How to Plan for a Substitute Teacher

If I were to complete a multiple-choice test about my 17 years as a classroom teacher, this could be one of the questions.

Instead of staying home where I should’ve been, I ...

A) taught 3rd grade while passing a kidney stone.

B) drove to school with a bucket on my lap to put together sub plans in between episodes of vomiting.

C) went through two+ boxes of tissues from the classroom donation supply in less than 6 hours.

D) all of the above

Spoiler alert: The answer is D.

I left off the time I set off the silent alarm (that I didn’t know existed) on my portable which summoned the police, and my principal in her pajamas, in the predawn hours as I was writing sub plans at my desk for that day.

You’ll be happy to know that I finally got my act together and went from being ill-prepared (pun intended) to being a Sub Plan Rockstar (Disclaimer: I awarded myself that title and it’s not a real thing...but it totally should be).

I now love teaching other teachers how to be ready for a sub at all times, so they too can enjoy a well-deserved day of soup and Netflix in bed instead of suffering through a school day, spreading germs to others, and making it harder to heal.

I created a FREE eBook that will walk you through the process of having your classroom sub-ready at all times.

Stomach bugs, fender-benders, food poisoning, migraines, emergency pet visits, your own kids’ illnesses, and tumbles down a flight of stairs, etc are all unexpected reasons why you may suddenly and unexpectedly find yourself unable to make it into school with very little notice.

You NEED to be ready for a substitute teacher at all times.

This guide not only takes you step-by-step on how to plan for a substitute teacher, but it also includes printables to use in your classroom.

Each of these tips is explained in greater detail in the free eBook, but the list below will give you ideas to get started.

Use an easy-to-access method of organizing your sub plans. This could be done using binders, plastic drawers, pocket folders, or a flip book.

While you want to go into detail, it is important to make the most crucial information (health, safety, rules, etc) accessible. Many subs come to school just before class starts and may not have time to read a lengthy document. Create a "highlight reel" she can easily reference.

Make a copy of your plans and keep them in a safe place. Teachers have had substitutes leave with their original copies. Take precautions so this does not happen to you.

In addition to your regular lessons and printables that you are leaving for the substitute teacher be sure to also leave some activities that can be used as needed.

Update your plans regularly. Your routines and procedures, class list, and schedule may change throughout the year. Your students' abilities will certainly increase and you should be leaving work that reflects that.

I have put together a collection of popular reusable resources that are perfect to leave with any substitute teacher.

There are sets for each grade level and require no prep other than printing and copying the pages.

The only other materials needed are a book (any book will do) for the reading activities, sometimes dice for the math activities and a pencil.

I love knowing that if a teacher isn’t feeling well these downloadable packets include plenty of reading, writing, word study, math and science activities to cover her for a week or more. There are 40 or more no-prep, print and go resources in each grade level packet.