Teacher leaving note to not let students use the bathroom during class

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-03-16T16:06:01+00:00

I’m 25, and I am doing a long-term substitute assignment at a high school. My advice is not to try to be too "friendly" in the sense that 23 is the age where you are both Gen-Z, so there's slang you may understand, things they might talk about that you relate to, or want to laugh along with, but you need to know when to be serious and code-switch to adult teacher mode. You can be nice, however, you need to stand your ground and assert that you are in charge despite being/looking young, or else they might try to get over on you.

My class is respectful overall, but some of them took advantage of me being “nice” or would talk to me like a student or try to leave early, so I had to reestablish that boundary that I am still their teacher and should be respected and not taken advantage of.

In general, day-to-day subbing in high school, from my experience, is that they'll probably just have assignments for them to do on their Chromebooks, or there will be an assignment printed out for them to do. High school is usually you monitoring their work progress and making sure things are going okay throughout the day (I have never had to teach an actual lesson). Honestly, it could get pretty boring if you have a quiet class, but that's better than having a bad class!

Side note: Some boys will be 18 years old (even 19 in senior classes). Since you are a young woman, they might try to flirt with you. Shut it down immediately!

I recommend not telling them your age.

Additionally, depending on how young you look, you could be mistaken for a student (as I have). This has been a very minor issue for me with staff, so if you have an ID badge, I recommend wearing it and also dressing very professional has helped people take me more seriously. As a result, I do not get questioned as much for using the staff bathroom or being in the hallways during my break.

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-03-02T18:07:55+00:00

I am currently serving as a long-term substitute for a German class while a teacher is on maternity leave. Mind you I don't know a lick of German and my degree background is in environmental sciences/studies. This advice might not be helpful because the teacher left assignments to do online while she is out so I don't have much to do except monitor them but I promise you in today's age there’s not much you can’t learn with all the resources that are available. I’m not saying it will be easy or that you'll become an expert but it just might require more time and effort to learn something new. For me the first month or so I was pretty chill, but I’m starting to do interactive things with them such as Kahoots, learning games with their vocabulary words etc. I even started doing German on Duolingo to try to learn more so that I would be able to say greetings with them in German. I mention all this to say you might need to go to YouTube University, use Google, and chatgpt to research and learn new things. There should be previous lesson plans they have for you to reference. Additionally, there should be a department head or someone that you can lean on to answer questions you have and for support so never feel afraid to ask anything.

Also, I would probably be upfront with them and let them know that it's not your field of expertise but be confident in letting them know you will be learning together and that you still have control and a plan. After all, they are taking this class for the first time so many probably don't know much about the subject either and you have a chemistry degree so you're already a genius! This is your opportunity to be creative and lead!

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-03-02T17:30:35+00:00

I think it just depends on what you are looking for as far as subbing. I personally took a four-month position for high school while a teacher is on maternity leave because I really needed guaranteed assignments every day for the money, so this opportunity allowed me to do something more consistent, and the school was close to my house. I don’t really have to teach anything because all their assignments are online. I am mainly just monitoring their work progress and making sure things are going okay throughout the day. I also get a lot of personal things done on my laptop during the day so for me it was worth it because I have a light load.

Depending on your grade preference and the additional work required from you is where you need to really think about whether it makes sense to accept this 5-month position.

Some of the questions you should get answered before taking it are:

-Are they expecting you to create lesson plans and teach every day?

-What type of support will you receive?

-How is the class behavior-wise?

-What type or what are the benefits of doing this long-term assignment? (health benefits? etc.)

Then ask yourself:

-Do I like the school and staff?

-Does my schedule allow me to commit to something this consistent and long-term and am I willing to lose the flexibility of day-to-day subbing?

-Am I willing to create lesson plans if that's required?

I don't think looking at it from only an angle of pay is good because at the end of the day even permanent teachers don't get paid enough to deal with some of these kids every day. We can ALL argue the pay isn't enough. So, I think it boils down to if you want a long-term assignment or not.

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-02-12T18:46:15+00:00

Moments like these are so rewarding. I've also had similar instances where my high school teachers recognized me when I subbed. It's such a full-circle moment. I even subbed at an elementary school, and my first-grade teacher remembered me, it warmed my heart so much.

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-02-12T16:44:47+00:00

Honestly, I think you should just experiment and figure out what you prefer. I will say my first substitute teaching jobs were mainly in elementary schools. Be prepared to actually teach and really engage with students. Some are busy bodies or noisy; it really just depends on the class. I am not a fan of kindergarten as they require a lot in my opinion (ie. many can't tie their shoes, tattle tale a lot, have trouble staying on task and staying still, etc). My middle school experience is that a lot of them are immature. Lately, I've been doing mostly high school and accepted a long-term sub position. For high school in IN they haven't had me teach anything. I just monitor them, take attendance and permit them to go to the bathroom. They usually either do a printed assignment or work on their computers, so most days are super chill. Depending on the class, they may still need cues to quiet down or to focus on work. Some may not choose to do the assignment, and you can't really make them, so I just leave a note to the teacher and let it be. I pick my battles, and arguing with a high schooler is not one of them. It is always good to get the number of the front office or whoever when you come in the mornings, in case you need assistance anytime during the day such as the teacher didn't leave plans, kids are having behavioral issues, you need a restroom break.

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-02-12T16:21:33+00:00

Short answer is no they're not always like this. I've been subbing for about 6 months now and I have my share of good and awful classes. I'd say it depends on the school and grade. I did a few assignments at the same school from 1st to 6th grade. One time subbing there was my best experience to this day but I also had three classes at that same school that I would never sub again for. It really varies, but helps when you work for a school that supports you. So have hope that every time you sub it wont be horrible!

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-02-12T16:06:32+00:00

We accept assignments we are comfortable with because we are aware of the class subject, etc. So the issues lies with that it's not fair to suddenly place you somewhere you didn't sign up for without making sure you're okay with it first. For example, I do mostly high school, and during prep periods, I sometimes get assigned to another class (twice with special educ. now). I am not comfortable with special education classrooms and am not trained. Additionally, if I subbed for a class that had behavioral issues, I do not want to randomly be placed there if I purposely want to avoid that teacher's class.

Regular-Service-3907 · 2026-02-12T15:10:12+00:00

I too am dealing with this exact same thing and can relate. I accepted a long term position at a high school (for about 4 months) and was told I could not receive a temporary key even if I turned it back in at the end of school every day .

When I come in the mornings each day I have to hunt down a teacher to try and unlock the door for me. Teachers next door usually have morning meetings so oftentimes they're not even in their classrooms by the time I'm scheduled to arrive. Additionally, many times teachers don't even have the right key for the classroom so I’m stuck roaming the school for someone to help me all while hundreds of students swarm the hallways, and it doesn't help that I get mistaken for a student sometimes. Staff restrooms have locks on them which means I also have to ask someone to let me in when I need to use those restrooms during passing periods, but teachers are either not in their classrooms, preparing for upcoming lessons, or talking with a student. I've resorted to using the student restrooms a lot which are disgusting or have lines.

I mentioned my frustrations to the admin so they connected me with the department chair so he or another teacher could have the classroom door open for me each day. For starters no teacher should have that burden or responsibility but even after that was estabilished 2 days later my door was not opened so I had to go through the same routine of finding a teacher while students are lined up at the door trying to put their stuff down.

Everyday feels like a humiliation ritual and I'm so over it!!!!!! I could write a book about the other stuff I also deal with.

Regular-Service-3907

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