Unexpected sick days. They can happen to any teacher — you go to bed feeling normal and wake up feeling terrible. In those short hours of sleep, your body stops fighting all those germs you brought home and raises the “it’s time to rest” flag.
I try really hard to listen to my body to prevent these unexpected sick days, but it has happened two or three times in my teaching career that I had to call in sick with nothing formally prepared.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way. In this blog post, I’m going to share some ideas on how you can prepare for an unexpected sick day.
How To Prepare For An Unexpected Sick Day
Unexpected Sick Day Tip #1: Never leave your classroom at the end of the day until all materials needed for tomorrow’s lessons are laid out.
I use this upright organizer to keep all of my daily lessons ready to go:
Need help getting organized? Here are some blog posts to help:
- Classroom Organization Ideas
- Keeping the Classroom Organized
- Classroom Organization Tips For New Teachers
Unexpected Sick Day Tip #2: Maintain an emergency “sub tub” full of ready-to-go activities that could be used any time of the year.
These lessons would be used if you could not write proper substitute teacher lessons.
I have only used these lessons once or twice in my career, but it provided me with peace of mind knowing that my students were still working on purposeful work, while I was at home recovering from an unexpected illness. For some no prep sub plans that can be used in a variety of subjects, keep reading to the end of this post.
Unexpected Sick Day Tip #3: Be prepared.
Just before I start a new unit, I stay late or arrive very early to work. I get all of the photocopying done ahead of time. By being prepared, I do not have to worry if I wake up feeling under the weather. All my prep work is done and I can focus my energy on teaching.
For more tips on how you can be prepared for an unexpected sick day, check out this post: Preparing for a Substitute Teacher.
Prepare for an Unexpected Sick Day with These Sub Plan Bundles
Middle School ELA Sub Plans Bundle
This Middle School ELA Sub Plans Bundle is the ultimate solution for seamless classroom continuity and hassle-free emergency sub plans! This resource is crafted to be easy to use, requiring minimal prep from the teacher. These high-interest and engaging sub plans promise an exciting exploration of captivating topics, such as China’s ‘One Child Policy’ and sustainable fashion trends.
Your substitute teacher will be able to dive right in and will have everything they need to keep students actively involved before, during, and after their reading and viewing experiences.
This resource has 15 different topics, such as:
- One Child Policy
- Charitable Athletes
- Effects of Sugar
- Green Buildings and Spaces
- Sustainable Fashion Trends
This resource includes 15 sub plans that are interesting and engaging, student assignment sheets that are easy for substitute teachers to implement, and reading comprehension questions and journal prompts. Plus, they come with both printable and digital formats.
You can find the Middle School ELA Sub Plans Bundle on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
Canadian History Sub Plans Bundle
If you’re a social studies teacher, check out this Canadian History Sub Plans Bundle. This resource is full of engaging and historically relevant activities to leave with your supply teacher when you have to be out of the classroom. This bundle includes 6 resources to help your students learn about a variety of Canadian historical places and events.
This bundle includes the following resources:
- Significant Moments in Canadian History
- The Avro Arrow
- Parliament Hill Cat Colony
- Parliament Hill
- All About Canada – Canadian Alphabet Activity
- Prime Ministers of Canada Research Assignment
This resource contains:
- Detailed Lesson Plans
- Regular and Modified Lessons
- Video Links
- Answer Keys/Exemplar
- Graphic Organizers
- Writing Prompts
- Assessment Options
- Print & Digital Formats
You can find the Canadian History Sub Plans Bundle on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
Never fret again about being out of the classroom! These lessons are easily adaptable, all that’s needed is a reliable internet connection and the provided assignment sheets.
For more resources you can use for unexpected sick days, check out these blog posts:
- Free Sub Plans
- Middle School Science Sub Plans Students Will Love
- Efficient and Effective Middle School Sub Plans: Tips and Strategies for Stress-Free Absences
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