Preparing for teachers maternity leave can be extremely overwhelming. Not only are you trying to figure out all that you do (which has become second nature) in order to inform your long-term sub, but you also are exhausted because you’re growing a human! This time doesn’t have to be so intimidating and I’m here to tell you that you do NOT need to do it all before you leave. Here are some tips that helped me feel prepared leaving the classroom for my teachers maternity leave.
Create Your Teachers Maternity Leave Binder
I created a binder for my long-term sub that includes classroom logistics, our schedule, any random thoughts I felt I needed to tell her and anything else I felt to be helpful. Of course, you can’t expect the long-term sub to be just like you. She’s going to change things and make things work for her while she’s in your classroom but my thought was if she wants to use what has worked for me, she’ll have it all right here in this binder.
Included in my Binder
- Classroom Logistics
- Procedures
- Important Random Information
- Random Information about Subjects
- Behavior Management
- Passwords
- Schedule
- Year Long Plan – Pacing Guide
- Weekly To Do
- Homework Menus
- Monthly Projects
- End of the Year
Include Sub Plans
This may vary from school to school but my principal asked me to leave two weeks of sub plans for my long-term sub. My best advice to accomplish this is to plan it out in your planner like normal and go subject to subject. That way, you can focus on just one subject at a time. While I planned each subject, I wrote a list of everything that I needed to get out, prep, copy etc so once I was done with that list, I knew that subject was complete and ready for my sub to teach for the two weeks after I left.
Organize Your Classroom
I’m going to preface this by telling you to take this lightly. There were a million things I wanted to organize before leaving my classroom to the long-term sub, however, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it all because again, growing a human! What I chose to do was organize a few very important spots in my classroom: my teacher desk and the cabinet behind my desk that houses all the curriculum.
I chose to organize these two areas of my classroom because they would be used the most by the long-term sub and honestly they needed the most work. I took a day over a holiday weekend and spent a few hours in my classroom organizing these spots. That is all the special attention I gave to organizing my classroom before going on teacher maternity leave. You can’t do it all. Choose what is most important!
Leave a Little Treat for your Sub
This is something totally optional but something I wanted to do to start my sub off on a good note. I went to Target and the Dollar Store and picked up a few things to put in a basket that I put on her desk for her to come into on Monday morning.
In the basket I included:
- A snack
- A treat
- A coffee mug
- Whiteboard pens
- Post-its
- A stapler (mostly because mine broke and I wanted her to have one!)
How to Prep for Teachers Maternity Leave
Preparing for your leave can be extremely stressful and overwhelming but when you chunk it into these parts, it is very manageable. Remember that you can’t possibly do everything before you leave and focus on the reason why you’re going on leave, your new bundle of joy!
Teachers who have gone on maternity leave, what helped you feel prepared to leave your classroom? Share in the comments!
