[curlygirl2]

So I am trying to prepare for my maternity leave in late April and I wondered if any of you left a manual of sorts to your sub for your classroom? What did you include? If anyone can give me suggestions so I don't forget anything, that would be great!

Thanks.

[Ilvtching]

I left a list of all the topics that had to be covered while I was gone. I also left all the file folders with the activities for those topics. I left any teaching manuals they might need and my home phone number! My sub had student taught in the other third grade class, so he knew our basic schedule and policies...but if you have a class handbook that would be a great thing for them to have!

Good luck,
Amy

[Krissy]

I haven't been on maternity leave, but know others who have. They leave all teacher manuals and materials. They leave a list of where the sub can find important information, files and materials. I know of many who leave at least 2 weeks worth of plans so that the sub gets used to the routine. Other than that, I would leave any kind of district material, such as the math schedule for the year. The sub can always call you or ask another teacher on grade level.

[TeachtoScrap]

Congrats on your April baby! I had one last April. With DD I didn't leave anything beyond two weeks plans b/c she surprised me FOUR weeks early.

This time I started prepping earlier just in case he came even earlier.

I left a Curriculum guide as far as things that needed to be covered in the remainder of the year. I also left notes on various things: rewards/consequences, homework policy, behavior chart system, schedules to everything, where to find things in the room (TE's, art supplies, math manipulatives, etc...).

I started typing this about a month before I delivered. Any time I thought of something else, I opened the document and added to it.

I didn't expect her to follow everything like I do, but I wanted her to have a jumping off point to go from. My Sub LOVED it! She said it was the best thing ever.

I put it all in a binder and left it where she could see it. I also left two weeks worth of plans.

OBTW, the little turkey DIDN'T come earlier than his sister. I just knew he would be here at 35 weeks, but they sent me home with no baby. I was dying! I had never been pregnant so long. He came at 37 weeks though so I got three extra weeks with him.

Best of luck!

[b2kiefer]

a little manual of what happens every day in the classroom. So, what an average Monday would be like etc... I also left all manuals out, labeled all of my storage area so she would be able to find anything, etc... My baby came a month early, so I didn't have any sub plans ready. I ended up going in to school every Sunday and getting everything ready, then the sub would teach through the week.

[lenarmc]

I have an April baby, too (4 yrs ago). I didn't leave anything. I guess by that time I was just focused on the baby. I e-mailed my grades to the school because I used Making the Grade, and my team members helped the sub. It was different for me because my sub was a retired teacher who worked at our school for years(I got to chose) and didn't need much guidance. From what I can remember the students really helped her out with the running of the room. I just made sure it was neat and clean. When I came back in August, she had everything packed nicely and neatly.
If I had to do it all again, I would have left something, but I'm done have children.

[AddieJ]

(Kindergarten) I put together a binder for my sub and included: 1. an explanation of our daily schedule - specifics about what we do for each thing. 2. a list of our favorite songs and I made a special CD with those songs on it (so she wouldn't have to search through all my gazillion loose CDs to find one song.) 3. a list of all the greetings, group activities, and songs we do for our morning meeting and where all the needed materials are. 4. a list of our reading and math centers, expectations, and where the materials are 5. a list of transitions & attention getters that my kids are most familiar with. 6. our behavior plan. 7. the after school happenings chart 8. list of parent names & phone numbers 9. my cell number

Our unit of study for my sub was going to be All about animals and their needs so I put together the lesson plans I would have used and my box of props I use for that unit (including all the books we read and project ideas.) Our math and reading lessons followed the books so I just included what a typical math/reading lesson looks like and where all the materials needed are located.

I did all this for my third baby. My first two both were born early (my first came 9 weeks early - no plans ready; with my second baby I was put on bedrest at 33 wks and she was born at 36 wks. - no plans ready then either.)
I was determined to be more organized my third time around! and my third baby came one day after her due date!

I still use the binder with all my subs - I just put the daily plans in the beginning with a note about the rest of the book (that i don't expect him/her to read all of it but some of the information will come in handy.)