Thursday, October 27, 2011

"It's a great time to be a teacher"

For those of us that have a rather bleak outlook on the state of education today (those of us who don't have jobs, who are forced to retire, etc.).  After all of the negative, it is a good time to be in education.  I was having a discussion with an administrator and once-teacher that has been in education for a long time.  She said to me, "Bad economy aside, it is a remarkable time to be a teacher..."  From manipulatives to mandatory reporting, she described the ways that education has slowly improved since she first became a teacher.  While she agreed that education is a pendulum that swings from one extreme to the other in many instances, she believes that with every swing the pendulum edges toward the side of improvement (maybe with the occasional edge back, i.e. NCLB).

GASP! Facebook Post

Today my husband was checking his Facebook page and suddenly I heard a loud gasp from across the room.  After reading the first sentence he was fired up and so was I.  Upon reading to the end, though I found it does bring up some good points, see for yourself.  Since Facebook only shows the first paragraph as a preview, I hope the general public reads on.

"Are you sick of highly paid teachers? Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit!
We can get that for less than minimum wage.
That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day.

However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).
What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!
The average teacher's salary (nation-wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive babysitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!! Make a teacher smile; repost this to show appreciation for all educators."

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Application 135 and counting...

Since my graduation this summer I have completed at least 135 applications, handed business cards out at numerous schools, gone to job fairs, and completed three interviews (all of which came to the same verdict: "your interview was perfect, but we selected someone with more experience).  Besides this I had a researcher, both of my supervisors, and my cooperating teachers tell me they would "for sure" find me a job!  Besides the experience catch 22, I have a flawless application with over 1,200 hours of volunteer experience (not including my work experience as a teaching assistant) in 11 different schools in six different cities K-College, and a Master's and Bachelor's Degree in education.  In summary: the education field is a tough one right now to say the least.  At one of my interviews in a city with a population of 300 the principal stated:  "We had over 100 highly qualified applicants this year.  The last time we had an opening we had 7, only one of which had a Masters."  This sentence pretty much sums up the education field right now.

So... after all that here is my advice: whilst in your undergraduate or graduate degree program WORK AS A PRESCHOOL TEACHER OR INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE!  That way when the dreaded paid teaching experience question comes about, you don't have to put that big conspicuous 0.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

StoryCorps: Sharing real stories in a way children can relate

Loving this new website, StoryCorps, they have started an initiative to animate the stories of survivors and their families from 9/11 as well as other stories, using their own voices.  The series is up for an Emmy, and for good reason.  The stories are touching, the animation is great, and the voices are real.  A great resource for educators K-College for a social studies curriculum, or for simply sharing quality audiovisual material in the classroom.  My favorite story so far is John and Joe, brothers who both died in the 9/11 attacks.

Waiting...

Waiting is the hardest part.  Here I am, a qualified, educated, prepared, motivated and compassionate educator sitting in my office chair at home waiting to get called.  I thought for sure today would be the day, but here I sit.  It is hard to know that there are others out there begrudgingly doing the job that I would do anything to be doing right now.  I will continue to be patient, because on that day I do get the call, it will be a joyous occasion, and another step toward that ultimate dream... getting my own classroom.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Reading Quotes


"We read to know we are not alone." -C.S. Lewis
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."- Oh! The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Educational Games

Heads Up 7-Up

Crossing the River or 64 Squares (Requires 64 Sheets of paper, 4th grade up)
This game is a real challenge for adults and kids alike and is a team building game.  Lay 64 sheets of paper on the ground, 8 x 8.  Make up a story about why they have to cross this bridge, river, lava pit, etc. and why they cannot step on certain pages.  (For instance, they need to cross a rushing river and there are rocks to step on but there are also turtles and alligators that look like rocks).  Make a map with a path across.  The rule is if a student steps on a bad piece they must go to the end of the line, everyone needs to watch to get across.  The group wins when the whole class is across.
Ra-di-o (3rd grade up)
Students stand in a circle and take turns saying the syllables of the word radio.  With the syllable ra they either put their left or right hand above their head, the person to the side of the raised hand says the next syllable, di and puts either his left or right hand under his chin and points.  The person on the side he points to says o and points to anyone in the circle, and it continues.  The people who mess up move to the outside and become hecklers, who are trying to distract the people inside the circle without touching or blocking them.
Mirror Image (2nd grade up)
Pair students and have them try and imitate the other’s movements as if a mirror.
Human Knot (3rd grade up, primary with supervision)
Standing in a circle, group members reach across and shake hands - use hand connecting to a different person.
The group then tries to unravel the "human knot" by unthreading their bodies without letting go of each other people's hands.
Group count-off (2nd grade up)
Count as a group to the number of students in the group without speaking anything besides the number.  Rules:
       No gestures or speaking besides the next number.
       Adjacent people cannot say the next number.
       Everyone must participate.
       Group must count in consecutive order.
       If two people talk at the same time the group starts over.
Hot and Cold (2nd grade and below)
One volunteer is 'It' and leaves the room or play area.
The other students decide on an item for It to locate - a rock, a marker, a book.
When he or shee returns, everyone says "hotter" or "colder" as he gets closer or farther from the item until he locates it.
See who can find his or her item fastest.


