3 Stress Relieving Tips for Long Term Sub Plans

Getting ready for a substitute is really a pain.  As a teacher, it’s one of those things where you think, “Am I really that sick........I’m not dying............ NAH, it’s not worth ALL the extra prep.” However, sometimes you have no other choice. I recently was put into a position where I had to prepare sub plans for a long term leave.  I did my usual 14 pages (Yes I “may” be a little obsessive that everything goes how I want it to go.....) of details on how we run our classroom, where everything is located, what the students are expected to do and when they are expected to do it, which students to keep close, which students could lead the class, which students have health issues........ this list goes on and on (as I am sure you know). Of course, after that I still had to write all of the detailed plans on each lesson for every subject.  At this point I realized how much of a control freak I am when it comes to my class and think to myself, “I know this sub is good (because I hand picked her), however she is not me. Soooooo, how can I make it easier for her to connect to my kiddos quickly?” Then, it dawned on me............ just show her the language I use and the format I may use for teaching and learning. This way at least some parts of the day are already familiar to my kiddos. Here are 3 tips that have helped me feel at ease:

1. I wrote my plans so that each day of the week they were doing the same type of activities but using different texts/skills for each subject. For example:

2. I made interchangeable Anchor Charts. First, I pre-made each Anchor Chart with the teaching point at the top and any important learning points that wouldn’t change no matter what the subject.

Then I used regular paper and Elmer’s repositionable glue to add the pages that the substitute would actually be writing on. 

 

All she had to do was read the book, use the teaching point I had already written, then model the skill by changing out the colored paper according to the different answers for each text.

3. When your up to it, Facetime or Skype your kiddos.  I have done this with the kiddos in my classroom while I have been out. It has lifted their spirits and mine. It also shows that even though I am out of the room I am still a part of their learning, their lives, and I am in touch with the sub. So I still know everything!

Do you have any other tips we could add to this list to ease the amazingly stressful substitute planning? I would love to hear them!

See ya next time in paradise!

Choosing Kids or the Grade?

When asked "What do you do?" teachers will often say, "I teach first or something like I teach 7th grade math".  Well, I disagree with this. As the times have changed so has our job description.  The amount of differentiation that goes into lesson planning leads me to say, "I teach kiddos."  If someone wants to know a specific grade I will usually say "K-2" or primary. I believe this is the true way we should respond to this question. Teaching has become (or maybe it always has been and I am just now discovering it) more of an open ended profession. What I mean is that I have students come into my classroom from ALL different walks of life and scenarios. From homeless, to hospital bound, to helicopter parents, to lawn mower parents. Kind of like the cast in Willy Wonka......

No matter what the background of the child, my job is to teach THAT CHILD. My job is to get to know them, create an unbreakable bond with them, and teach them the way they learn.  This means if a few kiddos come into my classroom only recognizing a few letters, while some are reading sight words, and others are reading chapter books, then I immediately switch my teaching from the first grade standards to teaching the K standards and the second grade standards simultaneously. These bonds are critical to their learning and extremely tough to accomplish if you have more than 18 kiddos in your classroom. It reminds me of the old timey one room school houses where the teacher would teach everyone no matter what the age or developmental capacity that they were at.  That person would teach the child where that individual child was lacking or what that individual child needed to be inspired to grow. Everyone keeps saying RTI this, RTI that, chart this, chart that.  What I say is that not all kids (or even adults for that matter) learn the same way and everyone should just except that.  Yes kids may need remediation, yes kids may need extra support,  yes kids may need to be challenged, but why in the world are we trying to cram stuff down their throats if developmentally they are not ready for it??? Because some man or woman in a suit (who has never taught a day in their lives) decides that a "first grader" should be able to pass some test? I don't think so.  My point in all of this ranting is that as a teacher we should be able to teach the child the way WE as professionals learned to do.  Make those bonds with the kiddos, play and learn at the same time.  Albert Einstein said it best......."Play is the highest form of research". So how can we accomplish teaching the child? Smaller class sizes with stronger bonds and relationships between teacher, students, and parents. However, I am not going to hold my breath while the politicians make decisions over something they know little about (unless they were in a classroom teaching for at least 5 years in a row). For me, I am just going to keep "trucking along" making sure to adjust the needs of each individual student when and where I can.

What do you choose? The Kid or the Grade?

How a little laughter can help with your classroom management :-)

Laughing in class?  Is this appropriate? In my class it is required!!!

Laughter is good for your health and has a L O N G list of benefits.

Because I want my classroom environment to be as stress free as possible I have implemented a few laughter generating strategies to help create as many positive experiences that my students and I can share.   

  

The Joke Jars are something new for me this year.  Our schedule is a little crazy this year and there are lots of transitions.  To help settle the wiggles I pull a joke from the Joke Jar.  If we line up fast and quiet there will be a minute free for a joke!!  Jokes are pulled throughout the day to speed up our transitions or to give us all a little brain break.  Jokes are submitted by the students and they are so proud when their joke is shared.  

We had also had jokes submitted by big brothers, sisters and grandpa. 

 Grandpa’s jokes have been very entertaining for sure!!

I have also checked a variety of joke and riddle books from our classroom library.  

These books are available for students to copy their favorite joke for the Joke Jar.

When visiting the library I encourage the students to look for books they think are funny.  Before returning the books to the library the students share examples from the book for a good laugh.

We also sing a variety of funny songs read funny poems and watch cute and silly kitty and puppy videos from YouTube to get the giggles started for our brain breaks.

The most valuable and productive strategy is to LAUGH AT YOURSELF and invite others to do so too.   When ever you do something silly or wrong, share it with the class and laugh at it.  For example, Last week I bent down and my glasses fell into the sink and for what ever reason I didn't realize it.  When they were discovered by a student I just started laughing at how silly I was not to notice.   The entire class began to giggle just for a moment and quietly returned to their writing assignment.  Wishing you lots of laughs in your classroom.

Busy Being Awesome

Thinking outside of the box to keep your students engaged and successful can be a difficult task but I have found some unique trinkets that do the trick!

During each transition or activity I randomly choose 3 or 4 popsicle sticks that are labeled with each student’s name.   The names are not announced and are only seen by me.  I then observe the selected students during the activity.  If the student is on task and completes the activity he or she is rewarded with the trinket of the day.   If the student is off task and does not complete the activity, the student is not named and the trinket is saved for the next activity.   The trinkets remains on a student’s desk until someone else is rewarded.  All the trinkets are turned in at the end of the day.

This trinket is actually a tea bag holder.  I found this at Cracker Barrel for $1.99!!  Cracker Barrel also has some super cute holiday themed salt and pepper shakers for .99 each!  These are all ceramic but seem strong and well glazed, I have not had anything chip yet.  I also purchased some glowing eyeballs during Halloween that change colors.  They sit flat on the desks.  I use them during independent work time.  “I like what I SEE” reinforces on task behaviors and cuts down on the talking and interrupting others.  If a student works off task they can loose the eyeball.  For Patty’s Day I have used some large coins from the Dollar Tree painted gold, and for Spring I found some golden Easter Eggs at Walgreens.  They are perfect for a “Eggcellent” job.  All you have to do is add a little slip with a joke or complement and it will be such a treat!

These trinkets are not your typical brag tags or stickers.  But the rewards are the same.  They are fun and inviting.  The next time you are shopping think outside of the box and look for some unique trinkets that would work for your classroom!

Trinket Ideas & Rewards

Themed salt and pepper shakers

Small stuffed animals

Carnival Bead Necklaces

Pencils

Scented markers

Colored pencils