The Breakfast Club – #BFC530 – is a 15 minute, 1 question Twitter chat every weekday. We chat in 4 timezones Mon-Fri – 5:30am Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Times. The mission of BFC is to empower participants to make a difference in education by engaging in consistent reflective practice in a supportive community that inspires and challenges one another.
Good morning, #bfc530 friends! Getting ready to catch a plane to head up to Boston for the @teacherpowered Conference, where I'll be presenting on #OpenWayLearning with my friend & former colleague @adamhaigler!
I'm lucky in that it's usually the same person- along with the plans for the day I always add that they can add/omit/replace anything- I trust them to go with the flow and know that the kids are in great hands. I also tell the Ss I'll be away- some need to process that #bfc530
If I ever have to have a sub, I plan for centers and then my wonderful assistant, @siltman_crystal fills that teacher in. If I’m VERY lucky, she is my sub and I know I have nothing to worry about. #bfc530
For a supply teacher I keep a Gdoc where I lay out the day's plan for each period. I print that with attendance & student photos for them. I also share the Gdoc with them the night before.
I try to make it a student work period rather than a "lesson" for the OT to teach.
#bfc530
Morning! ☀️ I love using @Planboard to dayplan as I can send the guest T the PDF of the plan & easily print a hard copy to leave in the room. I lay out needed materials & my guest T binder with info on my Ss (as I teach Spec Ed & this info is helpful for a successful day) #BFC530
I also am VERY lucky to have a co-teacher in 3 out of 4 of my classes- he is normally willing to give up his prep to teach my other class (and he has done that a lot recently with my surgery)! #bfc530
In some ways, I’m fortunate, as I’m rarely away from my class...besides chicken pox in my second year, I’ve only taken less than 5 sick days in 29 years. I also have a great educator partner who can take over if I’m away...but I still prepare detailed lesson plans. #bfc530
Morning! ☀️ I love using @Planboard to dayplan as I can send the guest T the PDF of the plan & easily print a hard copy to leave in the room. I lay out needed materials & my guest T binder with info on my Ss (as I teach Spec Ed & this info is helpful for a successful day) #BFC530
I'm lucky if I get an actual sub. The shortage is so bad that my dept. or other depts. have to cover. My class is thankfully 1:1 so I post my sub plans on Google Classroom for my students and have them do self-directed learning #bfc530
Planning for a substitute in the room was always more work than actually teaching. I had some basic plans on hand in case something unplanned happened. Usually my reaction when writing plans was, "But I want to teach that..." #bfc530
For supply teachers have a clear lesson plan w SLOs well defined. Also for day to day work have a clear lesson plan w SLOs well defined. Carry the relay torch. #bfc530
Most of our classes are run as workshops, which Ss can do on their own (with a coach on the side). When a supply teacher comes in, the only change we made is that we may skip the mini-lesson. #bfc530
The first thing is to develop the relationship w/ the students so that they are deeply engaged with their projects, etc. & other than my not being there, it's a non-issue. Then do the same w/ the person coming in - treat them with respect and introduce them to the class. #bfc530
Gm. Supply = sub?For real, I was sub for a while and at the per diem rate the system was paying , don’t expect miracles. Now on the other side, I leave ind. work that is interesting.if my room is intact, equip accounted for and s are cool . Then sub was great. #BFC530
In the Internet age it has been easier to prep for a sub. Emailing plans or sending a reading/writing assignment on Google Classroom to my students is much better than driving in w/a fever just to drop off plans. #bfc530
Hahaha - it's a teacher thing! When we subbed for our Ts so they could have the gift of an entire day of planning with their teams, it was a little stressful for some of them to give up class time. #bfc530
I guess a supply teacher is a sub? I have a folder with work, directions and my schedule that will probably be ignored for the most part. I really try not to miss any school. #bfc530
Just shared w/a class yesterday how being out as a teacher tends to be more work than just coming in. Planning a lesson that a sub can lead that is purposeful & helps advance the unit can be a challenge #bfc530
We're in the same boat. We're lucky if we have one full day sub when a teacher is out. I was away at a funeral last week; 3 of us absent that day. One got a sub, one covered by different teaching assistants, & one covered by teachers. #extralayerofchallenge#bfc530
Thanks, Amber! I like that you use the term "guest teacher" instead of sub or supply. Most of these folks do an excellent job under hard circumstances and deserve the utmost respect...not a role to be taken for granted. It also helps to know them personally, if possible. #bfc530
That's me! I enjoy getting back into the classroom. But since I walk through or observe classes constantly, the Ss are used to having me in class.