Coseeki

One player leaves the group and stands where she/he cannot see the group. The group chooses a leader who does a movement, such as tapping his toe, which the others follow. The leader changes the movement regularly and the others follow the leader’s movement. The hidden player returns, stands in the middle of the circle, watches the movements and tries to guess who the leader is. The player in the middle has three chances to identify the leader. After the leader has been identified or the player in the middle has had three guesses, another leader and guesser are chosen to continue the game.
Silent Line Up (3rd grade up)
Ask students to line up by birthday without speaking. (Could do name alphabetically as a warm-up)
Category Snap (3rd grade up)
Everyone sits in a circle.  Start a clap/pat/snap pattern that ends with a right hand finger snap then a left hand finger snap.  Select a category.  The first person says the category on their right hand then their selection on their left.  The next person says the previous selection on their right then their selection on their left.
This Is a What? (Requires an object to pass)
Another game that seems simpler than it is. Have everyone sit in a circle. Pick up an object and tell the person next to you, “This is a marble.” He asks, “A what?” “A marble,” you answer. “A what?” he asks again. “A marble,” you say. “Oh, a marble,” he says. The pattern is now established. He then takes the marble and turns to the next person and starts the pattern. As the marble goes around, you start on the next object and the next object. Eventually there will be a lot of these conversations going on at once. The goal is to see how many objects you can pass around the circle.

Simon Says (K-1 teacher is the leader, 2nd up choose a student leader)

Around the World (Requires flash cards or a list of questions)

The Big Wind Blows

To set up the game, arrange several chairs facing inward into a medium sized circle. There should be one chair for each player, minus one. One person starts as the “Big Wind” in the center of the circle, with everyone else seated.  The Big Wind raises both arms and spins around, while saying the following: “The Big Wind blows _____”.  The blank must be filled with a true statement about himself or herself, such as “The Big Wind blows everyone who has been to Canada” or any other true fact.  At this point, any of the players who share this characteristic (including the person who is currently the Big Wind) must stand up and quickly find a new seat. For each statement, no player is allowed to sit in the same seat or a seat directly adjacent to his or her previous seat. One person will be left without a seat. This person becomes the new “Big Wind” for the next round.
This game is especially interesting when players use unique, unexpected, or funny statements.  For example, a player can say embarrassing statements such as, “Big Wind blows those who have gone without a shower for three days.” Have fun and remember the objective of the group game: to get to know each other better.

Silent Speedball (3rd up, requires a ball or “silent ball” with 2nd down)

Teacher is the only referee regarding bad passes and missed catches.
       Talking or making sounds is an out.
     Missed catch or bad pass is an out.  A “good” throw is within arm’s length of the intended catcher and does not include “fast balls” (model good throws for students)
     Students that are out must remain quiet at their desks and not interfere with the game in any way Instructions:
     No one can talk or make a sound; that is the object of the game
     Students may stand by their desks or position students in any arrangement to facilitate tossing the ball to each other around the classroom
     Make a good throw to a classmate; explain that students can not throw back to the person who threw to them.
     If student misses the ball or makes a bad pass, student is out and must sit at his/her desk until the next round.
     Play until all students are seated; last two are the champs!

Freeze Game
Practice giving the direction “freeze,” ringing the bell, or other noisemaker by having students mill about the room and “freeze” safely on the appropriate signal.


More Games


Resources


Denton, P. The First Six Weeks of School.  (2000). The Northwest Foundation for Children.

New love: Buying books for dirt cheap!

My new favorite site on the web: Goodwillbooks.com.  Search by author or title and find books for your classroom for sometimes only pennies!  Even better deal than Amazon.com's used prices, though these are pretty amazing, too.  Amazon is great if you can get more than one book from the same seller or get free super saver shipping to reduce shipping costs.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Getting your name out there!

I love the new commercials from Vistaprint, they are so right.  If you want to make a great first impression, the business card makes a big difference!  I know I've judged companies based on their business cards before (for my wedding, for instance).  I've handed out tons of business cards for substituting, we will see if it makes a difference!


I chose to use a Wordle.net "word cloud" on the back, hoping maybe someone would recognize the technology reference. 

This design was made by my husband, a graphic designer and screen printing wiz.  If you are interested in a custom business card design contact Black Box Industries.

Renaissance Academic Planner

I recently began a new endeavor and created an academic planner for Renaissance Public Academy in Molalla, OR.  A great little charter school.  If your interested in a custom planner, let me know.

