Sick day already??

The beginning of every school year brings forth a number of  new encounters from one immune system to another immune system; thus, rendering me sick on the second Monday of the school year. Really? I am somewhat of a freak when it comes to keeping my house and my classroom clean and disinfected, because I just do not have time to get sick. I keep Clorox bleach/antibacterial spray on my kitchen counter, Lysol wipes in my bathroom, and GermX within my every reach. I know, it is a little psychotic and abnormal, but I just do not enjoy getting sick.

On Saturday morning, I woke up feeling more tired than usual (I suffer from Fibromyalgia, too...that is another blog post for another day) with a really sore throat. Having had my tonsils removed about a decade ago, I haven't had a sore throat in quite a while. This was very alarming, but I went on about my morning as usual. My sweet husband, Justin, got us some breakfast from Jack's and we watched TV just like a normal Saturday. After I ate breakfast, I decided I would take a shower in hopes that it would wake my body up and help with all of the body aches and the sore throat I was experiencing. After washing my hair, I got so weak that I had to sit down in the shower! I thought, "Lord, I cannot die in the shower with shampoo in my hair, help me out here!" I rinsed my hair and got out of the shower, but could barely get dressed or even dry off. I walked back into the living room, sat down on the couch, and broke into tears. Justin looked at me like I was crazy! I cried, "I can't dry my hair, I think I need to go to the doctor." My reasoning is beyond deductive...if I cannot make myself look presentable for the world, I must be sick! Justin, very patiently, dried my hair and put it in a pony tail for me. I got dressed and Justin took me to the doctor. Within 20 minutes and a quick throat swab, the doctor determined that I had strep throat. He gave me two shots and antibiotic along with orders to rest, rest, rest. I was not very happy about this.

I was not happy about being sick for a number of reasons. The first being that I knew that I had NOTHING ready for a substitute and that I had brought my sub folder home so that I could work on putting it together for the school year. Oh, the irony! The second reason I was unhappy about being sick, was that I was going to miss church on Sunday and lunch with our family.

I began the frantic search for a substitute for Monday and was able to find one in no time...that is a miracle, because no one likes to substitute for high school. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but I wanted more than just a warm body taking care of my students. I often feel like a mom leaving her kids with a babysitter. I needed someone who would be kind to my students and who would help them complete their assignments. I found a great substitute that I had used in the past, so I felt somewhat at ease knowing that my students weren't going to just watch a movie or do busy work.

How did I plan for a substitute on the fly? Well, I thanked God in an improvised prayer for allowing the creation of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy for Etowah County to be in place and ready to go! I was able to upload all of my students' work onto Edmodo and interact with them from the comfort of my couch! I set up my AP class a reading/response activity that allowed me to evaluate the student's individual understanding of the close reading assignment. I was also able to answer questions that they had about the reading. It was such a relief to know that my students were actually learning even though I wasn't present! I was also able to post assignments/email activities for my other classes.

Even though my sick day went really well for my students, I still have to prepare a substitute folder that contains activities/information for my students in the event that the wireless network is not available. So what will I include in this magical folder?

1. Class Rosters- This seems like a given answer, but my class rosters always include information about seating arrangements, problem students (yes, they do exist), and special needs for any of my students.
2. Class schedule- I keep a very detailed class schedule in my substitute folder, because consistency helps with classroom management. My students know that they will always have a spring board activity (bell ringer) to begin each class and that they are only allowed 3-5 minutes to complete it each day. This routine allows me to take role without interrupting instructional time. By having my class roster with a seating chart, my substitute can pick out who is absent or missing.
3. Rules/Procedures- Even though my rules are posted on my classroom walls, I like to give footnotes for my substitute. If one of my students just can't stay in his/her seat, then I need to offer a solution for dealing with said student that doesn't always result in a discipline referral.
4. Practical classwork- In the event that our wireless network is down, I have to prepare a go-to lesson that can be adapted quickly. It never hurts to review grammar, so I often include a comprehensive grammar quiz and or literary device activity. In my AP classes, I always include a new/unread essay for them to complete a close reading.
5. Class notes- I like to create a "notes" sheet for my sub to report any instances of both good and bad behavior. I really like to reward my students for good behavior and I make that very clear on the first day of school. If a substitute leaves a "good" note for a particular class, I will allow them to either have a snack during one of our reading days or even allow them to complete an art project that week. My high schoolers take art very seriously! They LOVE it when I bring out the markers and color pencils!

I am always looking for ways to improve my substitute experience, so please share some ideas with me! I can't wait to return to my classroom tomorrow and see how great my students were while I was sick.