|
IVP Secretary Giulia Solari fires up her desktop computer each morning long before most staff members arrive. The clock is ticking. Like yesterday and the day before, there’s a new puzzle to solve. Who’s out today? Which absences require a substitute? Who’s available to cover?
She starts by checking the automated absence management system to see if any changes have occurred in the last fifteen hours when her previous workday ended. Predictably, inevitably, they have: illnesses, family emergencies, etc. She confirms the substitutes who have committed to be at Sequoia for the day, checking for cancellations, no-shows, and dropped assignments. The clock ticks. Giulia has about an hour to make sure classes are covered. She’s unflappable. Today, yesterday, tomorrow…185 times each year.
Anywhere from 3-15% of a school’s classroom teachers may be absent from their regular duties on any given day. This includes illness and personal necessity leave, of course, but also professional development, collaboration, conferences, field trips, and other vital school-related activities. Our staff is always reluctant to miss instructional time, so when we ask them to be out for the day, it had better be worth their time.
Substitute teachers begin arriving at Giulia’s office around 8:00 a.m. where they are greeted with coffee and morning treats. A packet awaits them. It orients them to their day (lesson plans, maps, keys, special instructions, etc.). Because she is often still in the middle of solving our puzzle when they arrive, her unfailing friendliness is remarkable.
Some faces are familiar, others she is meeting for the first time. In most cases, because of the general shortage of qualified substitute teachers (Wanna help? Go here for more info), short-term substitutes cover multiple teachers over the course of a day. The pool of substitute teachers is broad and eclectic, ranging from retirees to graduate students. We often welcome retirees back to help with coverage. Parents, too.
For longer-term absences, department chairs and curricular team members work together to ensure lessons, assessments, and grading are aligned. This is when standards-alignment and standards-based grading practices take on an amplified importance in ensuring equitable outcomes for students. When teachers are aligned as a matter of practice, it minimizes the impact of unexpected long-term absences.
There have been days when the clock ticks closer and closer to 8:30 a.m. and it’s unclear exactly how Giulia is going to fit the puzzle pieces together—too many last-minute changes, bad breaks, and competing variables. An urgent email is sent to staff, administrators are put on alert that we may be needed, and favors are called in. Then we get the word from Giulia that all is well and we can breathe easy for another day. Giulia can focus on other items on her to-do list, awaiting the next surprise. In a few hours, she’ll begin readying tomorrow’s coverage plan.
Have a great week!
Best,
Sean
| 
