QUALITY SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
IN DEMAND
WACO, TEXAS— Mandated requirements for classroom
teachers to participate in professional staff development,
campus and district planning, and occasionally the
need to be out of the classroom due to personal or
family illness are some of the factors that contribute
to the need for substitute teachers. With the increased
importance of schools employing highly qualified teachers
due to the No Child Left Behind Act, there is an ever-important
demand for highly qualified substitute teachers as
well. To help meet this need, Education Service Center
(ESC) Region 12 is offering Substitute Teacher Training
throughout Central Texas during the month of January.
“Substitute teacher training is very important
because we do not want any gaps in the quality service
that our teachers provide to our students. We want
our subs to provide consistent curriculum and discipline
in the classroom,” said Robin Battershell, superintendent
for Salado ISD.
Many Central Texas schools including Robinson, Hillsboro,
Kopperl, La Vega, and Salado ISD now require their
pool of substitute teachers to receive training through
Region 12. Larger school districts, such as Killeen
and Waco ISD require their subs to go through district-led
training as well.
The one-day Region 12 training includes instruction
on first-aid and safety, conflict resolution, teaching
strategies, implementing lesson plans and classroom
management strategies. All of these strategies will
prepare the substitute teacher to confidently and
successfully address daily classroom activities and
situations. The training is based on research from
the Utah State University’s (USU) Substitute
Teaching Institute. Research from USU shows that by
the time a student graduates from high school, they
will have spent more than a full year with a substitute
teacher. Therefore, finding qualified substitute teachers
is vital to Central Texas so that the student learning
process is not interrupted.
The substitute teacher training is open to current
substitute teachers, substitute teachers returning
to the field after an absence, or anyone interested
in becoming a substitute teacher. Individuals interested
in becoming a substitute teacher should be aware that
while most area schools will hire individuals who
have a high school diploma, some will require substitute
training and/or a minimum of 60 college hours to be
a substitute teacher.
The training costs $65 and participants will receive
an ESC Region 12 Substitute Training certificate upon
completion of the training. Although the training
does not guarantee a substitute position with any
school district, it is a time-convenient and affordable
way for participants in Central Texas to begin or
improve their substitute teaching skills. The Region
12 training also serves as a trainer-of-trainer model
for districts who may want to implement their own
substitute training.
For more information, contact Kathy Gentry at 254/297-1244
or kgentry@esc12.net.
One of 20 centers throughout Texas,
ESC Region 12 assists 78 independent school districts
and 11 charter schools in attaining the Texas Education
Agency’s goals and objectives. Based in Waco,
with offices in Copperas Cove, Corsicana, and Hillsboro,
the ESC Region 12’s service area includes Bell,
Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill,
Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, McLennan and Navarro counties.
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