While there have always been high expectations for students and teachers, today's schools have strict guidelines for accountability for using state, local and national resources to produce well-educated students. Your job as a substitute teacher is to make sure that the time you spend with students is productive. Of course there are various factors that contribute to a productive day with students, including: Providing opportunities for students to acquire new skills Expanding student understanding of concepts Reinforcing skills through practice Evaluating academic progress and achievement Working together to achieve a common goal To accomplish any of these goals requires a substitute teacher who can follow a lesson plan, understand the objectives of the class, both for the day and for the school year, and be flexible enough to recognize opportunities for enhancing student learning. Continuity of instruction means you pay attention to what the teacher has left for you to accomplish that day so that students can make progress in their schoolwork. If you need to make some adjustments or you have several minutes left in the period after completing the assignments, it is important that you have some ideas that contribute to student learning and students' overall experience at school.