VBCPS Offers Unique Guest Teacher Program
‘Substitute Teachers are too Important Not to Train!’

A one-day training session is the centerpiece for an extensive support program that elevates the status of substitute teachers, propelling Virginia Beach City Public Schools well ahead of the curve in providing quality instruction for its students.

The Guest Teacher training program offered by VBCPS is based on a two-day program developed by Drs. James B. Rowley and Patricia M. Hart, professors at the University of Dayton in Ohio. The school division got special permission to condense the information into a one-day package. It is taught collaboratively by Yolanda Young and Ron Nash specialist with the office of Organizational Development.

“We just wanted to help substitutes feel more comfortable in the school division and we wanted to provide them with tools and techniques that they could use in our classrooms,” Ron Nash said, noting that some of the potential substitutes have not been in a classroom since they were in school. “It can be very intimidating for substitute or guest teachers to walk into a classroom anywhere.”

“We want our guest teachers (substitutes) to have impact in the school. We want instruction to continue when the teacher is absent,” he said. “This makes them critical people to our way of thinking and justifies this training.”

Ann M. Wallace, SubFinder specialist in the Department of Human Resources, addresses a room full of potential teacher substitutes during a recent two-and-a-half hour orientation session. Once they have successfully completed their paper work, these candidates for substitute work will be scheduled for Guest Teacher training.

Nash said research shows that every day, nationwide, eight percent of teachers in a given district are out of the classroom for various reasons. “While systems may provide an orientation for their substitutes,” he said, “what we provide is one day of actual training, training that a large percentage of the school divisions across the country do not provide.”

The Guest Teacher training program covers four inter-related skill areas: interpersonal, instructional, logistical, and professional, with roughly 75 to 80 percent of the day spent on interpersonal skills. “We’re trying to make them feel comfortable in the classroom with the students and in the school community with the other adults,” said Nash.

Noting that teachers have at least four years to prepare to teach in a public school classroom, Yolanda Young said, “We have a responsibility to give our guest teachers at least one day of preparation. The content of the Guest Teacher training program sets the tone for a positive experience.”

“We stress the importance of developing a rapport with the students,” she said. “We want our guest teachers to remember that they are teaching kids, not just subjects.”

The Guest Teacher program is the brainchild of Nash and Ann M. Wallace, SubFinder specialist in the Department of Human Resources. “I’ve been placing substitutes for eight years,” said Wallace. “The training issue regarding substitutes has always been a source of concern, primarily because many of our substitutes had not been in a classroom before and were not familiar with the requirements of the classroom. We were also getting requests from the subs themselves, asking if there were any training that they could attend.”

During the orientation session, Wallace and her staff detail what substituting for VBCPS involves. Her office provides a complete description of each step that each applicant needs to accomplish, including the filling out of every piece of paperwork that is required by the school division to be eligible for substituting. She also explains the SubFinder system and the opportunities available.

“After the orientation session and after all applicants have turned in their packets, we review the applications and substitute packets to make sure everything’s complete and wait for the fingerprint and computer background check results,” said Wallace. “If their packets and backgrounds meet acceptable guidelines, the applicants are then scheduled for the Guest Teacher training.”

Once the training has been successfully completed, the applicant is entered into the SubFinder system according to the personal selections made on a profile sheet reflecting a choice of grade levels, subjects, school preferences, etc. The profile sheet assists the applicant in focusing on those teaching areas that he or she would be eligible and/or qualified to work in, as well as determining the school campuses for which he or she would most like to sub. “We activate substitutes at that point, and they can start receiving phone calls from the SubFinder system as soon as they’ve registered,” Wallace said. “If applicants get their paperwork completed in a timely manner, they can be finished and in the system in two weeks. We make every effort to process everyone as soon as possible.”

In addition to the orientation and full day training sessions, the Guest Teachers program offers a substantial amount of support for substitutes. This includes the availability of a library filled with texts that focus on substituting, as well as special two-hour seminars that are available only to guest teachers covering such topics as instructional strategies and classroom management. The school division also provides reimbursement of background check fees to guest teachers once they have completed five full days of “guest teaching.”

Anyone interested in becoming a substitute for either a teaching or non-teaching position within the school division can do so by contacting the Department of Human Resources, (757) 427-4781, or by visiting the school division’s Web site, “Employment Opportunities” page and clicking on Substitute Guidelines and Procedures.