When I was teaching ESY, we had to choose our weeks ahead of time, BUT we had to plan for our ESY week off subs. Having summer sub plans all in one place ready to go would have been a LIFE SAVER- which is why I created just that!
Here’s how to survive summer WITHOUT 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.
4. GIVE OPTIONS.
In the case that your subs cannot find the materials needed, give options in your plans. Whether this be different ways to complete the task, or different materials to use, options gives everyone something to work with.
5. PREP EXTRA
Prepping extra activities (such as bingo) gives the subs something to fall back on if they happen to run out of materials. My emergency sub plans include a LOT of materials and content so that you are never left with nothing, but something like bingo can be used multiple days without extra prep and is easy to keep on hand!
Sub plans don’t have to be a nightmare. With the Summer 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!
Purchase Summer Sub Plans on TPT here.
Purchase Summer Sub Plans on the Shop here.
Stay Healthy and don’t spend time on sub plans!
