How to Prepare For Maternity Leave as a Teacher
Learn The Four Simple Steps to Prepare for Maternity Leave
Congratulations, you’re expecting! Motherhood is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. Look forward to holding that sweet babe in your arms, late-night snuggles, and watching your little one grow! You still have some things to prepare and check off you list before baby comes. It may seem like a daunting task as you prepare for maternity leave, but I’m here to help make it a little easier! The truth is, women have been having babies for thousands of years (and yes….some of them are teachers!). So it may seem overwhelming, but trust me it is doable!
How do I prepare for maternity leave as a teacher? – I’d like to answer this question in four simple parts. Before I get into each part, it is important to clarify the expectations with your administrator and school district. What are you REQUIRED to leave for the substitute in your teacher maternity leave binder? Having this info will give you clarity and a focus as you go through each step.
Curriculum Planning
This is probably the most important step because you want to ensure your kiddos continue to grow after you’ve left the classroom.
There are three types of planning to touch on: Long range plans, weekly plans, and daily plans. When writing your plans you can follow a similar model that you would follow if you were planning for yourself. For my long range plans, I utilized my district’s pacing guide for third grade. My sub was going to use the same pacing guide as the rest of my third grade teaching team. Next, create some general weekly plans. These may be the type of plans you’d write in your plan book as a general overview of your week. Last, provide your substitute with some more detailed daily plans WITH COPIES. This will ensure your long term substitute knows what to do throughout the day. Plus, your sub will use your plans as a guide for planning future lessons during your leave, so create detailed notes. For example, if you want your sub to keep data on students tell them the specifics and provide them with the tracking tool. Your sub will appreciate the clarity and the tools you provide.
Prepare Your Students
Share the news of your pregnancy with your students in an exciting and fun way!
I talked about my pregnancy frequently. I would say things like, “Oh the baby is kicking, because he loves our math talk!”. You want your students to anticipate your leave, so they don’t feel surprised or feel abandoned when it happens. There are three major areas to prepare your students in: Routines, rules, and procedures. My BEST piece of advice in the weeks leading up to your leave is to model, practice, and review! Make it fun by having students model the routines and procedures. Revisit your rules frequently during morning meeting. Remember to give TONS of praise and tell your students how proud you are of them! This provides encouragement and fosters student ownership and responsibility when you’re on leave. As a part of your teacher maternity leave substitute binder, provide detailed notes/outline of the essential routines, rules, and procedures in your classroom. I’ve already create all of the helpful forms to detail your routines and procedures! You can find them in my Black and White Sub Binder and My Retro Rainbow Sub Binder!
Inform Families
Share the news with your students’ families a few weeks before you leave.
If you’ve been talking about your baby and maternity leave with your students….odds are they’ve already told their grown-ups! I would recommend telling your parents in written form, either through email or a letter sent home (or even better, do both!). First, the letter should contain the dates of your planned maternity leave. Second, families should know who to contact and when. For example, if Mrs. Smith is your substitute, make sure families have Mrs. Smith’s district-provided email and phone number. Third, share a little about your sub with your families. Discuss this with your substitute teacher. Parents may want to know their level of education and previous teaching experience. I have a FREE teacher maternity leave letter to parents you can download here. It is easy to use, simply plug in your information to the premade version or use the blank version to create your own!
Invite Your Substitute Into Your Classroom
One final thing I want to share that gave me great peace of mind was to invite my substitute into my classroom to observe.
My maternity sub came for the day, I simply went about my day teaching my students and led them through our daily routines. During this time, she observed, took notes, and asked questions. I loved having the ability to talk with my long term sub during my lunch and plan time. I truly think this helped both of us feel more prepared. Also, my students had the opportunity to meet their substitute, which gave them reassurance. If you have the opportunity to do this I highly recommend it!
Completing these four steps will help you prepare for your teacher maternity leave and allow you to focus on your family! Remember to enjoy the time with your new baby, you can never get the time back. So please let school go…I know, so much easier said than done! Remember, your students are loved, your sub is prepared, you have a wonderful team and admin to handle anything that should come up during your leave.
I would love to know what questions you have about how to prepare for maternity leave as a teacher or any of your best tips for feeling prepared! Don’t forget to grab your FREE TEACHER MATERNITY LEAVE LETTERS. If you’re interested, check out my Black and White Substitute Binder and Retro Rainbow Substitute Binder.
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