Sooner or later, a job will say special education, resource room, co-teach or inclusion. Or you will walk into a general classroom and find a paraprofessional, often called a para or an aide, already at a table with a student. Many new subs feel nervous about these days. They don't need to. The adults and the plans in the room already know what works. Your job is to follow them.
This lesson covers the kinds of rooms you may be sent to, what the plans are in plain words, what to do with private information, how to work with a para, and what to do when something is hard. It doesn't teach you to diagnose anything, and it doesn't make medical claims about any child. Those are not a sub's job, and you'll be a better sub for leaving them alone.
The short version of this lesson: follow the plan, follow the para's lead, keep what you're told to yourself, and call the office for anything about safety or health.
The kinds of rooms
Schools organize support in different ways, and they use different names for it. These are the most common arrangements you'll meet.
- A general classroom where some students have a support plan. You may be told about it, or you may not.
- A co-taught or inclusion class, with a general teacher and a special education teacher, or a para, working together.
- A resource room, where small groups come in for part of the day for extra help.
- A smaller self-contained class, often with one or more paras, where students spend most of the day.
The rules about who may cover which room differ by state and district. As one example, California's Commission on Teacher Credentialing says its 30-day emergency sub permit allows only 20 days per teacher in special education. If you aren't sure a job suits you or is open to you, ask the district's sub office or the school before you accept it.
The plans, in plain words
Some students have a written plan that describes the support they get at school. You'll hear two names most often: an IEP, an individualized education program, and a 504 plan. A team at the school writes each plan with the student's family. You don't need to know how they are made. You need to know that they exist, that they matter, and that the school is required to follow them.
On a sub day, what reaches you is usually a short summary of the supports, not the plan itself. It might say that a student gets extra time, takes tests in a quieter room, has someone read questions aloud, sits in a certain seat, uses a picture schedule, gets a short break when they ask, or uses a tool or a device to help them work or talk. Follow it exactly, even if you would do it differently and even if the student says they don't need it today.
- If the plan says a student gets a break when they ask, give the break.
- If it says a student uses a certain tool, make sure they have it.
- If it says tests are read aloud or done somewhere else, arrange that, or ask the para or office how.
- If something in it isn't clear, ask the para, the special education teacher or the office. Don't guess.
A tool or a device that helps a student communicate or work belongs to that student. Never take it away, even as a consequence. If you aren't sure whether something is a support or a distraction, leave it and ask.
Privacy: you may be told, and it stays with you
You may be told that a student has a plan, or given a few lines about what helps them. That information is private. It is shared with you so you can keep the student safe and supported today, and for no other reason.
- Keep it to yourself. Don't mention it to other students, ever, even if they ask why a classmate gets something different.
- Don't discuss it with other parents, other subs, friends or anyone outside the school's staff who need to know.
- Don't say it out loud in front of the class. Give supports quietly.
- Leave any written notes about students in the room or with the office. Never take them home or photograph them.
- Don't post about any student or class online, even without names.
If a student asks why someone else gets extra time or a different sheet, keep the answer short and general.
Try: "Everyone in here gets what they need to do their best work. Let's get back to yours."
The para knows the most
If there is a para in the room, they are often the adult who knows the students best. They may have worked with the same children all year. They know the routines, the signs that a student needs a break, what helps and what makes things harder. Treat them as the expert they are.
Find them before the bell if you can. Introduce yourself, and ask a few simple questions.
- How do you and the teacher usually split the day?
- Which students do you usually work with, and what should I know to help?
- What does a normal morning look like in here?
- Is there anything that tends to be hard, and what helps when it is?
- If something happens, how would you like me to work with you?
Then follow their lead on the routines and supports for the students they work with. If the para says a student does best starting with the second activity, or needs to sit near the door, go with it. They aren't overruling you. They are helping you run the day the way it usually runs.
You are still the teacher in the room
Following the para's lead on students doesn't mean handing them the class. You are still responsible for the plan, the attendance, the whole room and the note. Teach the lessons. Take attendance. Run the transitions. The para supports, and you lead.
