Planning for the Substitute Made Easy

Social Studies Review, Fall 2004 by Sabato, George

I salute the corps of substitutes that come into our classrooms daily to take over for us when we cannot be there because of illness, personal emergencies, military leave, or school business. While we often have advance notice as to when we will be out, often we are caught having to be absent from our duty with only short notice. When we have that notice we can easily make detailed plans for our substitute. We may even be able to communicate with them personally and give instructions with that personal touch. Many of us have our favorite substitute who has been in our class before and knows our routine and our students. Whether it is that substitute who knows our program well, or if it is the substitute teacher who comes into your classroom on short notice, there are some preparations you can do the make the job of your substitute easier, not to mention making your "sub plans" easier to produce.

To make the often arduous task easy, simply invest a little time to create your personal substitute plan template. All you have to do is take advantage of your computer and create a master file with complete standard directions for your substitute. This will be your "Sub Plan Template". Once you create your template, it will be easy to update and modify for any circumstance. To make it easier for you I have created a model which you can adapt for your personal needs. As you create specific lesson plans (I suggest using Microsoft Word or a similar program) you should save them in a special "Sub Plan Folder" on your hard drive for possible use for future needs. Include in the file name the lesson plan topic and date of absence. In addition, it will be helpful to create some general lessons which can be easily adapted for the specific classes you teach. Over time you will have, in addition to your Sub Plan Template, a set of lessons you can use or easily adapt for future needs.

There are certain standard instructions and information I would recommend you include in your Sub Plan Template. Many sections of your master template will require little or no editing as you create future plans. There will be other sections which you will need to edit for individual plans.

STANDARD ITEMS FOR A SUBSTITUTE TEMPLATE

Class lists/Grade Book/Seating Chart: Include a class list or indicate where substitute can locate a current class list. Tell your substitute where they can find your grade book. Will they find a traditional hard copy edition on your desk or will it be found on your hard drive? If it is on your hard drive, give access directions. Indicate where they can find a copy of your seating chart. You may even have photos of your students. You may have a list of student names, addresses, and phone numbers available to them.

Special lists: I recommend you include lists of students with special needs. Include students with medical alerts, special educations students, EL students, GATE students etc. You might have a list of students who are discipline challenges with some guidelines on how to manage them.

Discipline Policy and Procedures: Provide information on your individual and school discipline records. Tell the substitute where s/he can find discipline forms such as referral and detention forms.

Aides' Names and Duties: If you have paraprofessional or student aides working with you, it will be helpful for your substitute to know their names, when they will be in your room, and their duties.

Crisis Plans (fire, earthquake, etc.): You have Emergency Plans for fire, earthquake, etc. Tell the substitute where your plans are kept.

"Emergency" Plans: I recommend you have a set of "emergency plans" of a generic nature (good for any day, any unit) available for the event of a last minute absence for which you are unable to create a specific plan for that day. You can include them in your template, or tell the substitute where to find them. You may also tell them where your teacher's edition of your textbook might be and where the publisher's standard set of lessons and workbooks might be. Houghton Mifflin, for example, has a web site with lesson outlines and suggested activities available at eduplace.com. You might list a colleague who is also teaching the same course who can provide guidance and assistance.

Standards: You may wish to provide a copy of the State Standards as a reference for your substitute. Standards can be found on line at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/hstmain. asp

Personal Communication: I recommend you provide means for your substitute to communicate with you. Provide your home, fax and cell phone numbers as well as an email address. On days when you will be out for school business such as a field trip and you will be on campus at the start of the day, I highly recommend you make personal contact with your substitute.

Once your have typed up your "Sub Template" with all the relevant information above (Now you remember why you don't like to write lesson plans for substitutes!) you will be ready to edit it for your specific absence.