How to Create a Simple Sub Plans Template

Are you stressed out just thinking about taking a sick day? When you’re sick and tired, the last thing you want to do is pull together sub plans for a substitute teacher. If you’re a teacher out there, you know I’m not being dramatic when I say this: teaching might be the only profession on Earth where it’s easier to go to work sick than to take the damn sick day.

What can you do?

So what can we do to make sure we take care of ourselves and don’t just suck it up and go to school even when we’ve spent our night lying on the bathroom floor? I learned early on that just like classroom management, I had to be proactive instead of reactive. I started using a sub plans template that stopped me from recreating the wheel every time I had to write substitute plans- ultimately saving me hours of work (and tears) year after year.

How to Create Your Own Sub Plans Template

Step #1

Make writing sub plans easier by using a sub plans template. Download your free template in this blog post!

Create your own sub plans template. This is essentially an outline or schedule of your day. If your schedule changes based on the day of the week, make multiple templates and name them accordingly.

Step #2

Add schedule-specific (not lesson-specific) directions. (ex. Arrival routines, dismissal routines, how students get to and from lunch, etc.) Once you have these directions in your template, you will never have to type them again.

Step #3

When you need to take a sick day, plug your lessons or activities into your template. You will only need to add the directions for the lessons- all of your other day-to-day directions will already be there!

Extra Tips

Want to be even more prepared? Don’t wait until you get sick- make some emergency sub plans that are ready to go! Keep them saved on your computer and send them to a teammate when needed, or fully prep them and keep them in a bin in your classroom! You can keep your sub binder in your bin as well for easy finding! (Read more about creating a sub binder here.)

Take Your Sick Days!

Making a template or prepping emergency sub plans takes some time in the beginning, but your future self will thank you. There’s nothing worse than waking up feeling sick and dragging yourself into work anyway because you just can’t deal with writing plans- trust me, I’ve been there!