A few things to avoid:
- Don't send the para out to make copies or run errands, unless the plan or the office says that's how it works. Their job is the students.
- Don't leave the para alone with the class so you can step out, unless the school tells you that's allowed. Rules on this differ, so ask the office.
- Don't hand the para jobs that belong to the teacher, such as grading or calling families.
- Don't correct the para in front of students. If you disagree, talk quietly, or ask the office.
Try: "Thanks for walking me through the morning. I'll run the lessons and the timing. Please jump in any time you see something I should know."
Co-taught classes
In a co-taught class, you may be covering for the general teacher or the special education teacher, and the other one is in the room all day. Find out which one you're covering. Ask the teacher who is there how the two of them usually share the lessons, and follow that pattern. Often one leads and the other moves between students, or the class splits into two groups.
If you're covering the special education teacher, your role is usually to support students during the lessons the general teacher leads, following each student's supports. If you're covering the general teacher, you will likely lead, with the other teacher supporting. Either way, the teacher in the room is your best guide. Ask early, and ask again whenever you aren't sure.
Predictable days help
A missing teacher is a change, and changes can be hard for some students. You can soften it. Say the schedule out loud, keep it on the board, and point to what comes next before each transition. If the room uses a picture schedule or a visual timer, use them the same way the teacher does. Warn the class before anything that isn't usual, such as an assembly or a drill you were told about.
Keep your voice calm and your directions short. Give one step at a time. Allow a little extra time for transitions. These habits help every student in the room, not only the ones with a plan.
When something is hard
Some days a student will be upset, overwhelmed or unable to keep going. Look to the plan and the para first. Many plans say what helps, such as a break space, a quiet task or a short walk with an adult. The para will often step in before you even notice.
If behavior becomes unsafe, call the office, as in Lesson 5. Never hold, restrain or physically move a student. Some schools have staff who are trained for these moments and a plan for when to call them. That is their job, not yours. Keep the rest of the class calm and away from the situation, and wait for help.
Some students need help with personal care, eating or moving around. Who gives that help, and how, is set by the student's plan and the school. Usually it's trained staff, often the para. If you aren't sure, ask the office. Don't step in on your own.
Health needs work the same way as in any room. If a student seems unwell, or the plan mentions a health need, the nurse handles it. Call the nurse or the office.
Describe, don't diagnose
It is natural to try to explain why a student acts a certain way. On a sub day, resist it. You don't know the student's history, and a guess can follow a child for a long time. Never write or say that a student "has" something, "is" something, or "probably" needs a label or a test.
Describe what you saw and what you did, the same way you would for any student. "At 9:40, during the reading block, he covered his ears and left his seat. The para took him to the break space. He came back at 9:55 and finished the sheet." That tells the teacher what they need without any guessing about why.
Use plain, respectful language when you speak and write. Talk about "a student who uses a communication device" or "a student with a plan," not shorthand nicknames for groups of children. If you aren't sure what words the school uses, follow the para's lead.
Drills and surprises
Drills, assemblies and schedule changes can be harder for some students. Read the teacher's notes and ask the para before the bell whether any student needs something special in a drill, such as a warning beforehand, a set adult to walk with, or headphones for the alarm. If there is a plan, follow it exactly. If you don't know, ask the office. In the drill itself, the rule is the same as in any room: take the class list, keep everyone together and account for every student.
The note for this kind of day
Your note works the same way as any other, and Lesson 7 covers it in full. A few extra things help the teacher after a day with paras or plans.
- Say which supports you used, briefly: "Gave extra time on the math check as the plan said."
- Thank the para by name, and say what they did that helped.
- Describe events with times. Leave out guesses about why.
- Keep private details out of the note if it might be seen by others. Ask the office where notes about students should go.
A para who had a good day with you will often tell the teacher, and the office. It is one of the quickest ways to be asked back, which is where Lesson 8 begins.