Substitute teaching is also great because it carries little responsibility with it outside of the time you spend in the classroom. Full time teachers have papers to grade and lesson plans to prepare, but substitutes have no work to take home. In addition, substitutes can turn down an assignment, if they have other plans for the day on which they’ve been asked to teach.

Requirements for substitute teaching vary by state. Some states require a teaching certificate and others require simply that you have a college degree in some field. Check with your local school system for requirements if you think you’d like to try your hand at substituting.

So, now that we have convinced you that substituting is a great way to make a little extra cash and figure out if teaching is your passion; here are 17 tips designed to make your substitute teaching experience pleasant and rewarding.

1. Know school policies – You should familiarize yourself with basic school policies and schedules before class begins. Know when students will hear announcements, change classes, and go to lunch, as well as policies on behavior, etc.
2. Get there early. You need time to find your classroom, get information provided by the office and review any notes or lesson plans the teacher has left for you. Life is a lot easier if you can do all these things before the students enter the classroom.
3. Be professional and prepared – Substitute teachers have been the brunt of every prank known to man. While some ribbing may be unavoidable, the more professional and prepared you are, the fewer traumas you’ll have to endure. Look and act the part of a real teacher.
4. Have a few activities up your sleeve – When a teacher must take an unexpected day off, he or she may have no prepared lesson plans available for the substitute. Your day will go a lot more smoothly if you have some activities for your class. This means you’ll need a few different activities, designed for the age groups you’ll be teaching.
5. Check the teacher’s mailbox for information when you arrive in the morning. It may have some important things you need for the day.
6. Review any notes and assignments the teacher has left for you, and follow them as closely as possible.
7. Start students off on the right foot. Introduce yourself and let students know your expectations for behavior and work first thing in the morning. Then stick to the plan you’ve laid out for them.
8. Be in control. Establish rules, such as an acceptable noise level. If you ever let the students take control, it will be difficult to get it back. This is not to say you need to be a tyrant; but you do need to be in charge.
9. Treat the students with respect. If you want respect from them, treat them with respect, too. Treat them as though they’re your students; because, at least for today, they are!
10. Walk around the classroom. Walking around not only reminds students that you are in control, but it also makes you more approachable at the same time.
11. Don’t avoid conflict. If you have a troublemaker in class, he’s not going to stop making trouble because you ignored it. Get it out in the open and deal with it right away.
12. Remember that you are not there to babysit. Every school day has the potential to teach and impact a student. So, teach and make an impact while you’re there.
13. Leave the regular teacher a note at the end of the day explaining any events or issues, as well as letting her know what the class completed for the day.
14. Leave her room looking better than you found it.
15. Grade homework or assignments if you can. Grading papers is usually not required of substitute teachers. But, if the teacher has left the answer key, and you can get the job done; do it. It will be much appreciated by the teacher.
16. Leave your business card for the teacher if you’d like to substitute for her again. Many teachers arrange their own substitutes when they are planning a day off in advance.
17. Have fun. While we’ve spent a lot of time talking about all that can go wrong; the fact is that you can have a lot of really fun days meeting new kids and teaching them. So, enjoy it!

