A spoon full of sugar...

As many of you know flu season is here based on the mass influx of substitute calls/jobs I am getting. As a substitute and teacher it is always important to take care of yourself. I am probably the worse at this if you ask my husband, but since I don't have medical insurance and when I get sick I get super bad sick almost everytime, I am trying to take preventative steps. So since today is very a Mary Poppin's inspired blog post I thought I would share my system. I begin every morning with taking two Airborne chewables and two Echinacea pills, then making sure I have a good balance ( as best as  possible) lunch, insuring that I am getting plenty of healthy fluids in my system throughout the day. I know that teachers in general with a lot of support from myself are the number one supporters of soft drinks. I am not saying cut it all out I am just suggesting counter acting it with water, so one soft drink one bottle of water.When/If I do get sick I take the Mary Poppin's song almost literally, I start with a spoonful of honey and then drink tea or water and rest whenever possible.

Sticking with the Mary Poppins theme, the almighty never ending bag! As a substitute/teacher at times it is important to have this resource avaliable. I like to have a few things in my bag as emergency supplies in case of last minute lesson plans, get done with an activity earlier than you expected, or if something is not working as far as teaching the lesson left. Just this last week this bag saved me in a Kindergarten classroom I was in to fill time that was left open when we flew through a interactive whiteboard activity.

To make a Mary Poppins bag the first thing you need is a bag/tote.

Next you need to find some books that can span multiple age ranges. This is what I currently have in my bag. These are great time fillers, I always make it a big deal that I am going to share something special to me with them.

I always include a folder with some back up lessons in my bag that I have all the supplies for,or would only have to go run copies fast.

Then I include a notebook where I write down thoughts or ideas that I see/experience in a classroom that I look at later for inspiration of what I want in my future classroom, as well as great ideas to blog about.

Finally a binder with a calendar, my business cards, and daily summary reports as well as school calendars for the districts I am subbing for, and contact/direction information for the two school districts.

Stay healthy and hope this insight was able to inspire you!

Have a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious week!





Coug Teacher

So I'm a substitute teacher, now what?

If you are someone who is substiute teaching after just receiving your degree, someone who is looking for something new to get you more jobs or a retired teacher who wants to still stay in the profession. I thought I would share some tips and tricks I use that have helped me in the subbing world. For this blog I will discuss some basics that I started with that have helped im
mensely.

In my personal experience, I graduated mid -school year so substitute teaching seemed like the natural starting point after graduation. I started by applying for substitute teaching jobs in two different school districts. Which allowed for a better pool for me to work with for funds to pay back student loans.

After I submitted my application, I had to atten
d trainings for the jobs. The first training I was pulled out of within the first 10 minutes, because they needed a certifcated substitute right then for an emergency fill in, so I volunteered. I left the training with very little and went to teach in my first subbing job. Music, the teacher had used a previous sub plan made last minute changes, which read for the classes to watch movies that took most of the time up.

After the first day I realized that I was not prepared and left a note for the teacher on a scrap of paper I had found. The teacher returned so I just told them what happened. They informed me that because of the family emergency they were going to be out the rest of the week and wanted to know if I could be their substitute for that time. I agreed, they then showed me what they had for back up lessons and let me know that I was free to try anything else I may want to teach related to music.

I went home that night and started working. I turned my eyes to the creative store bins of Pinterest and Teaching Blog Addict! The first thing I looked for was a template for leaving notes for teachers. I found a  couple templates on Pinterest that I really liked. I looked at them took the pieces I liked and then created my own template.

I created the template in Microsoft Office Publisher ( which my mentor teacher introduced me to) I started with the four boxes ( Highlights, Challenges and Solutions, Lesson Plan Notes, and Other Notes) and then created the text box. I inserted all the information and just highlighted and dragged things to were I liked them.   This is the template I use after I have subbed for any general education teacher. I have gotten compliments about how nice it is that there are categories, and information is easy to find. 

As an elementary teacher and daughter of a former business man father I understand the importance of a little personal flare.Personal flare is going to be part of how you are intially preceived. If your substitute template has a font that is very you but very hard to read, the teacher will note this as they try to decipher what happened while they were gone. So important to make sure you use a font that is easy to read. In addition if your template picture is too complex, large, or even inappropriate this will send the teacher a message about you. I suggest using a clipart picture so you don't have to worry about quality, one that has bold lines, and not a lot of background detail in the picture. The more organized your template looks the more organized you are preceived , the more professional you will you will be preceived.

The template and personal flare sagway into another key component for networking. The all mighty Business Card! You can go with the Vista Print or buy them from a local company. If you are like me ( trying to pay student loans off) though it was cheaper to make my own cards they may not look as professional but they get the job done.Try to keep your personal flare consistant when making your card. Again I used my favorite program in Microsoft Office, Publisher! I used the business card blank template that corresponded with the paper that I bought. I kept the picture of an owl on my business card. I came up with a cute picture related slogan related to teaching ( Whoooooo needs a Substitute Teacher?).  Then included the basic infomation: Name, e-mail I have attached to my phone, and my phone number. Sorry image is blurry I am still working on some issues I am having with uploading pictures and documents.

Then once I had taught at a couple of schools and made a name for myself I dropped some of my cards in the teacher lounges. Then this summer I went to district wide training for teachers and passed out my card like wildfire. I started with people I know that I had subbed for before and then introduced myself to other teachers near them who asked for cards. This year this has afforded me a lot of jobs.

While these two things have been instrumental and helpful in my subbing experience, NETWORKING is the best business you can do for yourself. Get rave reviews, by teaching using what you have learned and don't be afraid or timid and be willing to take advice or try ideas in the classrooms that may help you to improve your teaching. Hope this first post has been helpful, please feel free to leave comments!

"Who dares to teach, must never cease to learn." - John Cotton Dana

Coug Teacher