A Substitute Teacher Thought He’d Have an Easy Day Until the Students Completely Lost Control
The school year was about to start again, so one substitute teacher asked fellow subs to share their worst experiences on the job. What followed was a collection of stories involving violent students, chaotic classrooms, unhelpful administrators, bizarre teacher behavior, and situations nobody could have reasonably prepared for.
One substitute described being watched by a staff member so closely that even a simple bathroom break became uncomfortable. Others recalled students throwing desks, fighting in classrooms, refusing to follow instructions, and deliberately trying to make substitutes quit.
The Bathroom Encounter That Still Makes No Sense
One substitute had been working for more than a year when he accepted a job at a middle school he’d never worked at before. Everything seemed normal until he stopped at the office and asked where the restroom was.
Instead of simply giving him directions, a female staff member walked him all the way there and waited directly outside the single-person restroom. The walls were thin enough that he could hear her standing there, which made the situation extremely awkward.
She Kept Checking on Him Throughout the Day
The substitute joked that he was relieved he only needed to urinate because he would’ve been mortified if he’d needed to use the bathroom for longer. Afterward, the same staff member walked him to his classroom.
That wasn’t the end of it. She repeatedly entered his classroom while students were present, seemingly checking on him. The substitute couldn’t figure out what exactly she expected to find.
Then She Started Barging Into His Classroom
The strange behavior continued when he returned to the school for additional assignments. During lunch, when he was alone in the classroom, the staff member would unlock the door and walk in without knocking.
Sometimes she was only delivering paperwork about a classroom change, but the way she immediately opened the locked door made the substitute feel as though she was trying to catch him doing something wrong.
After five years of substitute teaching, he said he’d never experienced anything similar again and eventually stopped accepting assignments from that school.
One Substitute Had a Desk Thrown at Him
Another substitute’s first experience at a middle school was dramatically worse. He was covering a seventh-grade science class, but the classroom quickly descended into chaos.
The students were talking so loudly that even yelling wouldn’t get their attention. After several minutes, the substitute called for assistance, and that’s when one student picked up a desk and threw it at him.
The substitute was left stunned and frightened. Administrators eventually rushed into the classroom, and several students were removed.
He decided that no amount of money was worth returning to that school.
A Teacher Banned a Substitute Over a Missing Internet Connection
Another substitute arrived in a math classroom only to discover that the internet wasn’t working. Since the students’ assignment was online and math wasn’t his subject area, he improvised.
He decided to teach the high school students about financial aid, including programs such as FAFSA and Pell Grants. His intention was simply to keep the students occupied with something potentially useful.
The regular teacher apparently wasn’t impressed and later banned the substitute from the classroom for going off the lesson plan.
The Principal Had a Different Idea
The substitute was then told to meet with the principal. He explained that the teacher hadn’t left a phone number, the internet wasn’t working, and he had simply tried to keep the students productive.
The principal told him that he should have contacted the main office for an assignment instead.
The substitute wasn’t convinced that would’ve helped much, but the incident became one more reminder that improvising as a substitute can sometimes create problems even when you’re trying to help.
Some Students Make It Their Mission to Remove the Substitute
One substitute described walking into a sixth-grade classroom where students had apparently developed a reputation for running substitutes out of the room.
A student immediately announced that the class was going to “destroy” the substitute.
Instead of reacting angrily, the substitute treated the statement like an ambitious goal and congratulated the student for setting one. Surprisingly, the strategy worked, and the class ended up being relatively manageable.
The substitute said the experience taught them that sometimes refusing to give students the reaction they’re looking for can completely change the dynamic.
One Substitute Was Forced to Watch the Same Heartbreaking Documentary Six Times
Not every horror story involved badly behaved students. One substitute accepted what he expected to be an ordinary high school assignment.
Instead, every class was scheduled to watch a documentary about Jewish teenagers who were killed during the Holocaust. The film included readings from their journals and letters, along with family photographs and images documenting the atrocities.
By the end of the first period, the substitute was crying at the teacher’s desk.
Then another class arrived.
He had to watch the same documentary six times in one day.
The Teacher Eventually Admitted Why She Wasn’t Watching
At the end of the day, the substitute encountered the regular teacher in the hallway. The teacher immediately looked embarrassed and apologized.
She admitted that she simply couldn’t bring herself to watch the documentary over and over again, so she had left the task for the substitute.
The substitute could hardly blame her, although watching the emotional material six times certainly wasn’t what he had expected when accepting the job.
A Fire Drill Became a Recurring Nightmare
Another substitute complained about fire drills, especially in middle school. The problem wasn’t getting students outside. The problem was being expected to keep thirty students completely silent while standing outside with children the substitute had only just met.
Substitutes are also expected to take attendance and follow emergency procedures despite having little familiarity with the students.
