With the end of the school year nearing closer every day, substitute teachers are wondering how to best entertain their classes. 

One sub reached out to their Facebook community, explaining that the teacher they took over for left for maternity leave without providing any sort of sub plan. With summer so close, final grades already in the system, and checked out students, this sub turned to their peers to ask:

“My question is: What can I possibly do with students until the end of the school year? We have 14 days left.”

Fellow substitutes of Facebook to the time to offer advice:

“There is a grade chair I’m sure. Pinterest! Blooklet! Collage! Talk about summer activities and how they can plan them. See what is available in the community so they can do something this summer as they may not know. Teach them self care. Teach them life skills. Ask them what they would be interested in learning and pull from that.”

— Robin W

“I’m currently a long term sub too and was told long term subs in my district are responsible for all lesson planning. I was left nothing as well and had to just wing it the first day or two to get a grasp on what they were doing. With two weeks left, I’d find some kind of end of unit project.”

— Emily D

… others suggested reaching out for help:

“I would ask other teachers in that department and see if there is a study guide for a final that they can work on. Mine are working on the study guide, 10 questions a day and then we go over it as a class (I pick volunteers and bribe them with jolly ranchers to go over it on the board). 30 minutes independently working, 30 minutes working on it together.”

— Hailee B

“Definitely consult with admin and the Dept chair about what you will need to do to be successful in finishing out the school year. If I was a brand new sub I probably wouldn’t have taken on a LT sub position.”

— Marketia D

And if it comes to it? Let the kids zone out:

If you’re in a similar position and looking to fill your student’s final days of the year with fun and educational activities, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re a veteran sub or tomorrow is your very first day, know that we’re here to support you through it all. If you’re looking for more insight on how to leave good sub notes, how to teach at more than one district, or even what a typical day of substitute teaching looks like, you can find the answers at swingeducation.com.