Keeping a sub log

1 Why keep a sub log

Substitutes work in many rooms. After a few weeks, the schools blur together. Which building had the confusing parking lot? Which second grade had the great helper list? Which middle school had a phone rule you had to ask about? Without a record, you learn the same lesson twice.

A sub log is a short record of each day, written for yourself. It is not a report for anyone else, and it is not a diary. It is a working tool that answers three questions the next time you go back: what do I need to know about this place, what worked, and what should I bring?

• You walk into a school you've been to before already knowing where to sign in and who to ask.
• You bring the right backup for that grade, because you wrote down what ran short.
• You remember the names of the adults who helped and can thank them.
• You notice what kinds of rooms suit you, and you can say yes to more of those.

Teachers and office staff notice a sub who arrives ready and remembers how their school works. That is often what turns one day in a building into regular calls from the same school.

2 What goes in it

Keep each entry short. A sub log that takes twenty minutes to fill in won't get filled in. Aim for five or six lines per day, written the same way each time, so you can scan the page quickly later.

• The date, the school and the room number.
• The grade or subject, and the teacher's name if you want to remember it.
• Where to park, where to sign in, and who in the office was helpful.
• The adult nearby who helped, such as the teacher next door or an aide.
• What worked: a routine, an activity, a way of starting the day.
• What didn't work, and what you'd try instead.
• What to bring next time.

The last line is the most useful. “Bring a read-aloud for the afternoon.” “Bring a printed seating grid; there were no charts.” “Ask about the phone rule at the office.” Next time you go back, that line tells you exactly what to pack.

3 Keeping it with no student names

Your sub log is your own notes, kept outside the school. Because of that, it should hold no student names and nothing that could identify a student. You don't need them. A log about how the day went, what worked and what to bring is just as useful without them.

Write about the class and the routines, not about individual children. Instead of naming a student who was a great helper, write “the line leader knew every routine.” Instead of describing a child's behavior, write “one table needed regular check-ins; next time, start with partners.”

• No student names, initials or nicknames.
• No descriptions that point to one child, such as a specific need or a family detail.
• No photos of student work or of the room with students in it.
• No grades, test scores or anything from the school's records.
• Adult names only where you'd say them out loud, like the office staff or the teacher next door.

Anything about a specific student belongs in the note for the teacher, which stays at the school, or in a word with the office. The student data privacy guide explains more about what student information is and why it stays with the school.

4 What a good entry looks like

Here is one way a day's entry might read. It's short, it's specific, and it doesn't name a single student. Anyone could read it without learning anything private, and you can still pick up the day from it months later.

What to sayTuesday. Maple Street Elementary, room 14, second grade. Park behind the gym; sign in at the front desk. Office was quick and friendly. Teacher next door in room 15 helped with lining up. Worked: reading the schedule out loud at the start, and the read-aloud after lunch. Didn't work: the math sheet ran short by fifteen minutes. Next time: bring an extra math page and a picture book.

Notice what makes it useful. The details that matter when you go back are all there: where to park, who to ask, what works with this class's routines, and what to bring. The entry also tells you something about yourself: you're good at starting the day with the schedule, and you need more backup work for math.

Over many entries, patterns show up. Maybe every kindergarten day goes well and every eighth grade day is hard. Maybe you always run out of work in the last half hour. A log lets you see those patterns and do something about them.

5 Paper or a file, and printing it

Keep your log however you'll actually use it. Some subs carry a small notebook in their bag; some keep a document on their phone or computer; some use a printed one-page form with lines already labeled. Any of them works if you use it every day. My sub log keeps one line per day on your own device, with the same fields as this guide, and prints the whole record when you want paper.

A printed page has a few advantages. It's quick to fill in at the end of a day, it doesn't need a charged device, and it's easy to read on the morning you go back. Print a page with the lines from this guide down the side and space for five or six days, and start a fresh page when one fills up.

• Keep printed pages in one folder, sorted by school, so the right page is easy to find.
• If you keep a file, use the same headings each time so you can search it.
• Make a short list at the top of each school's page: parking, sign-in, office contact.
• Keep your log at home or in your own bag, never left in a classroom.

Put a copy of your go-bag list on the same page: the read-aloud, the extra worksheets, the timer, the pens. The sub bag list covers what to carry into any room, and your log tells you what to add for each school.

6 Looking back once a month

Once a month, sit down with your log for ten minutes and read it from the top. Daily entries tell you about one room. A month of entries tells you about your work as a whole, and that's where the biggest improvements come from.

1. Count the days, and note which schools and grades came up most.
2. Read the “what worked” lines together and circle anything that shows up more than once.
3. Read the “didn't work” lines together and look for the same problem in different rooms.
4. Read the “next time” lines and turn the common ones into a permanent part of your bag.
5. Write one thing you will try differently next month.

A pattern in the “didn't work” lines is the most useful thing you can find. If the last half hour keeps falling apart, the fix isn't in any one school: it's a backup activity you carry every day. If middle school phone rules keep catching you out, the fix is a habit of asking the office first thing. The no-prep activity picker is a good place to find backups that fit the minutes you have left.

Look at the “what worked” lines too, and do more of those on purpose. A way of starting the day that worked in three different schools is worth using everywhere.

7 Using the log to get asked back

A log you never read is just a pile of paper. The real value comes the night before you go back to a school. Pull the page, read what you wrote, and pack what it says to bring. You'll arrive knowing where to go, who to ask and what that class needs.

1. When the call comes, look up the school in your log.
2. Read the entries for that school and grade.
3. Pack the things in the “next time” line.
4. In the morning, greet the office staff and the teacher next door by name.
5. At the end of the day, add a new entry.

Schools that work with many subs remember the ones who make their day easier. Arriving prepared, leaving a clear note, and remembering who helped you last time are all things a log makes easy. Many substitutes are asked back to the same schools again and again because of habits like these.

Your log is also useful when you apply for a long-term job or a permanent position. You can say clearly which grades and schools you've worked in and what you've learned, without sharing anything about a student. The sub résumé sheet sums your log up on one printed page. For a long-term job, read the guide to long-term subbing as well.