Smooth Sub Day From Judy Schwall, an elementary counselor in Steamboat Springs, Colorado: "I was drafted to teach 5th grade recently due to a sub shortage, and it was a most engaging day for both the students and me. The teacher had prepared an outline listing times and all activities that would take place. Students signed up to be experts for various time periods and helped me understand the routine of that particular interval. Additionally, the experts were responsible for calling on classmates to actually provide instruction. Students wrote knowledge they'd acquired on the board as we progressed, so at the end of the day we had a nice record of our learning. In order to participate in ten minutes of reward time at the end of the day, the students wrote on a card one thing they had learned or one thing they had taught someone during our time together. This organization encouraged everyone to be reflective as well as alert and eager to contribute any piece of knowledge they might have. The bonus was that there were absolutely no behavior problems! It was the best day of teaching I've had since I stopped teaching first grade."