Today there was a substitute for my class but it was a substitute that they normally have as it was the student teacher from last year. Though the kids are used to having her and she knows the class schedule, I found that the students didn’t respect her like they do the teacher or myself. I think this is because she is in the classroom when the teacher is not so they see her as someone they can try and get one over on. Since I am normally in the classroom when the teacher is they may think that I am more connected to the teacher and therefore they can’t get things past me. I saw that they class was a lot more difficult to manage today, as I would expect when having a substitute. The grade three’s especially were very chatty and were off task almost all day. The way that this was managed was through changing their color, from green to yellow to double yellow to red. Some of the students really respond to this system because they can visually see the change but others don’t really care. One of the strategies that the substitute used to manage the class is turning the lights off to get their attention. I found that this was a very calming approach to managing the class and the students really responded to it.
Being a TTOC in a classroom can be very challenging for the reasons you have cited. It is certainly good learning and a way to hone management skills at every grade level. When the teacher is away, the routine is disrupted and many students will test the waters, so it can be a more difficult day.