#bfc530
I create a video lesson, especially with math, I find a lot of subs not confident or capable of teaching, so I'll still teach the lesson. Its like flipping a lesson, but the students have more support! #bfc530
One other thing I've started doing is sharing my PD with parents- When I'm at a workshop I'll post about it to our class FB group so they can see what our board is investing in #bfc530
Same here, but not as long. Needed to stay in another state for 3 wks whil paper work to adopt my daughter was processed. Had student teacher at that time which helped, but he was only there for 2 days b4 I left. Cant plan for when adoption takes place when I accepted him #bfc530
I was actually a sub for my first year of teaching. I loved when I came into classrooms where there was an established routine and expectations. That was more important than detailed plans. (but good plans helped too!) #bfc530
I try to leave something digital: Google Slides, #hyperdoc, etc and hope there are no internet issues while I'm not there! I find the more simple the plan, the better off everyone is. #bfc530
I actually like going into sub. Nice to reconnect with Ss. As admin, I try to stay connected to Ss, but there's nothing like being in a classroom for building relationships!
#bfc530
Nice! That's the best way to do it, IMO. Create the environment for deep learning and student collaboration and then it is not as critical if I miss a day here and there. #bfc530
Thats insane! We have 5 full time permanent subs for the building, plus we will call in outside subs, and do internal coverages (teachers will cover a single extra period of another teacher's class) #bfc530
Having taught elementary for the first 18 yrs of my career, I have to say that planning for a sub in middle school is WAY easier than planning for one in elem school! #bfc530
100% agree with this. Give students responsibilities and jobs so that when you're not there, those monitors step in and the classroom flow continues. #bfc530
Good morning! Joining late 🙄. Supply teacher? Is that a sub? Or as I say, Guest Teacher? I write careful plans and have folder of class procedures and policies (most important are on plans). I write instructions on butcher paper for kids-they often keep GT on track 😝#BFC530
It can also be an advantage if you have a great pool to draw from (fortunate in our case). We also invited a potential guest teacher in early to meet with the students - almost like a job interview. #bfc530
I use to make audio recordings (mp4) of each lesson and put each lesson into a Google Folder with any notes. It meant students that missed the lesson could catch up. It also meant that it could be used as a resource for revision if I was aware. #bfc530
In reply to
@bridget_adam, @DrKnicki, @BFC_530, @wheeler_laura, @educreations
I use @Seesaw and record videos of me talking to my students and remind them of the behaviour expectations. It also helps my students to know that I am okay as relief teachers can unsettle some of them. #bfc530
We used to have one or two perm. subs per building, but they were cut yrs ago for budget & never put back in. Our school committee just raised the sub pay to $125/day to attract candidates. #bfc530
I keep those videos available for my Ss. I also do a practice test video for them to prepare for tests. Next unit, fully self-directed. Wish me luck! 🤞🏻 #bfc530
In reply to
@edu_ivers, @bridget_adam, @BFC_530, @wheeler_laura, @educreations
I share a google doc with what each student is working on with my co-teachers, to print for the supply. I try to have my math students review and practice concepts that day - supply isn’t always comfortable with math. Science students will work on a research project. #bfc530
I use to make audio recordings (mp4) of each lesson and put each lesson into a Google Folder with any notes. It meant students that missed the lesson could catch up. It also meant that it could be used as a resource for revision if I was aware. #bfc530
In reply to
@bridget_adam, @DrKnicki, @BFC_530, @wheeler_laura, @educreations
I put all the directions and links in Google Classroom for the substitute and put the directions for the sub on top of the folder for fire drills. #BFC530
There are some #bfc530 questions I'm not sure I should sit out bc the experience is so beyond most norms or share so others understand my students, our system better.
In a sentence: Most substitute experiences are rough for our students and our subs regardless of teacher prep.
Reflect on your 5 and make the changes that will support your growth. Make sure you are someone else's top five. Contribute more than you take; support more than you need; and inspire more than you detract. Thank you @SusZanti5! I miss not connecting with #bfc530 every day!
