Teachers: What do you think of this? (NBR)

IDFarmer'sWife · April 2010

I have a degree in agricultural education but there are no positions open in my area so for now I am staying home with DS and I am on the sub lists at local schools.

I am going to begin subbing for one of the local ag teachers when she has her baby (she is due tomorrow). After talking to her several times I had the feeling that she was expecting me to create my own lesson plans for when I would be subbing, which I thought was strange. My thought is that it is her class and she has had 9 months to prepare sub-plans and I am not getting paid to create lesson plans. I am capable of doing so, I just don't feel like I should have to considering it is her class and she should have things prepared that she wants her students to learn. I know for fact that what she has done, very little, she has had some of her students create for her.

Well this morning she called me and asked me if I had any lesson plans made and where I was on them. I have not done any because, as I stated I don't feel that I should have to, plus I don't know where she is leaving off so I wouldn't know where to begin. She acted as if I was in the wrong here and I should have it done. It took all I had not to tell her to get her act together.

Am I wrong here? I am quite irritated about the whole situation. My goal with subbing is that I am getting a foot in the door and hopefully will be able to take over the position in the future.

TIA!

ClaireBennett · April 2010

When I was out on mat. leave, I did all the lesson plans and grading. Not your job, they don't pay you enough.

dionnemd10 · April 2010

i would chat with the principal. i don't think it would be your job--if it were short term or a day sub thing they would have to have the plans in place for you. good luck!

anakin · April 2010

When I have done long term subbing I have always created the plans myself, but around here long term subs get paid double of day to day subs.

Did you discuss with her in the beginning that you were just going to do her plans? If not I wouldn't feel that this is completely her fault. If she expected you to make them and you expected her to make them and no discussion was had about the plans, then both of you are somewhat at fault.

Is there another teaching in the department. The only time I was in a class for more than 2 weeks and didn't make the plans was my very first long term job. I used another teachers lesson plans and that worked out just fine.

At this point what are the chances that she is going to make up several weeks of quality lesson plans for you to teach?

Aimlc1281 · April 2010

When I was on leave, I created all my lesson plans in advance. The sub did all the grading. However, my school specifically chose someone who was LA certified like myself in the event that she needed to create lesson plans. Being the person that I am though, I couldn't/wouldn't allow that to happen.

lovebug630 · April 2010

I'm a former high school teacher, and in the counties where I've worked, long-term subs have to make the lesson plans. The sub has to be certified, of course, but they also get paid more than regular subs, so I guess that compensates for the extra work.

ssmith325 · April 2010

dionnemd10:
i would chat with the principal. i don't think it would be your job--if it were short term or a day sub thing they would have to have the plans in place for you. good luck!

Yeah, the sub. shouldn't have to be responsible for the planning.....

stephanielynn33 · April 2010

I agree with you, I think she should have the planning done for you. I def. wouldn't leave the rest of the school year planning to a substitute - that's my class, my responsibility. With that being said, I'd def. talk the principal just to make sure you're in the right here. You don't want to get in trouble for someone else's bad planning skills.

piper09 · April 2010

How long will you be subbing? If it's long term, then yes, I think you should be responsible for the plans. Short term, no. My school required me to do one week of lesson plans, and then the teacher doing my maternity leave took over completely. However, I had my baby in November and will be out the entire second semester. I left the curriculum map, which outlines what material should be taught when, but not specific plans. I have been teaching for eleven years, and from my own experience, it's difficult to plan very far in advance.

caroline1212 · April 2010

piper09:
How long will you be subbing? If it's long term, then yes, I think you should be responsible for the plans. Short term, no. My school required me to do one week of lesson plans, and then the teacher doing my maternity leave took over completely. However, I had my baby in November and will be out the entire second semester. I left the curriculum map, which outlines what material should be taught when, but not specific plans. I have been teaching for eleven years, and from my own experience, it's difficult to plan very far in advance.

This exactly. You are getting paid to do plans assuming you're there long term. I didn't get paid a DIME while on leave for 6 weeks, so I wasn't about to do lesson plans. I did leave a pacing guide and standards and my folders out with all my resources to help her, but I did not type out any plans.

only1erin · April 2010

i had a long term sub in my room when i had ds. she was in my room jan, feb, and most of march. i didn't write lesson plans for every single stinkin' day.....that would've taken me a lifetime. what i did do was this: we met up 2 times before i was out to show her my room, where things are, how i run my day, etc. i also gave her my planner from last year so she could see how i pace things. i also gave her my curriculum maps so she could see what topic to cover each day.

so, basically, i gave her the tools to do everything but i didn't set her up w/a day by day, minute by minute schedule.

also, long term subs are paid more. she also did all of the grading and did my retention conferences w/the kids that needed it.

SamsMom91 · April 2010

My husband took over a classroom for a woman on maternity leave a couple of years ago. He got paid the standard $65 a day for subs and was still expected to write his own plans--which he did. He did all the grading, too, and her parent-teacher conferences.