I also scrapbooked the cover of this planner for myself last year:

Writing Workshop Website

I found THE BEST teacher website for the writing workshop and other ideas:

The Learning Pad

Please check it out, the teacher has a year of fully developed writing workshop units, lessons, classroom pictures, the website is a must-see!

My Teacher Education Graduation Poem

I wrote the following poem from the fire within me that was stoked by my experiences as a graduate student.  It had been a long journey, and we were at the edge of a new beginning.  Some of will get jobs and start that journey right away, and others will take a longer path.  Some will resist, and others will succumb.  It is all a part of the journey.  The most important thing is that we keep “holding at the forefront the lives of the individuals we shape.”

Standing on the edge of a precipice
With eyes covered,
Not knowing how long,
If ever,
This long journey will take to reach rectification,
We trudge forward, ready for the dive,
With our hope and knowledge to guide us.
Holding at the forefront the lives of the individuals we shape.
We prepare our hopes and our minds for the day,
That we can step unfettered into our future.
But the future is clouded with dissent,
And because we cling to our values,
There is a battle to be fought,
We are unprepared, though,
For we are not soldiers,
But scholars, and poets,
Artists, and authors…
But stand we here in the garb of war,
To fight the good battle,
For those who cannot,
Against those who know not,
Armed merely with wit and the tools of our trade.
But we will find knowledge is our advantage,
Because,
Like a bird bound,
We have succumbed to our fetters,
For now,
But the hope of liberation is nigh.
We stand on a precipice,
And though we do not know what comes next,
We have our wits, our values, and our hope,
And nothing can stand in our way.

Mrs. T

The Substitute Bag

I've had so much fun getting together my substitute bag of tricks.  I'm lucky I already have an extensive classroom library so I didn't need to purchase books to add to my bag.


  • Substitute Bag, Box or Bin (I use a Dakine messenger bag that I already had, but anything with a secure top that is portable will work).


Classroom Supplies


  • Sticky Notes of various sizes
  • Pens (I prefer felt-tip for grading and gel for writing, both in various colors, but this is up to you)
  • Permanent Markers
  • Pencils
  • Dry erase markers
  • Overhead markers
  • Markers
  • Colored pencils and/or crayons
  • Chalk (you never know)
  • Pencils
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Transparent and masking tape
  • White out
  • Small stapler
  • Paper clips/binder clips
  • Rubberbands
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Rule
  • File folder
  • Calculator
  • Lined and blank paper
  • Name tags (either pre-made name tags, address labels, or card stock to fold in half)


Rewards/Motivators


  • Tickets
  • Certificates
  • Stickers
  • Small rewards (bookmarks, erasers, pencils, etc.)*
  • Mystery Box
  • Stamp and Ink Pad
  • Privilege cards


*Note: Many subs swear by using candy as a motivator, I refuse to use candy because I think it gives the wrong message about nutrition and it is a big no-no in many schools because of allergies and hyperactivity.

Personal/Professional


  • Clipboard
  • Substitute Teaching Binder: Reports and other forms
  • Small first aid kit (gloves, bandaids, CPR shield, etc.)
  • Safety pins
  • Hair ties
  • Chapstick
  • Travel lotion and deodorant (just in case)
  • Hand sanitizer
  • District information
  • Coffee/tea mug
  • Water bottle
  • Whistle (I also have a quacker)
  • Travel tissues
  • Snack
  • Tea, honey packets, and sugar packets
  • Small wallet
  • Plastic bags
  • Spiral notebook for notes
  • Glasses and case
  • Name tag
  • Mints
  • Lunch (keep it healthy and light)


Activity Materials


  • 2 soft balls
  • Lesson plans/materials in file folder
  • Activity books (See Substituting and/or Teaching Activities/Games Amazon book list and/or Substitute Resources post)
  • Tangrams
  • Bookmarks
  • Prop (I use a beanie baby from my childhood collection, puppets are great but not my thing)
  • Books (See my Amazon booklists)**
  • 6 number cubes or dice
  • 6 decks of cards
  • Estimation jar
  • Newspaper
  • Stopwatch or timer


**In my Sub Bag right now: Visual Illusions by James Kingston, Mad Libs, Super Silly Mad Libs Junior, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, More Two-Minute Mysteries by Donald Sobol, Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl, The Kids' Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, and Falling Up and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein plus the activities, games, and lessons in my sub binder.

Resources 

Smith, G.  Substitute Teacher Handbook.  (2004).  Utah: Substitute Teaching Institute, Utah State University.

Herbst, J.  The Substitute Teacher's Organizer: A Comprehensive Resource to Make Every Teaching Assignment a Success; Grades K-6. (2005).  Teaching Resources.

Rose, M.  The Substitute Teacher Resource Book (Grades 3-5).  (2002).  Creative Teaching Press.

