SubSchool Community

How it Works: It’s a bit like a book club. You’ll complete SubSchool’s self-paced courses and participate in workshops with other substitute teachers. This is a great opportunity for anyone exploring substitute teaching or who is already a practicing sub. SubSchool membership and access to workshops will last one year. Why SubSchool? Schools need a backup team of caring adults who can step in when teachers need to be away from their classrooms. Today the design of that job doesn’t set anyone up for success. It’s one of the most under-loved, under-resourced, and under-designed parts of education. It’s also one of the most essential, without a strong backup plan schools struggle to keep the doors open and teachers burn out. While we can’t address all of the dynamics that make substitute teaching difficult, SubSchool addresses two of the most important: access to high-quality training and a sense of connection. Substantial Classrooms is the nonprofit behind SubSchool. Substantial exists to unlock the potential of substitute teaching. Substantial started because our founder, Jill Vialet, kept finding herself in conversations with principals desperate for a better substitute teaching experience for their students. The challenges principals described varied - unstaffed classrooms, unprepared substitute teachers, chaotic classrooms - but the hope was always the same. Schools need caring adults who know their students and can step in when a teacher needs to be away. We work to make that happen.