The Sub Plan Safety Net for Teachers in the Classroom Episode 290

Spring brings sunshine and chaos in equal measure into the classroom for teachers—testing windows, field trips, allergies, family appointments, and that restless energy buzzing through the classroom. We dig into a practical, compassionate strategy for staying steady in the classroom: building reusable, ready-to-go sub plans that protect learning and your peace of mind. Instead of scrambling at 5 a.m., you’ll have a simple, flexible system that turns absence into continuity and makes time off truly guilt-free.

We walk through what a five-day set looks like for teachers and when it makes sense to expand to ten, especially if health or family demands pop up. You’ll hear how to anchor reading with manageable texts and workbook pages, design math for spiral review, and craft quick writing prompts that deliver standards without needing heavy modeling. We also explore science and social studies activities that run smoothly for a guest teacher, from observation logs to compare-and-contrast tasks. To keep spring energy on track, we share two engaging frames—an April superhero theme and a May camp theme—that transform routines with simple roles, predictable rewards, and end-of-day reflections kids actually enjoy.

Along the way, we name the mindset shift that matters: you’re not planning to be absent, you’re planning to be human. With clear rosters, helper roles, movement breaks, early finisher options, and a behavior plan that rewards on-task work, subs feel supported and students feel secure. The result is a calm classroom, steady instruction, and a teacher who can say yes to real life without fear.

If you’re ready for permission and relief, this guide will help you build a sub-plan safety net that lasts all spring and carries you to the finish line. Subscribe, share this episode with a teacher who needs a break, and leave a review telling us your best sub-day tip.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

Sub Plans

FREEBIE: Editable Camp Awards

Transcript

April Theme: Permission And Relief

SPEAKER_01 0:02

One of the best gifts you can give your future self is having subplans ready before you actually need them. Welcome to One Tired Teacher, Teaching Without Burnout. This is episode 290. 290. Episode 290. I'm Trina Devery and I am here to talk to you about the importance of having prepared sub plans. All right, so we're in April. We're looking at momentum without the burnout. We're focusing on permission plus relief this April time. And you don't have to sacrifice yourself to finish the year well. So we're talking today about being prepared in advance for those days that we just need to take every once in a while. Hope you stick around.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Welcome to One Tired Teacher. And even though she may need a nap, this teacher is ready to wake up and speak her truth about the trials and treasures of teaching. Here she is, wide awake. Wait, she's not asleep right now, is she? She she is awake, right? Okay. From Trina Debori Teaching and Learning, your host, Trina Debori.

