Have you ever found yourself needing a substitute last minute? Whether you are sick yourself or you have a sick kid at home, late night or early morning sub plan writing on TOP of that is an absolute nightmare. Let me teach you how to have the perfect back up plan so you can stress less this flu season.
I remember when I was first starting out I would NEVER call out sick. If I had to I was completely mortified. Writing sub plans and being absent just felt impossible. As time goes on in your teaching career you learn that sometimes you just HAVE to take a sick day. We should actually be taking ALL of our sick days for both our mental and physical health. Here’s how to survive writing dreaded sub plans.
1.Have a substitute organization system.
Being organized is always on my list of tips, but when your sick it’s even that much more important. Remember when you have trained your paras appropriately, given monthly training sessions, and have routines in place…. being absent should already be a breeze! Your classroom should be ready to run like an oiled machine without you. Have everything a sub would need such as passwords, student information, schedules, and more available in an easy to find Sub Binder, ready to go when anything happens!
2.Have Emergency Sub Plans in place.
Having emergency sub plans in place, prepped and in your classroom, is one of the first things I prep before school even begins. These plans are available in case I have to call out sick suddenly, or are too sick to plan. This takes the pressure off my staff and colleagues and everyone knows where to find my plans. I have one set of emergency plans and materials prepped and ready to go for each season of the year. The seasonal materials keep things fun and exciting to increase student engagement and keep things easy on the sub and staff!
3. Have your materials organized.
I know this feels like I’m repeating myself, but being organized with a binder in place and having your MATERIALS organized are two separate things. When you are working on your classroom setup in the beginning of the year, make sure EVERYTHING has a place. Even down to writing materials, scissors, paper, etc. This makes it easy on the paraprofessionals and subs to find exactly what they need.
Sub plans don’t have to be a nightmare. With the Winter Emergency Sub Plans set and the Sub Binder you will be able to prep and have a full set of plans, activities, centers, and more ready to go in case you need to call out sick!
Stay healthy!
