Substitute Teaching from A to Z 1st Edition

Any teacher, substitute or full time, will benefit from reading this book. It is full of tips and pointers that will help you be a more effective teacher. Barbara Pressman, the author, is very insightful and offers great advice in this book. There are so many topics to cover, and she does a fantastic job being informative yet not excessively lengthy. If you are a first time teacher or substitute teacher, this book will give you an incredible start. If you are a veteran teacher, this book can even give you great new ideas. I am new to substitute teaching; I just started in September. I was off to a rocky start and unsure if I wanted to continue. My husband surprised me with this book and, after reading it, my teaching abilities have grown. Just by implementing a few of her suggestions here and there, I have better control of my classroom, I effectively communicate the material to the students, and I know what to do when I'm left short lesson plans and finish early. In short, Get This Book!!!

This book gave a lot of tips for being an effective substitute teacher. It is chuckful of interesting tidbits to help newbies in the field. I particularly liked that the professional standpoint that it took on how to make a good name for yourself as a substitute teacher. It is a very positive book. It is easy to read because the writer does not talk above you or at you rather at your level. Nor is it like the typical self help books that tend to drive the reader into overload with all sorts of new information. I would say it is more along the lines of reasoning and wisdom when it comes to teaching children. I appreciated the perspectives that Barbara offered in her book. They gave a lot of food for thought. I enjoyed reading it.

Overall, this is a good book to read if you're planning on being a substitute teacher. The one objection I have though is that the title is a little misleading. When I saw the title, "Substitute Teaching from A to Z," I thought the book's content would be relatively grade-neutral and/or focus on all grade levels evenly. Upon reading the book though, I realize that it was quite slanted toward the elementary - middle school levels. This was naturally disconcerting to me since I ultimately plan on being a high school teacher. Now I understand that there is a bullet point on the book's cover that reads "Be Confident in Your Skills for Managing Any K-8 Classroom." But that bullet point hardly visible on Amazon.com and one isn't necessarily going to catch it (and I didn't). So again, while the book was good overall, I do think the title should be changed.

This is a pretty comprehensive guide to being a substitute teacher. I am sure for many the ideas in this book will be both a guide and a reassurance to taking on this needed role. Recommend buying "How to Succeed as a Substitute Teacher" as a complementary resource.

Having been a teacher for 15 years in adult education, I went into sub teacher. I wanted to read and learn some techniques and thought this book woudl help. Yes, there are Some great ideas in here (like getting the kids to do their name cards but draw something on there that they love/hobby etc to get to know a bit about them and help strike up a conversation!) from an experienced sub teacher. Other great ideas I've liked is about having a box of tricks such as a book to read, band aids, tissues and spare paper as all of these have come in handy in my first month of subbing! I also like reading other subs' experiences and questions. However, the reason why this book loses two stars is that it doesn't address the real main issue of behaviour and discipline that I've found to be THE most challenging aspect of subbing. This is where you need to know the school policies as well as have your own methods of discipline plus watch how other experienced teachers and subs do it. Ultimately it's a real challenge to get the kids to always adhere as they will always test the boundaries. It's a good introductory guide

This book was a life-saver for me! Barbara the author gives you pretty much all the essential tools needed to become a successful substitute teacher.

I've been a substitute for less than a year and I've bought several books on this subject. This one is the best on the subject--it's organized to be read in a random order-- and that makes it very useful. I can look up an issue that's on my mind on any particular day--and read up on that topic. This is a great one for anyone who's new at teaching.

It is well written and reading it doesn’t feel like a chore. It has an engaging voice and the tips and suggestions are very helpful.