Andie41 · April 2010

I seem to be in the minority here, but I didn't do any plans for my sub and I'm still on leave from the end of January. I wasn't expected to do plans for that length of time, there's no way I could do that while still teaching!

IDFarmer'sWife · April 2010

I will be subbing until the end of the school year, June 4th. I am getting the standard $65/day sub rate. She did not mention me making the lesson plans until last week which is last minute in my opinion. I was always taught that when you were going to have a sub, you created the lesson plans for them.

I am not expecting her to do lesson plans for each day, but at least an outline of what she wants the students to learn. She told me the other day that it was up to me, teach what I want.

I will definitely be talking to the principle about this. Thanks again!

sadielove · April 2010

We are supposed to leave 2 weeks of lesson plans before we go on leave.

Afarm0929 · April 2010

I made no lesson plans for my maternity leave. There is no way a teacher can make plans for a leave. You have no idea where the children will be or what they will need to learn over that period of time.

And the person who posted above me that is going to talk to the principle about plans, it is spelled principal.

Abinormal · April 2010

I am a music teacher and I made very specific lesson plans for my long term sub. However, the only reason I created these lessons was because my sub was not a certified music teacher. If I'd had a certified music teacher as a sub, I probably would have created 1-2 weeks worth of lesson plans and then left an outline of the concepts I wanted them to learn while I was out.

I think the only thing that the teacher in this situation is guilty of is a lack of communication. She should have made it very clear to you that you would be creating most of your own lesson plans. It's possible that she's more of a plan as she goes type person and so she doesn't have a clear view of what she wants covered while she's gone.

Also, there's only about a month or so left of the school year and so it's quite possible that she doesn't see the point in spending a ton of time creating plans that may not even get used. As a long term sub, you should be responsible for creating at least some of your lesson plans, the grading and any other responsibility the teacher may have had before she left.

If you're really looking to get your foot in the door and hopefully take over this position, I wouldn't start it off by whining to the principal about how much work you have to do.

BakerMommy · April 2010

sadielove:
We are supposed to leave 2 weeks of lesson plans before we go on leave.

I've heard this is pretty standard--leave a few weeks' plans, then it's up to the sub to go from there. If I were leaving, I'd at least give a scope and sequence for rest of the time (after the two weeks worth of plans). I definitely think leaving nothing is out of line.

mayowife · April 2010

I have been on leave since Dec. 18th. (I am returning to work on Mon.)

I certainly did not write my sub's plans for her. I met with her prior to my leave and provided her with training, resources, student data, and my previous plans. I completed plans and prepared materials for her first week. She took it from there. I was available over the phone and through e-mail if she needed any guidance. In return she'll be doing the same for me- leaving me her previous plans and everything I need for my first week back.

During my leave she was paid and I was not. (She was paid the per diem rate for a beginning teacher- not the daily sub rate.) She is a certified teacher and in my opinion can be expected to fulfill all regular teacher responsibilities, including plans.

sippolas · April 2010

mayowife:
I have been on leave since Dec. 18th. (I am returning to work on Mon.)
I certainly did not write my sub's plans for her. I met with her prior to my leave and provided her with training, resources, student data, and my previous plans. I completed plans and prepared materials for her first week. She took it from there. I was available over the phone and through e-mail if she needed any guidance. In return she'll be doing the same for me- leaving me her previous plans and everything I need for my first week back.
During my leave she was paid and I was not. (She was paid the per diem rate for a beginning teacher- not the daily sub rate.) She is a certified teacher and in my opinion can be expected to fulfill all regular teacher responsibilities, including plans.

I did a long-term maternity leave from October-December and this is what my experience was like. I had no problem creating lessons and grading but that's because I was receiving teacher pay. I would check with your district to see if you will get the teacher per-diem pay.

I know when I was on my leave, there is NO way I would've wanted to think about writing plans or grading lol.

Tonya_G · April 2010

piper09:

How long will you be subbing? If it's long term, then yes, I think you should be responsible for the plans. Short term, no. My school required me to do one week of lesson plans, and then the teacher doing my maternity leave took over completely. However, I had my baby in November and will be out the entire second semester. I left the curriculum map, which outlines what material should be taught when, but not specific plans. I have been teaching for eleven years, and from my own experience, it's difficult to plan very far in advance.

Same here. I did leave enough lessons for my special education language arts class, but did not for my regular ed language arts. My sub was a new teacher, certified in LA, and wanted to make her own plans. I mapped out what needed to be done, but let her plan it out and do it her way. I personally have long term subbed twice, and made my own lesson plans each time- even if someone left me the plans, I'd probably just use them as a guide and still do my own thing.

MelodyMoonstone · April 2010

I left December 17, and they didn't even hire anyone until January 19. I'm going back the week before Memorial Day. I left my curriculum map, but I didn't leave plans. I teach Chorus (left music for the concert) and k-12 Gifted, so there's no way I could plan for the individualized education for all of my kids.

My sub is doing a shoddy job too. All of my GIEP's are wrong. Next year is going to suck big time fixing them. Ugh.

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