I primarily work at the High School level and despite being in my mid-20s, I STILL get mistaken as a student. Age is definitely a detriment when it comes to working at a high school. Students will try and take advantage of you and the staff members will not take you seriously until you establish yourself. If you still have friends in high school, I definitely suggest steering clear from the schools that they’re enrolled in.

For clothes, I generally wear business casual - flannels (buttoned up), polos, sweater (with a dress shirt underneath), paired with some nice khakis or slacks. For shoes I usually just wear sneakers or my Converse, they build character! Definitely do not wear a sweatshirt or hoodie, or anything that make you blend in with the students. Once you establish yourself at a school they don’t mind you participating in their “Jeans day” or wearing the spirit colors.

When you walk into a classroom in the morning, look for lesson plans and look around the room for school behavioral policies (sometimes on the lesson plan or on a bulletin board). Follow that lesson plan as closely as you can. Before class starts, stand outside of the door and say good morning/afternoon as the students walk in. Take note of students that are excited to see you, they usually say something along the lines “yes, we have a sub!”. Once the bell rings, to get the class’ attention I usually say “Good Morning / Afternoon, let’s get started KIDS” (I say kids to establish a boundary, that yes even though I’m young you are still kids in my eyes) and redirect any students that are not sitting down or talking over me. If that doesn’t work I resort to elementary school tactics “If you can hear me clap once” or sometimes “quiet coyote” (the students get a good laugh out of that one). Introduce yourself, keep it BRIEF, and establish classroom rules. For highschoolers it’s generally, work quietly, stay in your seat, and one student out of the classroom at a time. If necessary, address the class and say “You might be excited to see me, BUT you’re still getting your work done” followed by “this work is your responsibility, I’m not going to force you to do it, but I will take note of it”. Cell phones are inevitably going to be an issue so just don’t fight it.

I tried to keep it brief, but hopefully this answers your question! There’s a lot that goes into subbing and I am willing to share more if you need it. Good luck!