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This post is actually really fitting for tonight, as I finally decided to come to terms with the fact that my body probably will not last through tomorrow.
I think one of the hardest things for teachers to do is to decide whether or not to call in sick or tough it out and go in to work. I am in the middle of fighting a cold, so I sat down at my computer after school today, completely exhausted, and pulled up my sick days. As a total perfectionist, I HATE calling in sick. I don't like the idea of someone else running my classroom, because I, like many teachers, am a control freak. :) However, I am slowly learning that one or two sick days is not going to thwart your entire year.
I was still deciding when a former student walked in and I told him I was making possible sub plans. He said, "Mrs. Lehr, you are ALWAYS here. Go home!" As a fourth year teacher, I'll be honest: I probably spend about 50-60 hours at school a week. It's easy to do this right now because my husband is in school (studying to become.....a teacher! Eek!) so he has class in the evenings. My normal school day goes from about 6:45 to 5, unless I have somewhere to be.
So today, after aforementioned student's comment and realizing I had 45 sick days built up in my "bank," I decided to take a day to recoup. I was sick all weekend, and with 90 tests still left to grade and a body longing for sleep, I turned in my sick notice.
I just want to encourage you, whether you're a new teacher or a veteran teacher, that it is OKAY to take a sick day, even if it's a day for mental rest. To me, it is better to take this day than to lose it on one of your kids and regret what you've said, just because you're worn out.
Here is where I got the idea for a sub binder: http://talesofteachinginheels.blogspot.com/2012/08/sub-binder.html
Mine looks exactly like hers, down to the Starbucks cover because that is the TRUTH. I didn't really change much! Here are my suggestions, or a few things that I would add:
1. I added some emergency lesson plans. We all have those days when we wake up and can't go to work. At 6:00 am, it's a little late to throw together a plan and get it to school. I keep 3-4 emergency plans in there, and ask the sub in the notes to remove it and recycle it at the end of the day so it doesn't get done again. Some ideas if you're a Spanish teacher:
- Conjuguemos.com: A website where kids can practice their verb conjugations on their own.
- Quizlet - An app that lets the kids create their own flashcards
- Cultural documentaries - I have found that the newer the better. Kids can tell if a video is old, and usually they aren't interested. I keep some options on my bookshelf. Two of my favorites are the "Engineering an Empire" series by History Channel (Inca, Aztec, or Maya - available on YouTube, but the DVD is way better quality) and PBS Nova Ghosts of Machu Picchu.
2. Find a teacher in your hallway that you can depend on. The other Spanish teacher across the hall and I both live 20-30 minutes from the school, so if I am sick, I email her my plans and she gives them to the sub and vice versa. This is my backup plan if I don't want to do an emergency plan or I didn't leave plans the day before.
3. Lock up all your stuff. I haven't had issues before, but my next-door teacher had students steal a ton of his stuff when he was gone one day (where the sub was, I have no idea), but it was a pain in the butt to figure it out!
4. I added a brief list of a few students that the sub can ask questions/trust to help them out. Because I have a few turds like the one below. :)
Anyways, it's a rough time of year. Give yourself a break. You deserve it. :)