ABSTRACT
Teaching doesn’t always go to plan. Sometimes the most carefully prepared lessons and resources can’t account for a loss of electricity, a reshuffling of classrooms and children, or the rescheduling of the day due to unexpected events. Relief/substitute teachers often have a mobile set of resources and ideas that they carry with them. Taking the time to exchange ideas with a relief teacher and watch them at work with a new group of children can be very insightful. When relationships are formed over time, based on mutual respect and with teachers who are active listeners, then ‘behaviour-management’ problems hardly arise. Interruptions are normal in early childhood care and education, and a good teacher is always flexible and adaptable, and able to make changes to their schedule at a moment’s notice.
