support will come from when you need it!

3) How do I introduce myself as the substitute teacher?

Use classroom management techniques to introduce yourself.

“Uh…hi…haha…I’ll be your substitute teacher for today. What are you guys…um…supposed to be doing?”

Yikes! That’s awkward and your students are less likely to respect your authority as a teacher.

Before class is in session, make sure to greet students as they come in. (Tip: arrive at your sub assignment early to do this.) It’s also a good idea to have the seating charts in hand.

When class starts, give a clear introduction. Here’s a simple example of an effective framework:

• Who you are
• Maybe a few fun facts about you
• The lesson plan for today
• Behavior expectations (ex. needing to raise their hand to speak, following the existing classroom rules, etc)

This way, you can create a connection with your students while also clarifying what students need to complete during class. They’ll be more likely to have good behavior and you didn’t need an extensive classroom management plan to achieve it!

You can also write down the agenda on the whiteboard so students can be reminded of it throughout the day. Otherwise, giving a verbal reminder helps with classroom management to get students back on track.

Stay confident in yourself and aim to have a productive day. Don’t worry about being “just the sub.” Students can tell when you’re nervous.

4) What if there are no lesson plans?

Ask your next-door teacher or the most responsible student in the class for help.

First, double check to see that there are actually no lesson plans. Look around the classroom. The assignments might have fallen on the ground or are clearly written on the whiteboard.

If there are no plans to be seen, try asking the next-door teacher to see if they know where else the regular teacher could’ve stored them.

Typically, other teachers are more than happy to help you! Even if they don’t know what plans or materials you’re supposed to be using, they can give you ideas of activities to do or potentially loan you spare materials.

You can also ask the most responsible student in the class what is expected of them to be working on.

Prepare extra activities for when there’s no lesson plan or too much free time.

If none of these work, a great guest teacher should already have a wealth of assignments, games, and crafts in the substitute teacher’s to-go bag to keep students engaged.

Here are more ideas from ThoughtCo and our brain breaks blog for when there are no plans or when the plan isn’t long enough:

• Trivia: Bring trivial pursuit questions and set the class up into teams. Have them take turns answering questions while keeping score.
• Pictogram Puzzles: Pictograms are word puzzles that are visual (GOT, GOT, GOT, GOT; Answer: FOUR GOT=FORGOT). Print out a number of puzzles, link them to a Smartboard, or project them.
• Scattergories: The object of this famed board game is to quickly fill out a category list with answers beginning with the assigned letter. Points are awarded if other players/teams haven’t thought of the same answers. The player/team with the most points wins. There’s an online version too.
• Pictionary: You can play a game of Pictionary without the cards. Split the class into two teams, and take turns trying to guess what teammates are drawing on the board.
• Write Mission Statements and Goals: Teach students all about personal mission statements and goal-setting exercises. Then guide them as they create their own in this simple writing activity.

5) How can I get my students’ attention?

Manage student behavior with attention-getters.

No matter how good a class can be, it can get very noisy very quickly. Be prepared to have an effective way to reign in your class.

Here are a few methods to bring back the students as a whole group:

• Use objects like a rain stick or a bell. Students will be able to hear the unique and distinguishable sounds among the chatter.
• Try out verbal attention grabbers. We give a handful of examples in the image above. All you need to do is say one part of a phrase like “Hocus pocus,” and the class is supposed to respond immediately with the matching phrase, “Everybody focus!” Then the whole class should be silent and waiting for your instruction.
• When there are only 1 or 2 students who are being noisy use other techniques like simply walking around the room or asking the student to repeat the day’s expectations.

If you’re interested, check out our blog to learn more verbal and non-verbal attention getters to keep kids engaged.

If you’re going to use any attention getter, make sure to explain it and practice with them before you start teaching, so they’re not confused when you start using it.

6) What if there are rebellious students?

Prevent situations from escalating with these techniques.

Be prepared to do a little behavior management over the course of the day. In order to have a productive day, teachers usually need to constantly watch students, even when they’re busy working on an assignment.