2010

1. Speech Techie: Sean J. Sweeney is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and Instructional Technology Specialist (ITS) (January).
2. Teacher Talk Blog: The Teacher Talk blog is one way for the Australian Museum to keep teachers updated about their programs and services (January).
3. The Nerdy Teacher: A 30-something English teacher who currently is working on a Masters Degree in educational technology writes this blog (January).
4. Boatswains and Bacteriemia: This history blog focuses on maritime jaunts and encompasses a broad range of topics from naval battles to the science of navigation (February).
5. I’d like to think that I help people to learn English: Richard has been teaching English since 2002 throughout Europe (February).
6. Cultural Learning Alliance: The Cultural Learning Alliance (CLA) is a collective voice in the UK working to ensure that all children and young people have meaningful access to culture in this difficult economic climate (March).
7. InterACT: A group blog from Accomplished California Teachers: Classroom expertise for better education policy (March).
8. New City Arts: Artist, teacher, and seeker of small aesthetic pleasures teaches k-6 art at New City School, a multiple-intelligence school in Saint Louis (March).
9. Teacher Talk: Commentary on education in Fairfield County, CT by Charles Costello (March).
10. bcnpaul1′s blog: Paul recently became interested in using digital technologies with young learners as a way to enhance motivation (April).
11. Reflections of a Teacher and Learner: David teaches kids at a private college in Turkey and he’s also a distance student on the University of Manchester’s MA in EdTech & TESOL program (April).
12. The Odd Bird: Along with this blog, the author is researching and developing a documentary film, also titled THE ODD BIRD, about her experiences with the neurological disorder Nonverbal Learning Disability (May).
13. Blogging through the Fourth Dimension: Education musings, technology, lessons and Pernille’s life as a teacher (June).
14. Broken Airplane: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, expect a blog about education and resources from this blogger (June).
15. Hack Education: Audrey Watters is a technology journalist, freelance writer, ed-tech advocate, recovering academic, rabble-rouser and single mom (June).
16. Close up: Ceri teaches, trains teachers and writes teaching materials for general English adult and teenage learners and classrooms (July).
17. Digital Dervish: Deborah Gants has been a teacher for twenty-two years. She has a degree in Secondary English and Masters in Technology in Education with an ESOL add-on (July).
18. A Teacher’s Journal: This blog is for teachers and offers encouragement from stories and reflections that will inspire you to write about own aspirations and reflect on your teaching experiences each week (August).
19. Be Cunning and Full of Tricks: John “Pathfinder” Lester is an expert and strategist in educational online communities and virtual worlds (August).
20. Bino and Fino: This blog is about a cartoon series about a brother and sister named Bino and Fino who live with their grandparents ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’ in a modern day city in Africa (August).
21. Grovo: This online training site and blog aim to bridge the online learning gap with video lessons on a variety of topics like the money management site Mint, Google Docs, and the basics of Twitter (August).
22. Project Fit America Blog: This blog for teachers who work diligently, against all odds and funding cuts, to getting America’s kids fit (August).
23. Quantum Progress: A teacher tries to raise the energy level of physics classes with this blog (August).
24. Stories from School — Arizona: Accomplished teacher leaders tell stories about how policy decisions impact learning and teaching in their classrooms (August).
25. About a Teacher: (September).
26. Box of Chocolates: An EFL teacher from Recife, Brazil, is very passionate about teaching and writing (September).
27. Culture of Yes: Chris Kennedy is the Superintendent of Schools / CEO with the West Vancouver School District (West Vancouver, BC) (September).
28. In the News at National School Furniture & National School Supply: National School Furniture and National School Supply have come together and created a brand new educational blog designed specifically for their customers (September).
29. JISC Blog: JISC Board and its sub-committees are senior managers, academics and technology experts working in UK further and higher education (September).
30. My English Teacher’s Blog 2010-2011: A teacher located in Spain offers her school year in blog format. Will she continue blogging after 2011? (September).
31. Inside History: A new blog that represents Australia’s magazine for history and genealogy (October).
32. Infinigons, etc. A teacher’s musings on math, education, and all linear combinations thereof, updated weekly (November).
33. Students First Blog: The mission behind this new blog is to build a national movement to defend the interests of children in public education so that America has the best education system in the world (December).

2009

34. Clearly Trained’s eLearning Blog:This blog covers the wide variety of experiences Flash designer Eric Bort has had in the eLearning industry, as well as new project overviews and random inspirations (February).
35. Education On The Plate: special education teacher in Bronx, NY, writes about learning, teaching, “eating & drinking” (February).
36. Interactyx Blog: This company, which produces award-winning eLearning software, started this blog early in 2009 (February).
37. Don’t Forget South Central: California’s unprecedented budget crisis resulted in huge cuts to education spending. This blog chronicles the crisis (March).
38. Government Elearning! This blog launched in Spring, and it reflects monthly newsletters that provide executives with roadmaps for improving enterprise and employee performance (March).
39. Special Ed Justice: Jennifer Laviano offers news and information about special education law (March).
40. Special Education and Disability Rights Blog: This blog, written by A2Z Educational Advocates, is for those individuals who are interested in special education issues (April).
41. Teacher Reboot Camp: Discussing strategies for engaging students through effective instructional methods and technology (May).
42. eLearning Learning: This blog’s goal is to collect and organize the best information on the Web about eLearning (June).
43. Insafe Blog: Co-funded by The European Union, this blog focuses on online safety for kids (July).
44. Educating Grace: A former high school math teacher, now developing teacher training (August).
45. Shaun Wilden’s Blog: Shaun has been involved in English language teaching for almost twenty years (August).
46. Reweaving the Commons: Paul Treadwell is a distance learning consultant and information technology specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension (September).
47. So this is English… Michelle Worgan has been teaching English for over ten years, mostly in Spain (September).
48. The Disruptive Teacher: Although the blog archive here shows 2010, Tim actually began his blog in October 2009 at a previous Web address (October).
49. The Pursuit of Technology Integration Happiness: This blog mostly focuses on secondary education technology resources, with an occasional elementary or middle school resource as well (November).
50. Feminist Teacher: Currently a teacher at the Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School (LREI) in New York, Ileana Jiménez offers courses on feminism, Latin literature, LGBT literature, Toni Morrison, and memoir writing (December).

