Nine years into teaching, and I’ll be honest; I still get nervous about taking a day off of school. I’m a control freak when it comes to teaching, so I hate to give up the reins, even for a day. But sometimes, it needs to be done. When you have an illness or emergency, the last thing you want to do is go into school and prepare for a sub. If you know me, you won’t be surprised to hear that I’m a planner. Being prepared eases my anxiety over missing school, so I’m sharing my lessons learned about prepping for a sub.
1. CREATE EMERGENCY PLANS
If you don’t have any emergency plans for a non-music sub yet, I recommend getting two plans ready as soon as you can, one for lower grades and one for upper grades. When I first began prepping my sub tub, I started with one K-2 plan and one 3-5 plan, and built from there. Emergency sub plans are ones that I like to keep simple. I’ve talked with seasoned substitute teachers who are hesitant to take music vacancies because they assume that they need a musical background. You can find some of my sub plans for non-music subs here.
2. KEEP EVERYTHING UP TO DATE
Rosters, seating charts, IEP’s, 504’s, allergy lists, etc. all need to be available for any guest teacher. I try to leave all of my seating charts on my desk or piano at the end of every day. After returning to work, I go through my sub binder. I mark any plans that a substitute used with a sticky note, to show which classes have completed it. Especially when using emergency plans, a substitute needs to know which plans have already been used that year so that they don’t repeat the same lesson.
3. TIDY UP AFTER SCHOOL
It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it’s always a good idea to prep your room for the next day if you can. I don’t know about you, but my room tends to look like a tornado blew through it by the end of the day. Pencils, dry erase markers, and puppets litter the counters. Papers cover my desk. Containers of rhythm instruments are scattered around the room. I can’t be the only one who makes a mess of their room every day. You’ll thank yourself later if you take a few minutes to reset your room at the end of the day. Erase your whiteboards, organize your desk, and put all teaching materials away.
4. PREPARE THE STUDENTS
Within the first few weeks of school, I like to go over a few simple singing games and activities with each grade level. If students have some games that they know well enough to play without me, I name them in my sub binder. At the bottom of my sub plans, I include instructions like “If there is extra time, the students can play a game they are familiar with, such as ‘Lucy Locket’ or ‘Doggie, Doggie.'”
My kids know where most materials are for the games, and we’ve also talked about how they could substitute materials if they need to, such as a dry erase marker for the dog bone. The students also use clipboards, pencils, crayons, and other things they may need for sub lessons at the beginning of the year. That way, they know their location and procedures. When students know where everything is and what to do, they’re able to help any guest teacher in the classroom.
5. KEEP MATERIALS IN PLAIN SIGHT
I have heard horror stories from fellow music teachers about substitutes and/or administrators not being able to find the sub materials. When I place a substitute request online, I always leave the directions for finding my sub materials in the “notes for the sub” and “notes for the administrator” sections. I also show my teammates where my sub tub is, so that they can help the guest teacher. And just in case, I post the school’s staff directory next to the classroom phone.
PREPPING FOR PEACE OF MIND
So there you have it! These are five of my biggest substitute lessons learned. If you need a day off, take it. Hopefully, preparing for a sub in advance will help with any teacher guilt. Although I rarely take a day, I love knowing that I’m ready if need be. Are there any tips you would add to this list?
No Comments