Are you a casual relief teacher who feels anxious walking into an unfamiliar classroom?
We understand. The students are curious, restless, and ready to test your authority the moment you walk in. And if you have no plan, even the good kids will get restless.
But the stress can build up on you when you’re managing different schools and students with zero prep time. That’s why we’ve put together these CRT classroom tips. You’ll learn exactly what to say, what to do first, and how to take control of the classroom within minutes.
We’ll start with our tips for the first 10 minutes.
Top Tips for Casual Teachers to Manage Any Classroom
The first 10 minutes will decide if you’ll have a smooth day or spend hours fighting for control. This is because the students will form their opinion of you instantly, so if you can settle them quickly, the rest of your relief teaching day will be much easier. So let’s look at what you can do to make those first moments count.
The First 10 Minute Rule
You need to set expectations for noise levels, behaviour, and movement the second students walk in. Don’t wait until everyone sits down to start explaining rules.
Instead, we suggest arriving early and greeting each student at the door. Then you can direct them straight to their seats with simple instructions. This will show the students that you’re organised and confident from the start, so they will be more likely to follow instructions.
Visual and Verbal Structure Cues
After you’ve got your students in the classroom, you need to keep that momentum going. You can use visual cues to tell them that learning has already started, even though you’re a relief teacher, and they don’t know.
For example, if you write your name and today’s plan on the board beforehand, the students will have something to focus on immediately as they enter.
Your next step will be to put a simple entry activity on each desk. It could be a worksheet, a puzzle, or a quick writing prompt. If the kids walk in and see work, they will know what to do, and you’ll save time as well.
Instant Engagement Tips
Getting all students to focus is the difficult part of starting a class. One way to settle them quickly is with a bell ringer (or a quick starter activity). You could try a quick riddle, a “would you rather” question, or a short discussion that connects directly to the lesson plan.
For younger students, we recommend simple games like “Two Truths and a Lie” about today’s topic to get them thinking and involved.
Throughout all of this, try to keep your voice calm and steady. Yelling never works in behaviour management. You want to aim for a quiet and confident presence.
Behaviour and Classroom Management for Casual Relief Teachers
As a casual relief teacher, you need to create structure in a classroom where you’re a stranger. Students don’t know you, and you don’t know them. But you can set up predictable routines from day one, which work better than trying to bond with students immediately.
Here’s how you can keep control without losing your patience.
Create Order
Relief teachers face a tough challenge that regular classroom teachers never deal with. You walk into a room with zero knowledge of student personalities, established routines, or existing behaviour management strategies. Yet everyone expects you to perform like you’ve been there all year. That’s an impossible standard, so don’t aim for it.
Instead, you can try to create predictability: greet students at the door, have the day’s tasks clearly displayed on the board, start with a bell ringer, and use simple visual cues for each activity. Then follow this same structure every day.
The students already expect a teacher to provide structure, so they’ll quickly settle into the routine as well (even from a stranger).
Set Expectations Early and Clearly
Before students arrive, write your name and simple rules on the board so they’re easy to see. If you know the school’s behaviour expectations, refer to those openly, or establish your own and stick to them throughout the day.
Remember that firm isn’t the same as being mean or aggressive. Instead, focus on being fair and consistent. Your students will respect that authority more.
And if you say something will happen, make sure it does. You’ll find that this follow-through is more important than the rules themselves.
Use Strong Transitions and Filler-Free Time
Most behaviour problems happen when students move from one activity to another. That’s when they get restless. The solution is to give clear signals before you switch tasks.
You can try saying “In two minutes, we’re packing up for maths” or use a countdown timer on the board. We’ve noticed that many educators use clap patterns that students copy back to get their attention quickly.
Another common problem is downtime when students finish work early or when there’s a delay. So we recommend always having two or three backup activities ready to go, like mini word games, silent reading, or a short writing prompt.
As long as every student has something to do, behaviour issues will drop fast.
Leave a Positive Professional Mark
Before you leave for the day, don’t forget to write a brief note for the regular classroom teacher. You can explain what the class did, how the students behaved, and mention any problems that came up. The teacher will really value this feedback because it helps them know what happened in their absence.
Finally, thank the students who worked hard and remind everyone of classroom rules or behaviour expectations one last time. This will leave a strong final impression. If you ever come back to that school, the students will probably remember you as someone fair and organised.
Time to Gain Confidence and Control as a Casual Relief Teacher
So, how are you feeling about your next relief teaching shift? We hope these tips will make it more manageable.
As a casual relief teacher, your teaching experience keeps schools running when regular staff are away. That work is valuable in education, even if it isn’t always recognised.
Remember that your confidence will grow from having a solid plan and using it over and over until it feels natural. And our CRT classroom tips for behaviour management are here to give you that starting point. The rest is up to you and how you put these routines into practice each day.
Want more practical teaching strategies that work in real classrooms? Head over to Francis Orr for resources designed specifically for teachers like you.