The following list is compiled in alphabetical order:

1. Donna Alvermann, PhD, is a UGA Distinguished Research Professor in the University of Georgia’s College of Education’s department of language and literacy education. She was named a 2010 Southern Regional Education Board Mentor of the Year for the Compact for Faculty Diversity Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. Alvermann was among only four faculty members in the country receiving this award.
2. Holly Anthony, PhD, is a Tennessee Tech associate professor of mathematics education. Her research interests bring interpretivist and poststructural theories to bear on a range of overlapping interests: mathematics teaching and curricula reform, and she was chosen to be part of a four-member team to represent the voice of higher education in Tennessee.
3. Dr. Michael Basile is a Murray State (Kentucky) University education professor who serves on the first board of trustees at a new university in Iraq’s Kurdish region. Dr. Basile, former director of MSU’s Institute for International Studies, has worked over a decade with the university’s first president to develop civil society institutions in Iraqi Kurdistan.
4. Richard S. Christen, PhD, has a background in history, but is an associate professor of education at the University of Portland, where he won an “Excellence in Teaching” award. He also received a Distinguished Teacher Award, White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 1990.
5. Jamal A. Cooks, PhD is an assistant professor of secondary education at San Francisco State University. He is known for instructing his soon-to-be high school teachers how to use rap, hip-hop and sports in the classroom, and asks to use rap as a pre-writing activity to essays.
6. Steve Coxon, PhD, serves as assistant professor of gifted education and literacy at Maryville University in St. Louis where I direct the graduate programs in gifted education. He handles the Maryville University Young Scholars Education Program, which just received a second $20,000 grant from the Saigh Foundation of St. Louis.
7. Janice DeLucia-Waack, PhD, is an associate professor in Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology and a member of the search committee for the director of the University at Buffalo SUNY Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying, Abuse and School Violence. She has authored two books and co-authored three other books.
8. Ghazi Ghaith, PhD, is an American University of Beirut professor and chairman of the university’s Education Department. He recently was honored for his work in serving “the peoples of the Middle East and beyond,” in line with the award’s criteria. He also served on the Executive Board of Directors of the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education (IASCE).
9. Matthew K. Gold, PhD, is assistant professor of English at the New Your City College of Technology, CUNY. Dr. Gold is now leading a five-year initiative funded by the U.S. DOE to create a teaching and learning platform that could strengthen social and intellectual bonds among students and deepen their engagement with course materials.
10. Richard Hunter, EdD, is a professor in the Educational Organization & Leadership department of the University of Illinois, Champaign. Dr. Hunter is known for his extensive public school administrative experience in public education and for his academic research on topics in urban education. He received a Fulbright Scholar award in October, 2010.
11. Professor Robyn Jorgensen, PhD, of Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, focuses her work in the area of equity, particularly focusing on the social practices that contribute to the patterns of success (or not) of social, cultural and linguistic groups. Industries are actively involved in her studies and use the outcomes to inform their own practices.
12. Youngsoo Kim, PhD, is an internationally-recognized expert in the research areas of message design in online learning and instructional design based on cognitive theories and emerging technologies. Kim is a professor of educational technology at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea. Starting last year, Kim became an adviser to the office of the president of the Republic of Korea, serving on the Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Education, Science, & Culture.
13. Judith Kysh, PhD, is a San Francisco State assistant professor of secondary education and mathematics, where she focuses on teach and learning of mathematics from kindergarten to college. She has cowritten at least a dozen books and textbooks about math, including algebra.(photo: http://real.mspnet.org/index.cfm/showcase_member/user_id-924)
14. Jose Worrell Lalas, PhD, is a professor of literacy and director of teacher education in the School of Education at the University of Redlands, California. He also served as associate dean of that school, and previously served in the Corona-Norco Unified School District as a school board member for 13 years.
15. Diane Nielsen, PhD is an associate professor of education at the School of Education, The University of Kansas. KU seniors selected her as a finalist for the 2009 HOPE (Honor for an Outstanding Progressive Educator) Award. She conducts study abroad programs, where students work with teachers and children in preschool, elementary, middle, or high school settings.
16. Lilliam M. Malave Lopez, PhD, associate professor, Department of Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo, is director of the department’s bilingual and L2 (second language) education graduate certification program. She is a 2010-2011 Fulbright Scholar.
17. Jane Piirto, PhD, is Ashland University’s fourth Trustees’ Distinguished Professor in the Dwight Schar College of Education. She is an award-winning scholar in education and psychology, and a widely published and award-winning poet and novelist. Dr. Piirto is the recipient of a Fulbright Hays grant for a study tour to Argentina, where she wrote a cycle of poems.
18. Jennifer King Rice, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at the University of Maryland. Her publications and presentations have precipitated invitations to share her expertise with various organizations including the US Department of Education, the Maryland State Department of Education, and the New York State Board of Regents among other organizations.
19. Richard G. Salmon, EdD professor of educational leadership and policy studies in the School of Education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the professor emeritus title by Tech’s Board of Visitors. He is an authority on public school finance, and his work has made a profound impact on public PK-12 school funding in the U.S.
20. Joel Westheimer, PhD, is the University Research Chair and professor in the Sociology of Education department, University of Ottawa. His research focus is to explore the ways educational theorists conceive of teaching democracy and the ways school practices embrace or challenge these conceptions.

