There’s a nasty late-winter cold making its way through the offices of The Mailbox right now. I hope I am one of the last ones to suffer from it, for it is surely insufferable. Somewhere along the line, this particular beast was dubbed The Crud. The Crud leaves you coughing, sniffling, achy, irritable, tired, and hoarse…for starters. Thanks to The Crud and my youngest son’s vibrantly hued case of Pink Eye, I’ve missed a few days of work.
There are no substitutes to call in to do my job when I am gone, and the Upper Grades Exchange is left to fend for itself. (Glad to see you all survived.) My colleagues step in and make sure certain things get done, and I hear very few gripes. Coming back to work, I quickly see how I might leave both them and myself better prepared for future unexpected absences.
I think the same can be said of teachers. While you may think you have a pretty thorough file prepared for a substitute teacher, you probably also think there’s much more you can do. So I went over to MyMAILBOX Idea Center Gold and looked around at some tried-and-true resources from The Mailbox that’ll help you and a sub be ready. These are just a few of the more than one hundred such ideas available to Idea Center Gold members.
Enjoy! And stay well!
Snapshots for Subs – Makes it a snap for substitute teachers to find their way around your classroom!
Sub Tub – Preparing for an unexpected absence just got a whole lot easier!
Colorful Clues – Color coding lesson plans is a simple fix for guiding your fill-in through the day.
Deck of Students – Not only a fair way to call on students during regular question-and-answer time, but also a great way for substitute teachers to identify your classroom companions.
Welcoming Committee – Who knows your classroom routine as well as you? Your students!
If you have additional tips and suggestions that will make life easier for you and your substitute, please share them in the comments!
Great ideas! I would also just make sure that in that Sub Tub is a supply of paperwork the sub might need (such as nurse passes, discipline tickets, lunch count, attendance notes, etc.). And have some emergency sub plans ready just in case you don’t have time to write any. Seating charts, classroom rules, school phone numbers, school emergency procedures, and student health concerns are all very helpful too. And make sure you don’t write things like “the students know what to do.” And have all materials for the lessons easily accessible.
~Rachel at Sub Hub blog