Beginning of the Year Sub

Yuck! I hate having a sub any time, but I especially hate it at the start of the year! I am NEVER out. I don't think I missed one day last year. In the past, I've only taken days when I go on field trips with my own children. I really hate it. My very first Interim position, I was supposed to start on a Wednesday, and I ended up getting the FLU the day before! So yeah, I was out that week. It drove me insane. I felt so terrible that I was feeling too terrible to come to school and meet my kiddos. Pretty much, I haven't missed for being sick since then. Thank goodness. Even when I know the sub, and know it will be fine, I still hate it.

Well, guess what. I have to be out TWO days next week. Two days in the 3rd week of school! I am NOT happy about it, but I have a two day training I am required to go to, so I have no choice. I would rather stay after school, than miss a day. Yes, I know I'm weird. I'm like that with everything though. I don't miss ANYTHING unless there is no way around it. When I say I am going to do something, I do it! :)

Anyway, I have been stressing about it, and planning for it for 3 weeks now. It's not getting any better. I still worry. Thankfully, my sub is a friend of a friend, who is a certified teacher, but I still don't like it. How about you? Does it bother you to get a sub or are you fine with it? I am sure it is my control freak nature that makes me hate it so much. I just want everything to go exactly as I plan it, exactly how I want to do it. I'm trying to become a recovering control freak, but I doubt some things ever change. :)

Anyway, I have my sub notebook all done and ready. I even have 3 days of emergency plans in there, just in case. But I never, ever want to use them.

I also hate planning for my week, and then having to do sub plans on top of that. I'm efficient, and that's not efficient.

Wow, this is a whiny post, sorry! Let's be positive! :) While planning for the sub, I made a Write the Room freebie that I thought I'd share. It's all about names. Since it is the beginning of the year, I thought that would be the perfect thing to practice, and easy for the sub, since we already know how to "write the room". It's just the student recording sheet, so nothing big, but I bet you can use it, too. I just typed out their names in a kid-friendly large font, and plan to tape them around the room. Then they will go around and write their classmates names as they fine them. Our names are also several other places in the room, as I am sure yours are, so you don't even have to type out the names if you don't want to. I just wanted to make it as easy as possible for the sub. Click the picture below to get your freebie now.

Be fun and fabulous!

~Mrs. Sweeney