Substitute Plans for High School Art

Ain't that the truth!
I've only missed one day of school this year and it was a sort of pre-planned sick day. I wrote about it here.
If we don't use our two allotted personal days by the end of the school year, we lose them. So I've planned to take this upcoming Monday off.
And I spent about two and half hours putting things together for the substitute....

Part of the reason why it took so long, is that I used this as an excuse to get myself organized. All year I've wanted to put together a binder so that in the case of an emergency or a terrible sickness, I wouldn't have to go into school to set up for a sub. I'm not a hundred percent done, but this is a great start. All I will need to do is update it for next school year and perhaps add an additional lesson.

Inside pocket

Page one

Inside the binder I've included a couple copies of my homeroom list, a map of the building and paper for the sub to take attendance (sign-in sheets seem like standard procedure for high school, but I've learned to leave paper or it doesn't happen). 

On the first page is a big thank you. Being a substitute is hard work and I think some folks might feel intimidated or uncomfortable substituting Art. Very often I've heard from students that they don't want to take Art in high school because they can't draw.... that's exactly why you take the class! So I don't know how an adult might feel about teaching it for a day. 

This page also includes attendance and seating policies as well as what other teachers might be around if there was a question or problem. 

There is also a copy of my schedule and what should and shouldn't be happening with materials while I am not in school.

Next is a more specific schedule for the day I will be out. I hope that in the future I will be able to email this to a co-worker or the school secretary and avoid going in all together. But again, we'll see.

What I left for Monday is a lesson that I would have done with middle school, had I been teaching it this year. I've asked students to practice using two or three point perspective and design a tree house or fort. I spent last week teaching them about perspective, with power points and videos and exercises. Eventually students will be creating a comic strip, comic book/ book cover, or surreal/ futuristic landscape as a long term project. We'll see what happens with this substitute plan....

In addition, I left other plans as back up: the Black & White Doodle Design and Numbers in Color.

The last couple pages of the binder are rosters. Unfortunately by brain goes to worst case scenario. What if there was a fire alarm or lock down? How would the sub know if s/he had all the right kids? On the page with my schedule, I wrote down how to exit the building in case of an emergency and to take the binder with the rosters.

I am curious as to what other high school art teachers leave as substitute plans. I personally don't want my Art One students working on their assignments without my guidance. Is that strange? Knowing my Art Two students, I don't mind if they work on their current assignment, because I know they will. But is it weird that I'd rather give my Art One students (primarily freshman) a "filler" or practice lesson? None of my co-workers have a binder either... is the binder overkill?
Sometimes I think my left brain works more than it should.