We've all had those mornings. You wake up feeling like death has tapped you on the shoulder. Sniffing, headache, every muscle hurts. What's that? You don't have lesson plans? Then pull yourself out of bed, sister! You've got to get to school to make those plans. Maybe, if you're lucky, you'll live long enough to make it home again.
Make your life soooo much easier by having a day's worth of plans already done for those "Oh good grief" mornings. So, what do you need?
1. Your general sub folder with procedures, students to depend on, and the specials schedule
2. Two or three math activities that are more projects than worksheets (that uses up a nice chuck of time for the sub).
3. Two to three worksheets/activities that can be used with a book. Be sure to pick a short book the sub can read to the class. Depending on your class and the time of year, group projects work great for this!
4. Look on Google to find a great project for gifted kids. Many of them take a lot of time (thinking of the sub here) and all kids enjoy them.
5. Leave a list of time fillers, in case they are needed….they will be!
Ok, you have activities, but how about behavior?
My biggest fear with a sub is always behavior. Will they scare her off? Will someone have a melt-down because she does something a different way? Having enough well thought out activities certainly helps, but there's a few things every teacher can do to help ensure (as much as is possible) that everyone ends the day with their mental health in tact. Some ideas are:
1. Well before you need a sub, talk about behavior you expect if you can't be at school. Help students roll play different situations. For example, they walk in and a different teacher is at your desk. What do they do? How do they behave?
2. Ask the sub to talk with the students about their normal routine and expected behavior. Taking five to ten minutes to do this before the day begins gives the students ownership over a situation in which some kids may feel is out of their control.
3. Every class has a reward or two that they love. My kids always like to either have an extra ten minutes at recess, or come back to the room at lunch to watch a Bill Nye episode. (dinner and a movie) Tell students that they will all receive their favorite reward if the report from the sub is a good one. Yes, it's a bit of bribery, but I just don't have a problem with a little bribery now and again.
4. As you prepare your students for a sub, do some roll playing on what it is like to be a sub. They are coming into a class of people they don't know, a schedule they aren't familiar with, and teaching subjects they may be unfamiliar with. Help students have some empathy for the sub, and that empathy might just carry over to other situations. It never hurts to see things through another's eyes.
To make it a little easier, I've included one fun activity to use with any book you wish to add with your plans. Click on the link below the picture!
If you want to make creating your emergency plans a little easier, I have a resource with everything done for you. All you have to do is add a few supplies.
