Plan for Unexpected Sub Days
It's 6:00 am, and your alarm goes off. That sore throat you went to bed with became a massive head cold. Your sinuses are full, and all you want to do is go back to sleep. Yikes. Now you need to make sub plans and call the school.
Don't be stuck in this position. Make your plans ahead of time. Despite how complicated it may seem to prepare these ahead of time, what with things that change every day, I promise you can make a simple routine when you have to be out, whether expected or not.
Here's what you should do now to make prepping for a sub much easier.
Create a Sub Binder/Folder
A well-organized binder or folder is your substitute's best friend. Each of these can be as simple as a single page. You can include:
Cover Page: This should include notes about what the substitute teacher should do before school (like get lunch tags, make copies, etc.), a list of important school contacts, student allergies and special needs, and a brief emergency plan.
Class List: A class roster with photos is especially helpful so that subs don't need to learn student names, and you don't need to provide name tags. Even a half-page list of names is helpful if you don't have photos. (I prefer to cut my page down the middle length-wise.) Leave a few copies.
Behavior Management Plan: Briefly outline your classroom management strategies and consequences. A "plan" could be as simple as a list of your class rules for purposes of this resource. You could mention that you often do your own class incentive if the sub leaves good feedback. (Adding extra stickers for young students or some special incentive for a good day while you're out is also helpful.)
Week-at-a-Glance: This is a single-page week-view of your schedule. Include arrival/dismissal times, recess and lunch, and specials. If you have set times that you teach various subjects, include those.
Lesson Plans: It's time to make plans that could work any week of the year. Make a plan for each day of the week that accounts for your specials schedule, basic arrival/dismissal/recess routines, and other daily routines that your students have down pat. (Hopefully, your students will get to a point in the year when they can help lead activities just as much as you do, but that's a tip for another blog post.) If you do not have ongoing activities your students complete during academic blocks, create subject-specific review worksheets and activities to fill those time slots. Make copies and label them with a Post-it that indicates the subject, e.g., "Math."
Substitute Reflection Note: Make it easy for substitute teachers to give you a rundown of the day with a single-page reflection note. After a long day, subs don't usually like to write detailed notes. Leaving a dedicated page to this task will remind the sub to make notes about what went well and what you need to address when you return. Put five stars at the top for them to circle accordingly, a space to list student names who were helpful/on-task, those who needed more support, and any additional notes.
Now, have the contents of this sub binder or folder on the cloud and your computer. Have it ready immediately if you need to submit sub plans to your school secretary. However, it will also feel good to be able to say, "It's also printed in a folder clearly labeled next to my desk!” Then, of course, do that! Ensure that anyone can find it if they have never been in your classroom.
Now… replay. It's 6:00 am, you're sick, and that sucks. But, this time, you message your school secretary with those pre-prepared lesson plans and request a sub through your school portal if needed. Then, you get to roll over and go back to sleep! Hopefully, you'll be feeling better by the end of the day, but even if you're not, tomorrow's plans are squared away, too.
Here's an extra tip.
Build Relationships with Substitutes
After teaching for seven years, I spent a year as a substitute teacher before I started my PhD program at IU. Subs are often not trained teachers, though. These days, schools are really lucky if they can find subs. If we're fortunate enough to find experienced teachers to sub, they may be retired and less savvy with new technology and school routines. (They're still excellent, though; don't discount their skills!)
If you see a substitute at school, introduce yourself. Eat lunch with them in the staff lounge. This will go a long way to helping them feel like they belong at your school. Plus, you never know if you'll have to rely on them to sub for you in the future. Being kind now will go a long way if they need to step in to handle challenges for you if you're out sick one day!
Substitute Plan Editable Template for Elementary Teachers
A template to make your planning even easier, you ask? You bet I have one! Click the image to the left or go here. I have all of the resources I mentioned above, plus a few extras!