1. Diana Dell: Dell is an Educational technology consultant who specializes in learning games and activities.She’ll give you some great ideas for you to use in your own classroom.
2. Tweet for Education: Though not truly an educator, this group tweets and retweets the best of the best when it comes to new information that teachers can use.
3. Julie LaChance: LaChance is a technology facilitator who supplies all sorts of resources to teachers. She has a website, and puts a lot of information on Twitter as well.
4. Kelly Hines: Hines is an award winning teacher who is an innovator in using technology in the classroom.
5. Steve Wheeler: Wheeler is a Web 2.0 researcher and author of The Digital Classroom. He is also a lecturer, e-learning specialist, international speaker and co-editor of Interactive Learning Environments.
6. Vicki Davis: Davis is a teacher from Georgia who is an avid user of technology in the classroom as a way to build cultural bridges.
7. Chicken Saltash: This anonymous teacher is an educator and avid tweeter about all things in the classroom as well as about animals.
8. Larry Ferlazzo: An avid educator and inner city high school teacher in California.
9. Maggie Verster: Verster is an ICT teacher and teaching activist in South Africa.
10. Ozge Karaoglu: Karaoglu is a teacher in Istanbul, Turkey. She is also a preschool team leader,coordinator of an EFL DVD project, e-moderator, and the content and educational coordinator of Minigon reader series.
11. Terry Freedman: Freedman is a teacher from the UK who is passionate about using technology in the classroom.
12. Michael Fawcett: Fawcett is a primary teacher in New Zealand who is an avid tweeter.
13. P Donaghy: Donaghy is an ICT teacher in Dublin, Ireland, who is a course director in moodle and Google Apps. Moodle stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It is a free and open-source e-learning software platform, also known as a Course Management System, Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment. Some of today’s most innovative teachers use Moodle.
14. Russel Tarr: Tarr is an history teacher in France. He is also the author of ActiveHistory.co.uk and ClassTools.net. Tarr shares many ideas that other educators can benefit from.
15. Tony Parkin: Parkin is the retiring head of ICT Development in London.
16. Digital Maverick: This teacher in the UK is a learning technologist and self proclaimed “moodle evangelist”.
17. Weemooseus: Weemooseus is a middle school technology teacher in New Mexico. She is also an education reform advocate.
18. Steve Bunce: Bunce is a teacher from the Uk who is interested in digital storytelling and game based learning.
19. Cyndi Danner Kuhn: Kuhn is an Educational Technology Teacher at the University of Kansas. She is also an Apple Professional Development Trainer.
20. Peter Vogel: Vogel is an ICT and physics teacher from Vancouver, BC. He is interested in using technology for teaching science in the classroom.

Following other teachers on Twitter is a great way to hone your skills and get new ideas. Be sure, however that you share your own ideas, too. One of the great benefits to using Twitter is that it becomes a two way communication flow. Particularly when it comes to teaching; this sharing of techniques and strategies can really benefit you in the classroom. As you can see here, there are great teachers from all over the world on Twitter, so you can use techniques that may not be prevalent in your area.

There are plenty of other great teachers on Twitter. Follow these and see what other educators can provide you with the ideas you need to keep your classroom fun and cutting edge.

Professional Role in Teaching Special Education: This courseware  offered by Susan Bruce of Michigan State University is based upon professional role in teaching special education. It imparts learning on topics like collaboration with teachers, parents and community settings.

