Maintaining positive classroom engagement

April 22, 2025

We want to make sure all our subs have as many opportunities to work as possible, and we have noticed that some awesome substitutes are being unlinked from schools for being disengaged. These situations could have been easily avoided.

Please refrain from:

• Leaving students unattended to use the bathroom or make a phone call
• Sitting in the same spot the entire class and not assisting students
• Not monitoring the classroom by:
  • Reading a book or newspaper
  • Using electronics (cell phones, computers, or headphones)
  • Remaining seated during the entire class

Schools are liable for student safety during school hours, so schools expect that substitutes actively monitor and supervise students at all times.

We know you all are working hard, and we want to make sure that you keep getting invited back to school. Here are some tips to help schools recognize that you are engaged in the classroom:

• If you need to leave the classroom for any reason, call your point of contact at the school and do not leave until another qualified adult is in the classroom to relieve you.

• If you are assisting a student or engaging in other classroom duties, be sure to look up and survey the entire class often.

• If students are working quietly, resist the temptation to text, surf the web, or read. Here are some alternative activities that schools often love to see:

  • Circulate throughout the room (without hovering)
  • Assist students who ask for help
  • Ask students who are off-task if they need help

• Do not respond to text messages (even those from Swing), phone calls, emails, etc., except during passing or planning periods, lunch, or times when you are not responsible for actively monitoring students. We know you don’t want to miss other sub opportunities!

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