Long-term subbing

1 The second week is different

The first few days of a long-term job feel like ordinary sub days. You follow the plans the teacher left, you learn names, and the class tests you a little. Then, often in the second week, things change. The plans run thin or stop. Students stop treating you as a visitor. Questions arrive that a day-to-day sub never hears: when is the test, what's my grade, can you sign this form, will you be here for the field trip?

That shift is the moment to stop thinking of yourself as covering and start thinking of yourself as the teacher for now. You are still a guest in someone else's room, and the room still belongs to them. But the class needs someone to plan, to hold routines and to keep learning moving, and for these weeks that someone is you.

Before the second week starts, sit down with the person who arranged the job, usually the principal, an assistant principal or a team lead, and ask what is expected. Do this in the first days, not after something goes wrong.

• How long is the assignment expected to last?
• Am I expected to plan new lessons, or follow plans someone else writes?
• Who plans with me, and when does the grade team meet?
• Will I enter grades? If so, how do I get access?
• May I contact families? If so, how, and does anyone need to see the message first?
• Who do I go to with a question about a student?

2 Planning with the grade team

In most schools, teachers in the same grade or subject plan together. If you are in a long-term role, ask to join those meetings. The grade team knows where the class should be in the curriculum, what comes next, what the shared tests look like and which materials are already made.

Come to the first meeting with what you know: where the class is, what you've taught since you arrived and what you're unsure about. Then ask for the next unit's plans or materials. Many teams are glad to share; they would rather your class keep pace with theirs than fall behind.

• Ask where the shared plans and materials are kept, and whether you have access.
• Ask what assessments are coming and whether they are the same across the grade.
• Write down what each teacher on the team teaches, so you know whom to ask about what.
• Offer to make copies or prepare something for the team. A small favor builds trust quickly.

If the school doesn't have a grade team, or you're the only teacher of your subject, ask the principal who can look over your plans. A second set of eyes in the first week of your own planning prevents a lot of rework.

3 Routines you set

A day-to-day sub follows the class's routines. A long-term sub has to keep them going, and sometimes add new ones. Start by keeping everything the class already does: the attention signal, the jobs, the way papers are turned in, the morning work. Changing what works only makes your job harder.

Where there is a gap, set a routine of your own and teach it the way a teacher does in the first week of school. Explain it, show it, practice it and repeat it until the class does it without being asked.

1. Pick one routine that would make the day calmer, such as how class starts or where finished work goes.
2. Tell the class why it matters in one sentence.
3. Show what it looks like, then have the class practice it.
4. Use it every day the same way, and thank the class when it works.
5. Write it down for the teacher, so they can keep it or drop it when they return.

A daily morning board is an easy routine that helps right away: the schedule, the first task and a reminder, on the screen as students arrive. A regular brain break after lunch is another.

Avoid big changes that the teacher would have to undo, like a new seating arrangement for the whole room or a new reward system. If you think one is needed, ask the principal or the grade team first.

4 Grades and the gradebook

A long-term sub is often asked to grade work, and sometimes to enter grades. Whether you can, and how, is up to the school. Ask the office or the principal whether you will have gradebook access, and if so, how to get it. Do not ask the absent teacher for their password, and do not use anyone else's account. Schools have their own way of giving a substitute access.

Before you enter a single grade, find out how the teacher grades. Ask the grade team or look in the teacher's notes. Which assignments are graded? What counts as late? Are there categories, like homework and tests, that count differently? Following the teacher's system keeps grades fair across the whole term.

• Grade work promptly. Students and families notice when grades stop appearing.
• Keep a paper or file record of every grade you enter, so you can show what you did.
• Use the same rubric or answer key the grade team uses for shared work.
• If you are unsure whether to count something, ask before you enter it.

Report cards and final grades are often the regular teacher's or the principal's call, even when you did most of the teaching. Ask early how they will be handled, so nobody is surprised at the end of the term.

5 The parent email you may send

In a long-term job, families want to know who is teaching their child. A short introduction can do a lot to build trust. But whether you may contact families, and how, is up to the school. Only send a family message if the school allows it, using the method the school chooses, and ask whether someone should read it first.

If the school agrees, keep the first message short and friendly. Say who you are, that you'll be with the class for a while, what the class is working on, and how families can reach you through the school's usual channel.

What to sayHello, families. My name is Ms. Okafor, and I am teaching your child's class while their teacher is away. We are working on fractions in math and reading a new class book. If you have a question, you can reach me through the school office. I am glad to be with this class.

Don't share anything about why the regular teacher is away, even if families ask. Say that it's private and that the school can answer questions. Don't send any message about a specific child's behavior or grades without first asking how the school wants that handled; many schools want a team lead or the principal involved.

6 Keeping a record

A long-term sub needs a record that a day-to-day sub doesn't. Write down what you teach, what you grade, what you send home and anything important that happens. You will need it when the teacher returns, when a family asks a question, and when you look for your next job.

• A daily log: the date, what you taught, what was assigned and what was turned in.
• Lesson plans and materials, in a folder the teacher can open.
• A list of grades entered, with dates.
• Copies of family messages, sent only as the school allows.
• A note of any incident you reported, who you told and when, kept the way the school asks.

Keep student information in the record to what the job needs, and keep it where the school says it belongs. Follow the school's rules on student privacy, and read the student data privacy guide if you are unsure what to keep and where.

For your own use, keep a separate record with no student names: the school, the grade, what worked and what you'd bring next time. A sub log like this is what helps you get asked back.

7 Handing the class back

A long-term job ends with a handoff. Plan for it in the last week, not the last day. The teacher coming back needs to know where the class is, what's been graded, what's still out and anything about students they should know.

• A one-page summary: what was taught, what's next, what's still being graded.
• Every lesson plan and material, in one place.
• Grades entered and a list of what's missing, as the school's process allows.
• Routines you added, so the teacher can keep or drop them.
• Anything the teacher needs to hear in person, kept for a short meeting rather than a note.

Tell the class ahead of time that their teacher is coming back and when. Some classes like to make a welcome-back sign or a card, and it gives the last day a good ending.

If you can, meet the returning teacher for a few minutes before the switch. Ask the school whether a handoff day or a short overlap is possible. Then ask the principal for a reference while the job is fresh. A long-term assignment done well is one of the strongest things a substitute can show.