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BCSC Substitute Handbook

BCSC Substitute Handbook Additional Resources & Information

If you need to cancel an assignment, please contact Judi Fall as soon as possible with the necessary information.

When contacting her, please provide the following information:

• Your full name
• Your phone #
• Your email address (not BCSC email address)
• Date of assignment (f multiple dates, be sure to specify what date exactly you need to cancel)
• Name of teacher you are covering
• Confirmation number of assignment as provided by AESOP
• Reason you are canceling (illness, over scheduled yourself, accepted job in error, received job outside of BCSC/please remove from active sub list, etc.)

While we understand that emergencies arise and sometimes you need to cancel a job, please remember that if you have accepted an assignment, the teacher is counting on you to be present in the classroom to carry on their plans as if they were in the classroom that day. It is unacceptable to have a job left open that a substitute has previously picked up. It is even more unacceptable to cancel a job by just not showing up and not calling.

Frontline (formerly Aesop)

Aesop Management Training

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Basics & Preferences

• Setting and Changing Call Times
• Choosing Your Preferred Schools
• Adding Non-Work Days
• QuickStart Guide
• Using Aesop on the Phone

Finding & Managing Jobs

• Viewing and Managing Scheduled Jobs
• Finding & Accepting Available Jobs
• Viewing Job History
• Managing Visibility Options as a Multi-District Sub
• Turning Off Reduced Calling Mode

Videos

• Substitute Basic Training Video
• Substitute Advanced Training Video

7 Teacher Phrases That Can Change Your Classroom Culture

Positive communication is everything.

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7 Classroom Management Secrets for Substitutes

How to get kids to listen even though you're "just a sub".

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7 Tips For New Substitute Teachers

Gain valuable insights for navigating the substitute teaching world. This video offers 7 practical tips from preparation to classroom management to teacher interaction. Learn strategies for a smooth and successful day.

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3 Bs of Subbing

Three things to keep you sane in this sometimes crazy world of subbing.

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5 Resources to Help Substitute Teachers

Even the best substitute teachers may find they need substitute teaching help from time to time. Especially when they are new to sub teaching. Facing a classroom full of unfamiliar kids every day can be a real challenge. Until teachers get to know each age group and begin to see the same kids over and over again, engaging the attention and commanding the respect of children can be very daunting.

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Classroom Management for New Substitute Teachers

Substitute teachers often do not receive any substantial training. A former full-time and current substitute teacher shares her best tips for temporarily managing a classroom.

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Video Writing Prompts

John Spencer, author and educator, has created a channel of Video Writing Prompts for students. If you need an educational activity to fill some time between or after the teacher planned activities, this is a great choice! The prompts are fun and engaging, and each comes with a 1-2 min video giving directions on how to complete the task. If you have access to a computer, you can play the video for the class. If you don't, you can open the video prompt you want them to complete and read the script out loud to the students. You could also give them a choice of which prompt they want to complete. Be sure to ask for volunteers to share their imaginative stories when they are finished! You and the students will have a blast with these ideas!

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What Productive Talk Looks Like in Elementary Grades

Using sentence stems to scaffold classroom discussions guides students to speak, actively listen, and build on each others' ideas.

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Creative Ideas for Subs to Manage Difficult Classrooms

The unexpected can strike in even the best-prepared schools, so it’s helpful to have a good mix of tools and tricks ready to go when you start an assignment. Here are a few ideas that can help in challenging classroom environments.

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Using Brain Breaks to Restore Students' Focus

Learn about the science and classroom applicability of these quick learning activities.

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Tips for Substitute Teaching in Elementary School

Elementary-school students are, of course, at a very different point in their development than children in middle school and high school. As you prepare for a substitute teaching assignment with this younger group, I recommend keeping a few guiding principles front and center.

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Video Writing Prompts

John Spencer, author and educator, has created a channel of Video Writing Prompts for students. These ideas could be a great tool to have in the case that you have extra time in a class, or the students finish earlier than expected. Allow the students to choose which they would like to complete. Time permitting, they could share their work with their peers.

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7 Creative Ways to Reach Middle School Students

Because if you teach middle school, you’re going to need all the help you can get.

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Tips for Substitute Teaching in Middle School

It's an interesting place, middle school. Just ask anyone! Middle-school students no longer the babies of elementary school, and they're not yet the young adults of high school. They're in transition both physically and mentally. Middle schoolers are known for their budding interest in the world around them and their ability to revert back to the immaturity of bathroom humor at a moment's notice. That's a big reason why working with this group can be a daily adventure.

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Video Writing Prompts

John Spencer, author and educator, has created a channel of Video Writing Prompts for students. These ideas could be a great tool to have in the case that you have extra time in a class, or the students finish earlier than expected. Allow the students to choose which they would like to complete. Time permitting, they could share their work with their peers.

View Channel

A 16-Year-Old Explains 10 Things You Need to Know About Generation Z

Who better to describe the next generation of U.S. workers than someone from the next generation of U.S. workers?

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What Makes Gen Z So Different?

Harry Beard is a 17-year-old entrepreneur who co-founded the generation Z marketing consultancy firm, "Future Labs". Generation Z are, at an increasingly young age, putting themselves at the forefront of global discourse and empowering themselves through social media. Harry has empowered himself through the pursuit of learning and educating business about what makes generation Z so different, and is now on the TEDx stage to share his thoughts.

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5 Tips for Substitute Teachers in High School Classrooms

High school students are generally independent and capable of working somewhat autonomously. Most are capable of abstract thinking and problem-solving. When detailed lesson plans are available, a substitute teacher may be able to give directions, then support students as they work through their assignments independently. Having competent and confident substitutes ready to fill high school placements can mean the difference between a difficult day and a positive learning experience.

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Tips for Substitute Teaching in High School

Subbing in high-school classrooms can be rewarding, but it also brings a unique set of challenges. Teenage students are, of course, more advanced in their development than their elementary- and middle-school peers. They’re capable of understanding more complex concepts and engaging in more nuanced discussions and debates. Ultimately, high-school students are still kids, albeit ones caught between the world of childhood and adulthood.

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