Best Special Education Practices: This courseware offered by Ann Nevin from Arizona State University is for elementary and secondary teachers in special education.

Heilpädagogik Online: It is quarterly peer reviewed online medical journal with special focus on Special education and disability studies.  It is set up with goal to provide scientific knowledge of Special Education and Disability studies for professional as well as public. Its articles are provided in German as well as English.

The Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education (INUJFE):  It is an open courseware with access to electronic and open access electric and print journal devoted to the dissemination, criticism, interpretation and encouragement of all forms of systematic enquiry into education and fields related or associated with education.

International Journal of Special Education: Published since 2002, this Journal is intended to make its content available free to everyone who is interested in special education or is a student of special education.

International Journal of Whole Schooling: This is an internationally referred publication to device new methods of learning and schooling for all children. The journal is for a large range of people in education field including researchers, parents, teachers, students, community members and policy makers for expressing views and ideas on topics ranging scholarly research, experience of teachers, policy analysis and many more.

The Open Education Journal:  it s is an Open Access online journal which the best content comprising research articles, reviews and short articles from the areas of education research on varied issues of learning and specially special education.

Teaching Exceptional Children Plus:  This journal publishes content useful for people who are working with and working with need of children with special education and needs.

The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD): It is an international organization of and for the professionals who from diverse fields of work, showcase and represent diverse disciplines with a promise to enhance the educational level and lifespan of individuals with learning disabilities and be in need of special education.

Federation for Children with Special Needs: The Federation work with objective to provide support and assistance to children with disabilities, professional partners and their communities. It is also working with objective to learn from families and to encourage them to participate in communities with people with disabilities.

Sara Neufeld: Living at Baltimore she is a Writer, education wonk and yoga practitioner.

Mark Leach: Living at Camden, London he is a full time HE policy geek for NUS, cinema nerd and a sushi lover.

Diane Weir: Living at Wstford Massachusetts she is an IBMer and an education wonk and express her ideas and views on education through her blog http://www.dianeweir.com.

Ana Petero: Living at SF Bay Area she is an educator and politics wonk.

BobMorrison: Living at Warren, New Jersy Morrison is a Music and Arts Education Researcher, Advocate and public policy wonk.

Adam Hall: Living at Newberry, SC, USA is a BA and an MA in English. He also been trained as an Office of Vocation and Adult Education (OVAE) facilitator. A Breaking Ranks II instructor and a Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) workshop provider.

Kristen Kulinowski: Presently living at Houston, Texas is a chemist, education policy wonk and presently working as a mediator to describe interfaces between science and society in respect to nanotechnology.

SecurEducation: Living at Minnesota US, he is education wonk for IT security hazards.

Neil Allison: Living at Washington DC, Neil Allison is an education expert with nearly over 10 years of experience creating and putting effective business policies into effect.  He has implied his innovative solution making strategies in digital media, online tutoring, institutional assessment, education analytics and course management.

Kathy Christie: Living at Denver, she is an education policy wonk and you can have better idea about her area of interest from http://www.ecs.org.

An online Masters in Education program has its advantages. For those who are already in employment, it gives them a chance to go back to study without having to leave their jobs. It is a convenient way to achieve higher education because you can study when you are free to do so, you do not have to reschedule your activities for the day or postpone any important engagement. This flexibility, not found in regular classes, has made it possible for many people to obtain Masters Degrees without a problem.

There are numerous options of online colleges and universities to choose from if you are planning on advancing your education. However, there are a few things that you will have to first consider before you apply in any one of them. The first thing you need to do is to verify the college’s authenticity. The internet is home to countless conmen who pretend to offer online education when in the real sense all they want to do is swindle people. A college offering an online Masters of education program should have been accredited by the relevant authority in its area of operation.

The best online Masters in Education course has to be taught by the best qualified instructor. Make sure that you do thorough research to ascertain your online instructor’s credentials. You can get this from testimonies from students whom the instructor has taught before. This will make your learning experience much easier.

An online Masters in Education degree is really easy to get. All you will be required to have is high speed internet connection so that your learning is not inhibited in any way. This will enable you to attend virtual classes from anywhere you are in the world. It will also enable you to access the online library offered by the institutions to people who are pursuing a Masters in Education Degree. You will need to send the online institution copies of academic documents that will provide proof that you are qualified to apply for the course.

Getting a Masters in Education is one of the things that will greatly improve your career and your life. You will find that it will help you find a whole range of opportunities in your career that you might have never thought possible. Join a virtual college that offers online Masters in Education program and you can be sure your life will change for the better.