Leave a little bit of your presence in your classroom when you have a substitute! Make a quick video on your phone, upload it to YouTube, and leave the link for your sub to play on the screen at the beginning of class.
Of this process, the trickiest part can be getting the link somewhere where your sub can access it. I have done this in two different ways. For an unplanned absence, I sent the link to our school secretary and she stepped into the classroom to make sure the class was able to see it.
When my absence was planned, I set up a new page on my Google Site with each of the dates I was planning to be gone. I created the first brief video before I left on my trip. (To make it easier, videos for all days could be completed before you leave.) I decided to keep the rest of the days unlinked so that I could make, upload, and link the video from my destination. (We were in Atlanta as Hurricane Irma went through!) Uploading daily video messages added a personal touch and made the students feel like they were getting "real-time" updates from their teacher!
I bookmarked the video page on Google Chrome, then left instructions in my sub plans to click on the bookmark (in the bookmarks bar).
Why use videos in your sub plans?
You can use them to remind the students of your expectations, and even introduce projects or assignments the way you would like them to be introduced. Also - it will surprise your students and make them feel happy. What better reason could we ask for?
