Imagine walking into a room of 30 teenagers who’ve just learned their teacher is absent. Their eyes are glued to you—the substitute—and the first five minutes will decide how the rest of the class goes. You look for the sub plans, but the desk is bare, save for a few pencil shavings and a half-eaten bag of snacks. You have 117 minutes to teach European History. Bobby in the back is loading up spitwads, and phones are already glowing with distractions.

Stories like these happen every day in classrooms across the country. In fact, according to our data, more than 66% of substitute requests don’t come with lesson plans. That translates to over 33 million days per year where a substitute walks into an unprepared classroom. This leaves substitutes feeling rightfully frustrated and underprepared, a sentiment echoed by the 46% of substitutes who cite “lack of lesson plans” as their second-biggest challenge after classroom management.

But what if there were a way to ensure every sub walked into class prepared, even without lesson plans?

Introducing SubPlan: AI-powered lesson plans for substitutes

In 2024, we set out to solve one of the most pressing issues faced by substitute teachers: the absence of clear, structured lesson plans. Enter SubPlan.ai, the world’s first AI-powered assistant specifically designed to support substitute teachers in creating high-quality, custom lesson plans on the fly.

With SubPlan.ai, walking into a classroom without sub plans becomes a thing of the past. This intuitive, easy-to-use tool takes the guesswork out of emergency lesson planning, giving substitute teachers the confidence and resources they need to turn chaos into a productive day of learning.

“I think it’s brilliant. It provides subs with a great alternative when we’re faced with situations where we might not have a lesson plan. I really like that you can be as specific as you want with the subject—for example, I generated a 10th grade lesson plan that focuses on Shakespeare instead of just regular English, so I think subs could use this to their advantage to help them generate a lesson plan based on topics they might be more well-versed in.”

— Tanner Holley, Los Angeles, CA

No sub plans? No problem

When a sub walks into a classroom without a lesson plan, they’re 17% more likely to receive a bad review from school administrators. It’s no secret that the lack of structure can lead to disorganization, disengagement, and a sub feeling like they’re failing the students.

That’s where SubPlan.ai makes all the difference:

• Free access, every time: We believe in empowering substitute teachers, which is why we’ve made SubPlan.ai completely free. Whether you’re covering an elementary art class or high school calculus, you won’t pay a dime for access to this game-changing tool. Every substitute deserves the tools they need to succeed, no matter the circumstances.
• Meaningful student engagement: SubPlan.ai allows subs to not only generate lesson plans but also worksheets and answer keys with just a click. This means no more scrambling for busywork or filler activities. Instead, students receive structured, meaningful activities that align with the day’s lessons, keeping them on track.
• Seamless multi-day plans: If a sub is covering for multiple days, the “generate follow-up” feature ensures that they have a cohesive set of lesson plans for each day. This allows for continuity in the classroom, keeping students engaged and learning.

“I just love how it gives you different options like subjects or the duration of the class. Sometimes it’s a short class, or a very long class. After it generates the plan, it provides a warmup, different videos, and a worksheet. It also provides the answer key. So I thought that was very, very useful.”

— Menaal A, Bay Area Swing Sub

The future of substitute teaching is here

With SubPlan.ai, every substitute teacher can walk into a classroom with confidence, ready to deliver a day of meaningful instruction. Whether you’re a sub navigating a chaotic classroom or a school administrator ensuring continuous learning despite teacher absences, SubPlan.ai is your new AI-powered sidekick.

Ready to get started?