Emergency Plans for Teachers: How to Prepare for Anything

tamiah312 November 19, 2024

4 3 minutes read

Emergency Plans for Teachers: How to Prepare for Anything

As every teacher knows, sometimes life throws you a curveball (or two). Whether it’s an unexpected illness, a family emergency, or an unavoidable last-minute commitment, there are times when you’ll need a substitute to step in and mentor you. But, how can you prepare for the unexpected?

Having a set of emergency backup plans ready for times like this can be a lifesaver – both for you and your replacement. Here’s a quick guide to creating a foolproof little emergency plan that will ensure your classroom runs smoothly, and your students stay engaged and productive in the event of an unexpected absence.

Why Contingency Plans Are Necessary

First, let’s discuss why every teacher should take the time to prepare emergency mini-plans. Unlike pre-planned absences, emergencies don’t give you time to make detailed plans for the sub. Without a formal plan, interns may feel unprepared, and your students may experience unexpected changes. By preparing a small emergency plan, you can help ensure that:

Learning continues with little interruption
Students stay engaged, even when you’re not around
A substitute teacher has the resources she needs to manage a classroom

What to Include in Your Emergency Backup Plan

When designing your mini emergency plan, make sure it is simple, accessible, and sufficient enough that any substitute can use it without additional context. Here’s a rundown of all the essentials you might want to consider adding to your mini emergency plan.

1. Useful information about the class.

First things first: when creating a mini emergency plan, be sure to write down all the important information about your classroom. This includes things like:

Class Rules: Briefly list your main classroom rules and any systems you use to manage your classroom or transition from one activity to another.
Daily Routes: Provide a breakdown of each day’s schedule, including subject blocks, lunch, and any special activities.
Residential charts: Make sure you have an updated seating chart available to help the student know where each student sits.
Student accommodation: If you have students with special needs in your class (eg, food allergies or IEP accommodations), make a short note with the appropriate details.
Contact List: Write down a list of names and phone numbers – such as the front office or nearby teachers – that the substitute can call in case of emergency or if they need additional assistance.
Emergency Procedures: Explain the school’s policies for fire drills, lockdowns, and medical emergencies.

Pro tip: If you create all of this at the beginning of the year, you’ll get a good chunk of planning out of your emergency situation right away!

2. Detailed lesson plans and activities

In your contingency plans, it’s a good idea to provide specific, review-based tasks that the substitute teacher can do with minimal supervision. Here are a few recommendations for designing alternate courses for the core course list.

ELA: Prepare several independent study passages with comprehension questions or simple writing prompts.
Statistics: Suggest a few math games that allow them to practice important skills and topics they are already familiar with.
Science: Provide simple exercises or instructional videos with related worksheets. These are great for encouraging independent work while keeping students interested.
Social studies: Print age-appropriate news articles on recent events (related to society, history, geography, or culture). Ask students to read the article and answer questions about “who, what, where, when, why, how.”

3. Backup

Include a few extra activities that your sub can use, if the lessons are shorter than expected.

Brain Teasers: Simple math puzzles, word searches, or crossword puzzles related to current subjects can fill extra time.
Journal instructions: Prepare a few prompts for students to write. These can be fun, open-ended questions or information related to recent reading.
Creative Assignments: Sometimes, creative projects (like drawing or coloring activities) can help fill extra time and give students a chance to be creative.