Health Anxiety And Owning Time Off

How Ready Plans Restore Control

Prepped Bundles And Monthly Themes

Letting Go Of Martyr Mindset

Free Editable Camp Awards

DIY Sub Plans Using Your Series

Coverage For All Core Subjects

Permission, Relief, And Year-End Encouragement

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Hey, so okay, let's talk about what we're what's going on. So we are in spring. We're officially in spring. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year because you've got the trees growing and turning green and everything is like coming back to life. I often see um little baby ducks in my neighborhood. That's one of my favorites. And it is just a time where it feels like new beginnings, like, you know, and also like we usually have spring break around around this time, either last month or this month, depending on when your school ends. And I often remember feeling like this was a great time to clean out my closets, which I need to do this year because my closet, oh my goodness, it is it's a disaster. So I need to take care of that too. But spring is off, and always, not always, but a lot of the time, it's when life gets super busy. We've got family events, we have illnesses because thanks to all that block blooming, we've got a lot of pollen, especially where I am. My car is like covered in pollen, and the sinuses are like, you know, starting to act a little funny. And we've got burnout because we're we we are like, how am I gonna make it to the end of the year? It feels impossible at that point. We've got appointments. I have a colonoscopy. I know that's too much information, but this is my first colonoscopy, and I'm so nervous. I'm feeling like I'm so nervous because my I have like two other friends and we had a colonoscopy pack. Um I did the the other diagnostic when I was a little bit younger, and um, I'm not even gonna say it. Um I'm not even gonna say it. And it was that was fine, but that doesn't always catch everything. So I'm like, I gotta be responsible here. Like it's time to step up and get a real colonoscopy. So my two friends went. My first friend went, she was like in agony with the prep, and she's telling us like a blow-by-blow, and we're like, holy cow! And I'm getting nervous. And then my my next friend went like a couple days later, and she did a different prep, but it was still rough, and then she got super sick, like it made her sick. The the she had done the original prep as well and got sick, and then she got sick again. And I'm like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, now I have to go. So actually, by the time this episode airs, I will have accomplished it. It will be over, and hopefully it's good news. Okay, that was a lot of information. Let's so let's just move along. Um, often at this time of the year, especially if you have to have a colonoscopy, you're scrambling for subplans that and this adds unnecessary stress. So, how subplans can restore your control? They can restore your nerves, like they can help you so that you're not feeling like every little thing feels like chaos. Um, because you prepare them once, you reuse them multiple times. You don't have to use the same exact day. Like, that's why I like to have prepared like at least five days. And then later on in my career, I started preparing 10 days because I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease when I turned 40 and I was sick all the time. So 10 days was better for me, which by the way, I have a 10-day bundle in my shop, Trina Deborah teaching and learning. Use it if it works for you. Um these are second grade plans. I do have first grade plans, but I have five days for first grade. Um, but anyway, I would know what day I was on and what day I used. You don't have to use them in order. Another thing to know is that I do have specific subplans for April, which focuses on like a superhero theme, which just takes a lot of my end-of-the-year superhero theme day week. And I integrate a lot of that in my April subplans. And I also have May subplans, and that specifically focuses on my camp end-of-the-year stuff, and that that stuff is really engaging, it's really good review for kids, and it's very fun, and it's perfect for you or for a sub. So it's gonna leave lead to a calm classroom. You're gonna have no guilt when you take time off. No guilt is the key here. Last week we talked about feeling like a martyr, and often teachers are celebrated for being a martyr, and we don't have to be a martyr. We get to stand up and we get to protect ourselves, and we don't have to be a martyr. So you're not planning to be absent, you're planning to be human. You're planning to be human. Allow yourself to be human. Okay, so um this month I have a April freebie, and that is, and that's you know, if it would help, I have um camp end of the year awards. They are editable. You'll get a link to it, it'll be um to Canva, and they're editable. And by April, you're caring a lot. You have had testing, possibly, maybe you are testing. You've got spring fever, you've got field trips. Spring fever was like, I felt like my kids were like all siblings at that point. We were such a classroom family, and then it was like the the um the like it just felt like we had the worst spring fever, and we were just constantly like they were just constantly bickering. You maybe you had field trips at this time, you might have had you might have end of the year deadlines to take care of. Students can feel that shift. Energy is high and attention is scattered. So camp style theme weeks are and simple celebrations bring the classroom community back together and give everyone something positive to look forward to. And these, this freebie, these awards, it helps create these moments of joy without adding extra stress. You can find them at Trina Deborah Teachingand Learning.com forward slash camp awards, all one word, camp awards. I tried to make it easy so that you could um grab, you know, you didn't have to like think of a dash in between. Anyway, because my URL is long enough, Trina DeborahTeachingandlearning.com, that's already long enough. All right. So remember you can have a moment for yourself. And if you don't want my subplans and you want to create your own prepared subplans, here's a tip. Um, we had to use our reading series. I didn't love our reading series. I'm like, okay, I'll use it, but I'm not gonna use it quite in the way that they expected me to use it. I used those workbooks as subplans. I was like, you know what? I'll use this. I'll have a sub read these stories, this story, and then I'll have the kids work in the workbooks, and this will be the easiest subplans on earth for at least a rating. And I was like, it was great. And I would just have them pass those books out and have them work on those pages, and that was that. And so if that's one way of using your your resources, and it really helps a lot. But if you need subplans for all five subjects for, you know, maybe language work or word work or and maybe not reading, because I just gave you one, but maybe writing, math, science, or social studies. I also have that. Actually, in my May sub plans, I have some things about Memorial Day, which is a perfect timing. So that would be super helpful. I think April is science. I can't, it might be life cycles. I can't quite remember though. But use it if it would help. And if it doesn't, then that's okay too. You you just have your own prepared and you are ready to go because we need to be able to take care of ourselves and we need to have guilt-free days off. That's the goal. Guilt free. Remember, this is a season about permission, this is a season about relief. You've got this, hang in there, you're almost finished. All right, until next time, sweet dreams and sleep tight.