Take Your Sick Days

Let’s face it, teachers are some of the worst at taking days off. I’ve heard so many times that it requires more to be out than to just work sick. But we need to change that mentality. We need to take our sick days when needed and we don’t need to feel guilty about it. One of the ways that we can help take that guilt away is to be prepared for absences…even the unplanned ones…by having strong sub plans. 

Staying Organized

Whether you use a binder, a sub tub or just some type of folder, you need to make sure that you have some essentials organized before you have to be out. A little work on the front end will save you a lot of stress down the road. To be able to take your sick days without the guilt, fill your sub tub with the following:

*Kids daily schedules

*Food allergies

*Medical information

*TA schedules

*How each student gets home in the afternoon

*Computer login info

Resource Ideas

When you take your sick days you still want to make sure that your students are learning in some way. This may be a review or practice of an already learned skill and that is totally fine. You don’t have to rely on the sub to teach new material. I like to leave some books in my sub tub that an adult can read aloud to the class and then some sheets that the students can complete. I focus mainly on reading comprehension with these worksheets or maybe a short writing activity. I also leave some playdough in the tubs with directions for students to practice letters or shape manipulation. This is an easy activity that can keep students occupied for an extended period of time. And if students finish their work early then I make sure to have some puzzles or bingo cards for an additional activity. 

If I know that someone in my room can access the computer then I love to leave a few digital activities to keep my students engaged. One of my favorites is a digital escape room. There is one for nearly every season available in the Digital Escape Room Bundle. These are designed for the special education classroom and cover both math and literacy skills.

Use your Paraprofessionals

One of the best things about being in a self-contained classroom is that we have support. Paraprofessionals are some of the greatest human beings out there. And if you need to take your sick days they may just be what saves the day. This is especially true if you need to be out for several days. I like to make sure that my paraprofessionals are trained to cover stations and essentially take over if I’m not there. This means that students can continue to work on their IEP goals, even in my absence.

Do Not Feel Guilty for Being Sick

The number one thing that you need to know about taking your sick days is do not feel guilty. I know that it is easier to be at work and to take care of your students yourself. But we are all human and we all have to miss days. It might be us who are sick or it might be our kids. Either way, when something comes up you need to take the day and you need to leave the guilt behind!