Planning for a Long-Term Sub

This is my first time planning for a long-term substitute.  I like to plan ahead, so I've been thinking about it a TON!  I'm due mid-April, which is perfect timing (if I do say so myself), which means I've had the whole year to think about it.  No, I am not a freak and did not plan for this since September.  However, thinking about what I'd like to do helps so I can complete bits and pieces along the way and now I'm ready to get down and dirty rather than "think" about what to do.

Even if you have a requested sub in your classroom for all the meetings you have to attend, it takes time to get to know someone's style and preferences while adding your own touch as well.  I was a long term sub for kindergarten and know how certain things are important to keep the same for when the teacher returns (even if I'm not returning), and things that I can change based on me and my style.

Here are some questions I asked myself and answers I came up with:

Q: How will I communicate what I do on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis that's NOT part of a what I would normally put on sub plans (such as book orders or how I communicate with families)? 
I already have a sub binder with school schedules, seating charts, emergency plans, basic classroom procedures, etc.  My major concern?  I did NOT want to completely overwhelm my sub with a classroom "manual" because to be honest, 1) I wouldn't read through a GIANT pack of papers and 2) I also know that as long as there is a general outline, a sub will still need to get into a groove and teach his/her own way.  

A: General Procedures & Routines Table of Contents
So I did come up with this.  It looks like a lot, but there's only a small little blurb about each thing, organized alphabetically with tabs, & it includes some specific events already planned for when I'm out.

Ok, so there are a lot of things on here, but I figure she can reference it as needed.
Remember, each item only has a small blurb about it, not some essay-long explanation.
 See below for a sample of what I wrote for the P and W sections:

Q: How do I plan when I'm not exactly sure when I'll be out?
A: Find the cut off date.
I asked my doctor what the plan was if I was late.  This would help me determine a "cut off" date when I KNOW I'll be gone.  She told me we would get things moving one week later, so that's my for sure "I'm out" date.  The few weeks prior to due date are up in the air. However, at least I know that 2-3 weeks prior to my cut off date, I can be anally over planned, and then be totally relaxed during that time since I know I will have everything ready to go while I'm there or not!  That kind of led to the next question(s)...



Q: Where will I be in the curriculum around those "unsure" dates prior to due date in order to plan for those weeks?  
A: I don't know for sure.  Do the best you can!  Not kidding.
To be honest, there are some things that I don't know for certain where I'll be at.  (Perhaps I'll have a better idea as time gets even closer.)  With Common Core math, for example, I am constantly adjusting my plans within the week, if not daily, based on my informal observations and/or mini assessments on how my kids are doing.  So for concepts like that, I have a general idea/long term goal, but I can't hold myself to it.  For those subjects, I will just have to plan when the date gets closer or just say, "Here's where I left off in math..." I know, scary, but I can't control EVERYTHING!

As for everything else that could roughly be planned, it was all based around the next question...



Q: What do I do about those concepts I don't want to let go of teaching?

A: List concepts & work backwards!  Then work around & forward.

This was really important to me.  I'm really passionate about my job and have certain concepts where I want to be the one delivering instruction. So at the end of January, here's what I started to do:

LIST CONCEPTS I WANTED TO TEACH:

• I made a list of major concepts/lessons I want to teach & determined what concepts I could/may have to let go of.
• I determined how many weeks I have left based on my cut off date (10 weeks) to teach those concepts I don't want to let go of.
• I am keeping in mind that the 2-3 weeks prior to my due date need to be flexible & I may have to "let it go," which is what led me to the next part...   

WORK FORWARDS - Start at 3 weeks before cut off date

• I picked a point earlier than my cut off date (3 weeks) where I will START brand new units.
• The benefit of starting new units are so that I can just work FORWARD (and not have to worry about where I will be) & plan those weeks out for either myself or my sub in the event things get crazy.  To repeat part of another answer: Then while I'm about to bust, I'll "be totally relaxed during that time since I know I will have everything planned while I'm there or not!" 
• I also made sure whatever I planned those 3 weeks didn't deviate too much out of routine so kids know exactly what they're doing in the event of a transition.
• While I was at it, I roughly planned for my sub the first week after cut off date also.  I'll fill in more gaps as time gets closer.

WORK BACKWARD AND AROUND

• Since I know what units I will start 3 weeks prior to my cut off date, I have all the weeks up until then to teach whatever it is that I can't let go of (for me, that was about 7 weeks - which seems like it's cutting it close, but it's too hard to plan even further out)... so I worked BACKWARDS - filling in lessons and activities for those 7 weeks with the concepts I listed.
• If I need more time for those concepts, I had 7 weeks to work AROUND our typical routines/schedules.  For example, a lot of SS work we do involves reading primary sources and writing about what we read, so I usually take some reading/writing block time to do that since there's never enough SS time.  Hey, integrating curriculum, right?  So even if I am working around the typical routine/daily schedule, it's okay because it's me!

Q: What about everything else that can't be laid out so nicely?

A: Be ready to tell sub, "This is where I left off."

This was really hard to think about, but is necessary.  I do have to know that my sub will need to plan on her own.  And as time is getting closer, I don't want to (and can't) plan for the rest of the year.  I do plan to leave a list of major concepts that still need to be taught so she can plan accordingly.  She will have plenty of examples using my plan book since I will be using that and will be very routine up until then.

Now...if baby can just stick to my plan and not come 4 weeks early (since I only planned for 3).