One substitute said regular teachers sometimes made them feel as though they were failing because their students were talking during drills.
One Substitute Didn’t Even Know There Was a Fire Drill
A first-time middle school substitute experienced a fire drill between second and third period. Nobody had warned them, and they didn’t even have students in the classroom at the time.
They grabbed their clipboard, locked the classroom, and followed everyone outside. Once there, they discovered students from their previous class standing together without a teacher.
They quickly took attendance and reported that everyone was present.
After that experience, the substitute made a habit of reading the school’s emergency procedures before doing anything else.
More Than 100 Children Were Nearly Left With One Substitute
One substitute arrived for a half-day assignment at an elementary school and discovered something alarming. Several first-grade teachers were apparently attending training, and the substitute was expected to supervise roughly six classes of children on an unfenced playground.
That meant more than 100 young children could have been left under the supervision of one substitute.
The substitute immediately contacted the office and explained that the situation was a serious safety issue. The school eventually found the teachers and sent them back outside.
The substitute finished the assignment but never accepted another job at that campus.
A Classroom Had Two Fights in One Period
One substitute described covering a notoriously difficult sixth-grade class where students routinely ignored authority. The school already knew the group was challenging, and substitutes were hard to find for the class.
One particularly bad day included screaming, running around, water bottles being deliberately spilled, inappropriate language, students blasting sounds from their computers, and almost no work being completed.
Then two separate fights broke out in the same classroom.
The substitute had to call the principal multiple times, while a paraprofessional voluntarily came in after hearing the chaos over the radio.
Another Substitute Was Hit in the Head With a Soccer Ball
A substitute covering middle school gym class was checking attendance near the door when a student kicked a soccer ball directly into their head.
The ball hit with enough force to knock the substitute’s glasses off, and their head then struck a cinder-block wall.
The substitute went to the nurse for a concussion assessment and completed an incident report.
What made the situation even worse was the principal’s response.
The Principal Blamed the Substitute for Getting Hit
After making the student apologize, the principal reportedly told the substitute that they should have been more careful.
The substitute was told they should have kept their head on a swivel, shouldn’t have stood against the wall, and shouldn’t have expected fourteen-year-olds to use common sense.
The substitute was earning minimum wage and eventually quit after another incident in which the principal blamed them for a student’s behavior.
A Substitute Accidentally Discovered a Dead Rat
One substitute was working in a classroom belonging to a teacher who had recently passed away. The teacher had reportedly been known as a hoarder, and the condition of the classroom matched the rumors.
At one point, the substitute needed a pen and opened a desk drawer.
Inside was a rat trap containing a dead rat.
It was definitely not the classroom supply they expected to find.
A Substitute Opened a Teacher’s Collectible and Destroyed Its Value
Perhaps one of the strangest stories involved a substitute who decided to open a teacher’s collectible model that had been left on a bookshelf.
The model had been donated as part of a fundraiser and was still sealed in its original packaging. The teacher had never assembled it because keeping it in its original condition gave it significant collectible value.
The substitute opened the package and glued the model together.
The owner estimated that the collectible had been worth around $400 before the substitute’s intervention.
Afterward, it was reportedly worth only about $5.
A Principal Accused Two Children of Fighting Without Checking the Facts
Another substitute’s friend was working in a third-grade classroom when the principal suddenly stormed in and removed two students.
The principal accused the children of fighting during recess and then criticized the substitute for failing to intervene. The children were crying and repeatedly insisting that they hadn’t done anything wrong.
The principal said she would review the security footage.
Later, when the substitute went to the office for an explanation, the principal admitted she had been mistaken.
There had never been a fight.
The Most Chaotic Classroom Had Nearly Everything Go Wrong
One substitute recalled an especially terrible day in a sixth-grade classroom. The students were already known for being difficult, but this particular day was far beyond normal.
There were two fights, screaming, students running around, water being intentionally spilled, inappropriate language, videos and soundboards blasting from computers, and students throwing things around the room.
The substitute repeatedly called for administrative help.
By the end of the day, very little work had been completed and the classroom was a disaster.
Sometimes the Best Substitute Strategy Is Simply Surviving
Across all the stories, one theme kept appearing: substitute teachers often walk into situations without knowing the students, the school’s culture, or what has happened earlier in the year.
Some classrooms are perfectly manageable. Others seem to have been waiting all day for a substitute to arrive so they can test every possible boundary.
The stories also showed that the best schools aren’t necessarily the ones with perfect students. They’re the ones where administrators and staff actually support substitutes when things go wrong.
For many substitutes, the goal isn’t to become the students’ favorite teacher or complete every assignment perfectly. Sometimes getting everyone through the day safely, documenting what happened, and walking out at dismissal is more than enough.
