When Planning for a Sub, Embrace the Refreshing and Avoid the Stumbling Blocks

Hello, Bus Stop readers! I am Rachel Friedrich of the Sub Hub blog. I have been a substitute teacher in grades K-5 for three and a half years. At Sub Hub blog, my goal is to provide teachers and subs with ideas, tools, and activities to make substitute days be just as productive as regular school days. You can find me at SubHubOnline.blogspot.com.

I wanted to share a few things I have come across as a sub that are refreshing and make my life easier. And on the other hand, I have also seen a number of practices that throw up stumbling blocks and are to be avoided.

Refreshing

1. Providing lesson plans ahead of time. Last week I was scheduled to be in a fourth grade classroom and logged into the computerized substitute teacher system for my district. The teacher had uploaded her lesson plans. It was so wonderful to have those plans ahead of time. It allowed me to do a little preparation of my own. If your sub system allows for plans to be uploaded, I highly recommend it.
2. All lesson materials readily available. I love when I get into a classroom and not only are all the materials for the day's lessons sitting out, but there is a selection of activities to do in case of extra time. That tells me the teacher really took the time to plan and think things through.
3. Leaving out-of-the-norm activities. It's good for the sub and the students if the activities you leave to do are fun and maybe even unusual for your classroom. It gives the students a nice surprise and makes for an enjoyable day. I find that read-aloud-based activities work well.
4. Leaving a detailed schedule. I love when the plans left for me include a detailed schedule, including any students who leave for pull-out programs and anything special going on that day (counselor, library, or assemblies).

1. Not warning about challenging students. I was in a kindergarten classroom one day and right in the middle of circle time, one student started screaming (not crying, literally screaming) and crawling around under tables. Then the little girl sitting next to him started crying because she didn't like the noise. Not long after I had the situation under control, I had the kindergarten team leader pop her head in and ask how I was doing with the "challenging" student. Now that told me this behavior was not out of the ordinary, and nowhere in the plans did it warn me of this student. PLEASE give the sub a heads-up on students to watch and any behavior modification plans already in place.
2. "The students know what to do." This is a phrase I have read countless times in substitute plans. An amazing phenomenon occurs when a sub is in the room -- students forget (accidentally or on purpose) every routine. Make sure you specify all the details in the lesson plans.
3. No class list. I have been in plenty of classrooms where no class list was provided. This is a problem for several reasons: attendance, emergencies and drills, and just being able to call students by name. This is something that is simple to do at the beginning of the year and can live in your sub binder, only needing updates as students come and go.
4. Planning lessons with only busy work. A sub day doesn't have to be a wasted day. You don't need to leave worksheet after worksheet. Students know that this is just busy work, and classroom management becomes an issue. On the other hand, don't leave lots of lessons with manipulatives unless you know the sub and know they can handle it.