Following a year-long journey of intensive self-reflection and professional development, approximately 330 new teacher candidates have earned the Reflective Teaching micro-credential for 2024-2025. Embedded within the Supervised Provisional Teaching II course, the Rutgers Alternate Route program proudly marks the achievement of its non-credit teaching candidates with this prestigious badge of distinction.

A substitute teacher’s role shifts, with a need to adapt to new classes, new school buildings and new districts. It’s a profession where every day brings something different, which comes with its benefits and challenges. The work is never boring, however, learning new names every day has the potential to overwhelm those new to the position.

To help stomp out potential stress, we’ve outlined common challenges for substitute teachers and the best ways to navigate them.
A new classroom setting every day

Rutgers Alternate Route teachers are helping each other and teachers everywhere by sharing their favorite resources to elevate social studies instruction. If you’re seeking creative lesson plans, thought-provoking discussion prompts, current events, national art, and more that bring history and civics to life, you’re in the right place. Whether you want inquiry-based lessons from the National Council for Social Studies, interactive video tools like Edpuzzle or PBS LearningMedia, or creative project ideas and simulations, you’ll find resources here to make your social studies lessons more dynamic and memorable.

A paraprofessional in the classroom can help teachers and students overcome common challenges, plus provide a better learning experience. But who is there to support a paraprofessional when they encounter a challenge?

Support staff are necessary to a school’s health; however, these hardworking individuals need their own guidance as they encounter situations unique to their profession. They need their own guidance and support structure, the way they provide one for teachers.

These modern STEM resources support personalized learning, letting teachers tailor instruction to different learning styles and paces. From ready-to-use lesson plans and activity books to immersive apps and virtual labs, their resource recommendations are designed to deepen understanding of many STEM concepts-whether you’re teaching biology, environmental science, or engineering.