Amazon Book Lists

I am very passionate about using quality literature in the classroom.  This is why I have dedicated much of my free time to making Amazon lists of quality literature.  Here are my lists:

Teaching Activities/Games

Art

Award Winning Books

Bullying

Classroom Community/Diversity

Classroom Furniture/Supplies

Classroom Management

Curriculum Development

Development/Attachement

Differentiation

Earth Science

ELL

Individuality/Character Development

Language Arts

Math

Poetry, Rhyme, and Song

Professional Development

Science

Social Studies/History

Substituting

Traditional Tales

Writing

Substitute Teaching Resources

Books

**Substitute Teacher Handbook K-12.  This book is AMAZING for a first time substitute.  It has activities for all grade levels arranged by subject and labeled by grade, advice on everything from getting jobs to behavior management.



The Substitute Teacher's Organizer by Barbara Cawthorne.  This book was great.  You can take it right apart to assemble your own substitute teacher binder.  It has great tips, advice, and lessons.



The Substitute Teacher Resource Book by Mary Rose.  While this book was not designed to disassemble, I took it right apart and added it to my substitute teacher's binder.  It has great activities and advice, though redundant after reading the previous books, the lessons were all new, though.





Instant Success for Teachers by Barbara Collins.  While many of the activities contained in this book are what I would consider busy work or filler activities, they have their place in substituting and are nice to have on hand.



Blogs

"The Fine Art of Substitute Teaching."

Websites

"Substitute Survival: Tools you can use" by Peg Arseneaux and Education World.

"How to Pack a Substitute Bag" by EHow.

"Substitute Teaching: An Insider's View" on Teach-Nology by Deborah Bouley.

"Handy Advice for an Elementary Substitute Teacher" on Squidoo by Lattydah.

Substitute Teacher Today.

"A Packet for Substitute Teachers" by TeaherNeedHelp.com.

"Teaching Heart's Guest Teacher's Bag of Goodies" by Teaching Heart.

Super Substitute Teachers.

"Substitute Survival: Tools You Can Use" by Education World.

Registering to substitute

Having recently completed my substitute registration for two education service districts (ESD's), 15 school districts, and 46 schools all at least an hour away from my house I have some advice for future substitutes, which brings me to my first piece of advice:

Apply early!  I graduated my teacher education program this June and began applying for jobs in late May, come to find out the substitute lists for all the areas close to me had be full since March for the next year!  So all that schmoozing with the teachers from the school I student taught at was pointless!  Now I am driving an hour to get to all my subbing positions.  Sigh.

Stick to as few schools as possible and be known at these schools.  Ok, so this comment is a little hypocritical at the moment, but it is a piece I gleaned from other substitute teachers.  If your ultimate goal is to become a full time teacher, it is in your best interest to substitute at fewer schools, so as to be known at those schools.

Make as many friends in the teaching field as possible!  While this didn't exactly work out for me, it nearly got me a lot of subbing jobs.  I had an acquaintance from BMX (my leisure time activity), who was a teacher that I volunteered with during my schooling, who had five days of subbing for me before he found out PPS's sub list was full!  I was still grateful.  Further, networking is how you find jobs!

Do the ground work.  All the schools that I registered to substitute with are at least an hour away.  This means it took a lot of time to drive to each ESD, SD and school, but it will pay off in the end.  Visit each school and introduce yourself to the secretary, and if possible the principal and teachers.  Be friendly and professional.  This is like your substitute interview.


Be patient and proactive.  Part of substituting is waiting and watching, but during this time you should not be stagnant.  Keep a close watch on any substitute calling systems, call schools, go in to schools to introduce yourself, HAND OUT BUSINESS CARDS, volunteer in schools where you would like to substitute to observe, etc.

Be honest but positive with your reports to the teacher.  I've experienced situations in student teaching where substitute teachers would leave a overly positive report, and the kids would have an entirely different report (whether that be seeming ashamed of themselves, or happy that they just got to play, etc.).  This reduces your credibility.  While students opinions aren't always perfect indicators of a substitute's success teachers love their classes and generally want them to be happy and feel successful while he or she is away.  If challenging situations occur be honest with the teacher, but don't seem overly negative about the class or particular students, either.

Adventures in Substitute Teaching

I am sitting on the edge of a new journey, anxiously awaiting that sign to set off to a brave new world (aka a call from the substitute calling system).  So, I didn't attain that ever illusive, but always so enticing option of getting my own classroom for my first year of teaching.  I had to take the long road--substituting.  Which isn't a bad alternative considering I still get to teach, I will (hopefully) make decent pay, and I will get to glean all the best ideas from the classes I visit.


As I set off on this journey I take this quote with me as inspiration:


"In great affairs men show themselves as they wish to be seen' in small things they show themselves as they are."
~Nicholas Chamfort


Hopefully as a substitute I will be appreciated for who I am.