Here are a few ways to deal with challenging students:

• Actively monitor the room, so students don’t assume they can get away with all sorts of things behind your back and avoid learning. Oftentimes, just walking nearby the students you want to address is enough to get them back on task.
• Praise students for any good behavior that you catch. When you compliment one student, other students will want to do well so they can get praised too. This is especially effective for younger crowds like elementary or middle school students.
• Privately remind the rowdy students of the assignment they should be working on and repeat some of the expectations. Don’t try to shame any student in front of the other students. You should always try to maintain a positive and supportive classroom environment.
• If a situation is getting out of control, contact the front office or the next-door teacher for assistance. If you can’t step away, send a reliable student to the office instead.

Hands off! Even if a student is being very disruptive or they’re trying to leave the classroom, you should not try to grab the student or block them with your body.

There will be students who just won’t listen to you no matter what. Don’t take this personally and don’t start fights. There are no positives to fighting with a student. 

Managing student behavior is definitely challenging for both substitute teachers and full-time teachers. Remember to not take things personally and stay calm.

7) What do I do when class is over?

Leave a helpful note that recaps the day of learning.

Provide information on how the day went for your teacher who was away.

Teachers will want to know which students were doing well and which students were being disruptive along with any actions that you took to deal with the situation.

They’d also want to know how much lesson material you went through. If you were unable to complete the lesson plan, let them know why.

You can write everything down on a simple piece of paper and leave it on the teacher’s desk. Or you can use this free “Sub report” template to help you stand out as a sub who’s prepared and organized!

Also, letting students know at the beginning of class that you’ll be recording everything down can also motivate them to act better because there are clear consequences if they don’t.

Here’s to creating an exceptional learning environment!

As a substitute teacher, you can face countless unexpected situations, but it’s ultimately up to you how you handle them.

We hope that reviewing these common guest teacher situations will help both you and your students have an amazing day of learning.

Refer back to your “First-day teacher toolkit” whenever you need a reminder!

Ready to become a substitute teacher?

If you haven’t become a sub yet, consider subbing with an educational staffing company like Scoot Education. We want to support you throughout your application process and beyond.

Subbing with Scoot means access to more opportunities, more school districts, and more excitement!

Apply now

You’ll have the elements of drama: tools, plot, structure, setting, cast of characters all in one sheet! Your kids will be able to increase imagination and confidence in their drama building skills.

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How do you teach the elements of drama in your classroom?

Shoot us a message on Instagram @scooteducation or email us your favorite techniques at us@scoot.education!

Watch the webinar recording on “Moving Towards An Anti-Racist Teaching Practice For Non-Black Educators”

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What to expect on this webinar

This informational webinar is led by Megan Nevels, an expert in anti-bias and positive school climate initiatives at K-12 schools. She’ll share tools to begin a journey towards anti-racism, and empower you to incorporate them into teaching practices.

During the first 45-minutes of the webinar, Scoot educators will learn:

• key terms and language related to anti-racism
• research on how racism shows up in students, teachers, and classrooms as early as pre-school
• teaching strategies to disrupt racism in learning spaces
• ways to respond to racist language and remarks
• and how to best support colleagues of color in a school setting.

Following Megan’s presentation, we’ll close with an open discussion where educators can share experiences and ask questions.

Who should attend this anti-racism webinar

This webinar’s content is catered primarily to non-Black educators. We’ve heard from many Black colleagues that they are experiencing extreme grief and exhaustion during this time and that even being in mixed-race spaces right now is painful.

We understand racism is multi-faceted. Colorism is an aspect of racism and exists in communities of color. Therefore, we encourage all non-Black educators to attend this webinar to reflect, contribute, and learn from one another.

About the host, Megan Nevels

Megan Nevels is the Assistant Education Director at a leading civil rights organization, where she implements anti-bias and positive school climate initiatives at K-12 schools. A decade of leading theatre for social justice with young people led her to a career of training educators in arts integration, culturally competent curriculum, and anti-bias teaching. Prior to her current position, Megan developed successful year-long teacher training programs at the Skirball Cultural Center.

She is passionate about guiding participants through the self-reflective work of anti-racism and building the skills to disrupt systemic racism in every facet of life. Megan received her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities at the University of Texas at Austin and received numerous local and national awards for her research.

Learn more about Scoot’s diversity initiatives