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What happens in your school when someone is absent and there is no supply teacher available to substitute teach?

Some arrangements I'm familiar with...
  1. Classes are collapsed so that a few students from the teacher-less class join several other classes.
  2. An unqualified teacher is assigned to the class (This practice was in place in my board about 8 years ago, but was eliminated at some point, and now seems to be making its way back into consideration)
  3. Other teachers lose their planning time throughout the day and the class without their regular teacher has a series of teachers who work within the school but don't normally teach this group of children.
Scenario #3 is what we've typically been dealing with in my school for the past 3-5 years. The "deal" according to our teaching contract is that on call coverages can be assigned, and planning time is to be paid back to teachers within a reasonable amount of time. Of course, in May and June, it seems perhaps some substitute teachers are a little less desperate to be working every day. The prospect of paid back planning time at the end of the year seems rather silly, except for perhaps those teachers changing locations who are desperately trying to get a classroom packed up while still keeping a room full of youngsters in check and engaged... not an easy balancing act!


Here's a little freebie that you can tuck in the front of your day plans binder, or somewhere else that's convenient for you to track the no-OT coverages you've provided & help ensure that you receive the planning time that you are owed.  (OR at least that the pay back periods are evenly distributed, and it's not just people who complained most loudly who get squared up in a reasonable amount of time!)

Hope you're enjoying your summer so far!