When I Leave Prepared Lesson Plans for the Substitute Teacher

[melaniemelian]

Having served time in both camps, being a sub is harder in a lot of ways. Subs are the stepparents of the teaching world. “YOU’RE NOT MY REAL TEACHER!!” *tantrum*

[angeli]

MY substitutes only follow the lesson plan and there was one who didn’t let us go to lunch because it wasn’t on the lesson plan

[casadelosperrosstudio]

What's even funnier is how angry the kids are when the sub DOES follow the plan!

It happens... once on a while... if the sub is new and trying to get a full-time position...

[raleigh]

In my experience, teachers rarely leave sub plans that have anywhere enough detail for a sub to actually teach a lesson. They are usually, “take attendance, have kids do this work sheet”

[pdmings]

As I recall my fellow students prided themselves on breaking the subs. The exception would be older subs who were retired teachers, they were FEARED.

[alexanderscott]

Something worth understanding about substitutes; we are actively incentivized to not follow a lesson plan. Managing the classroom is the most important and the most difficult part of our jobs, usually the only part the administration actually cares about, and it becomes so much easier if you aren’t trying to keep students on task. If we do push it and try to clumsily drag uncooperative students through a lesson, we will still spend more time arguing with the children about “what our teacher lets us do” than tackling the material. Worst of all, older students who don’t like that a substitute is actually trying to teach them will run away or tell their parents about all the inappropriate things we did. We usually aren’t part of the teacher’s union. If a complaint comes up, we aren’t asked to state our case, we get black balled from the district to avoid political friction. It’s written into most sub contracts that we can be removed from work listings “at any time at the discretion of the district”. Taking all of that into consideration, is it really so surprising that many subs would rather bring in a movie?

[greyeyed]

Years ago I used to visit my parents 80 miles away over the weekend. I had my car break down on the freeway one Sunday night on the way home. Dad came to get me, but he had health issues, so I drove him back home (leaving my car on the side of the road). By the time I got him home, it was 2:00am, so I spent the rest of the night coming up with lesson plans for a sub in email. I called the secretary first thing at 6AM. She said there were too many people needing subs and I needed to be there. So I drove my parents car back the 80 miles to get there just at five minutes to class on Monday. I then set up a sub for Tuesday so I could go get my car off the freeway and get it fixed. When the sub came in Tuesday morning, and I explained this long story to her, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "So you're not sick? You're just taking a day off?" Good grief.

[SethraLaVode]

When I was in 8th grade we had a sub for our social studies class. He was a well-spoken English man (this was rural southern America btw). He guided us through the lesson and gave insightful answers to the questions. He was helpful and an all-around nice guy. The next day when the teacher came back she asked us how the sub was. We told her how great he was, to which she responded by saying we would only like him if he let us goof off. I hope she didn't try and get him in trouble. To this day I still feel bad that I cannot remember his name.

[MrJimTheJim]

It is really weird being a sub now, all it is is "Ok kids your assignment is on google classroom. you might have a zoom lesson but I don't know. I'll be here reading a book if you need me"

[jacquelinemartellomonahanw]

The other side of this is when a sub comes into class early to prepare and there are NO lesson plans anywhere!

[wolffisu]

I took ASL in hs and we had a sub one day. She got so pissed and yelled at us whenever there was talking because "This is sign language, why is there noise? I expect quiet. No need to talk." And when we all tried to explain calmly that just because we talk with our hands doesn't mean it's a silent language. She got pissed and said she's going to write a really bad note to our teacher. We all collectively rolled out eyes. At that point, many of us had our teacher for 2 years and she knew all of us well.

Next day, teacher comes in and apologized for the sub. Said she had a last minute fill-in and didn't know who she was, but will leave a note to not let her in the ASL hall again. Sub was a massive bitch. You still laugh verbally? We can't laugh if there's a joke? And also, we are ASL students, we don't know every single sign.

[cjbarrier]

As a teacher of 8th graders, I leave the sub a note that basically says "good luck" and then let them wing it.

[MarshallTheArtist]

As a substitute teacher I have never shown a class Fifty Shades of Grey.

[TheoneVesperwind]

Thank you to the teachers who do leave us detailed lesson plans. 😊🙏✨🌠💕

[martha]

I was a sub in a school district for three years. I took every assignment I was offered and did my level best. I remember one student in particular. He was kind of rough looking, leater jacket, chain on his wallet, tats. You know the type. He came in the room, saw that I wasn't the regular teacher and groaned "Oh no, another sub!" Then he noticed it was me and said "It`s you. At least we'll be doing something." A few months later a teacher retired half way through the year. I was the only sub in the district certified in his subject. They hired a kid just out of college because they could pay him less per diem. By the end of the school year he was arrested for getting a student pregnant. I quit teaching.

[sarasunshine]

As a substitute teacher, I can say that I ALWAYS try to follow the lesson plan as closely as I can.

[MrsLadyLiberty]

As a substitute teacher, most teachers THINK they leave GREAT plans but typically they make almost zero sense to most college educated professionals. Which is what substitute teachers are: college educated, clean background professionals who make barely above minimum wage, get zero health coverage, and no PTO. School districts completely abandoned substitutes during covid, leaving many of their substitutes to hope for unemployment, stand in line at food banks, and even end up homeless only to be called back a year later before we are even vaccinated or covid procedure trained. This video is a good example of why their is a substitute shortage.

[fantastischfish]

Unless you’ve ever worked as a substitute teacher you’ve got no idea. I was a full time teacher for 15 years, I’m very experienced. I worked as what we in the U.K. call “supply” which is basically substitute teaching for a few years too. Even the best of teachers faces massive barriers. Just some I’ve contended with:

- Class change at the last minute
- Another teacher has taken the books needed for the lesson
- All resources needed have been “tidied” into a locked storeroom by the cleaner
- Fire alarm goes off mid-class
- Behaviour is so feral there’s no chance to getting anything done...and no-one has bothered to explain the school policy of this happens
- I’m an English specialist but I’ve been booked to cover Advanced Chemistry for the day as my agency lied in order to earn their commission
- I was late to the class because I require an electronic pass to enter the building, I haven’t been provided with one and no-one comes by to let me in for over 30 minutes.
- The students arrived early, stole the lesson instructions and wiped the whiteboard clean.

And trust me, there’s more. The fact that you don’t return to a crumbling pile of smoking ruins in those circumstances is testament to how much you owe the substitute teacher.

[ekowolfe]

Substitute: "Does your teacher let you do XYZ?"
Students: "yes they let us be on our phones, too"

[Asahamana]

I had a one subsitute teacher In high school Who was too efficient with hes classes. By the time our teacher got back we had almost gone over the subject he was suppose to teach us.