Classroom management for a substitute is different from classroom management for a regular teacher. You do not have a relationship with the students or a semester to build routines. What you have is the first five minutes, a plan, and your own steady presence. These strategies are written for grades 6-12.
1. Give students something to do immediately
Most problems start in the gap between the bell and the first task. Put a short direction on the board so students can begin while you take attendance. Our guide to what to do as a substitute teacher walks through the opening, and a substitute teacher’s first five minutes gives a minute-by-minute routine.
2. Keep the teacher’s routines
If the plan says how students enter, ask for help, or turn in work, follow it. Students tend to respond better to systems they already know. Do not announce a new system unless nothing else is available.
3. State two or three expectations, not twenty
Say what you need: stay seated, work on the assignment, and raise your hand to talk. Say it once, calmly, and refer back to it when needed. Long lists get ignored.
4. Move around the room
Walk the room while students work. Standing near a student often solves an issue without a word. Keep your back from facing the class for long periods.
5. Use a consistent signal
Use the teacher’s attention signal if there is one. If not, choose something simple like raising a hand and waiting. Do not talk over the class, since it teaches students that noise works.
6. Notice what is going right
Be specific: Thank you for starting right away works better than good job. Older students respond better to calm, respectful acknowledgment than to praise that sounds childish.
7. Correct privately when you can
Speak to a student at their desk or in the hall doorway where you can still see the room. A quiet conversation avoids an audience and lowers the chance of a power struggle.
8. Give choices, not threats
Try: You can work here or move to the front seat. Which do you prefer? This keeps you in charge and gives the student a way to save face.
9. Follow school procedures for serious issues
Know how to contact the office before you need to. Safety concerns, fights, and threats are not for you to handle alone. Report them right away.
10. Leave a clear note
Write down what happened, with names and facts, not opinions. The teacher can follow up with the students and the school can act if needed.
What to avoid
- Sarcasm, shouting, or embarrassing a student in front of peers.
- Promising rewards or privileges you cannot give.
- Taking comments personally. Students test substitutes, and it is rarely about you.
Need plans that help with all of this? A lesson with clear directions and high independence is the best classroom management tool you can have. Browse the free lesson library and filter by student independence. Teachers can also pair this with our first-time substitute teacher tips.
Keep reading
- Substitute Teacher Games for Grades 6-12 – short review games that reset a restless class.
- Substitute Teacher Survival Kit Checklist – the supplies that make routines easier.
- Easy Sub Plans for Middle and High School – for teachers who want to prevent problems in the plan itself.
Browse free sub plans by subject: science, math, social studies, ELA, art, music and theater, PE and health, Spanish, French and German, technology, business and personal finance, CTE, speech, journalism and media, and advisory and study hall.