My First Fire Drill

I experienced my first fire drill as a substitute teacher last week!  The students had just come in from recess when the alarms started going!  They did VERY well with their response to the alarm. The class was heading down the hall for a drink break, then quickly turned to go back out the door.  I grabbed the fire drill folder.  One student remembered that she was in charge of the door.  My class was out there before I was!  The whole school was out very quickly, I thought.

When a substitute teacher goes into the classroom, she needs to look for the emergency cards/folder which is usually near the door.  Also in that area is the map to show where to go in the emergency.  It is important to check for these things because one never knows when those flashing lights and loud buzzer will go off!

When the Substitute Needs a Sub

I have a family, and I never know when one of them will need me while I am working.  One may get sick at school, or the car broke down during the commute to work.  I just never know!  With my other part-time jobs, I know that I can adjust my schedule around family emergencies.  When I started subbing, I did not even think about what to do in these cases. 

I was recently reminded that I need to know the plan of action.  I always let my family know that I am substituting when I get the call.  This way, if they really need to find me, they know where I am.  Last week, my son fell at school and whacked his head.  He was sent to the nurse with a large goose egg on his forehead and symptoms of a concussion.  He told the nurse that I was subbing, but she didn't call the right work place.  I did not receive any call while at school.  (We did take care of the concussion, by the way.  He is doing fine.)  This incident did bring to mind the question: What do I do if there is a family emergency?  Am I allowed to ask for someone to cover the remaining part of the day?  Do I talk to the school secretary?  Do I call the person who calls the substitutes?  Do I tell the head teacher?  What if I am subbing for the head teacher?  Do I have to track down the principal (They are not always in the building since they are responsible for multiple buildings.)?  All these questions were going through my mind over the weekend.

I called the district office to find out what the protocol for teacher emergencies is.  So now I know that I can leave if necessary.  I am to talk to the head teacher.  If I am substituting for the head teacher, then another teacher or the school secretary can contact the principal.  They will find a way to cover the rest of the day for me.  It is a relief to know that I would not be required to stay until the end of the day.  Very rarely would anything like this be necessary, but it is good to know what I can do if an emergency does arise.