ADVICE NO ONE GIVES YOU IN COLLEGE -PART ONE!!

I've been lucky enough to receive a phone call this morning for a couple of weeks sub work. It was completely out of the blue as I haven't even gone around with my CVs yet! It's always nice knowing where you're going to be in advance, and I'm thrilled to have this time to ease myself back into substitute teaching. I've never worked in this school before and just got the job from word of mouth from another principal. But it did get me thinking about how much of a rush it is to get out the door in the morning when you get a last minute call, so I compiled a list of things I do to get me moving as quickly as possible!


This is advice mainly aimed towards female teachers! It's something I never learned in college. I acknowledge it isn't ground-breaking advice, nor is it detrimental to having a great subbing day, but I feel it is important.

Looking presentable and professional is important in most jobs. It's especially important as a substitute teacher as, unfortunately, we do get judged somewhat on our appearance. I know it's important not to judge a book by it's cover, and all that, but as it is often the case that principals are only meeting you for the first time, all they know about you is what is on your CV. You may be the best teacher in the world, but if you turn up looking like you've just crawled out of bed and rushed out the  door like a crazy person (which is very possibly what you have done!), you're not going to give a good impression.


So here it is, MY ADVICE NO ONE GIVES YOU IN COLLEGE!!:

1. Always have a bottle of water beside you at night.If possible take a quick sip before you speak on the phone, if you are answering a call. It will help with the groggy voice and prevent you from sounding like the phone call disturbed your Wednesday morning lie in!!
2. As we come into the Autumn/Winter time, you can bet you'll end up with a cold at some stage over the coming months. It's important to mind yourself, get enough vitamins, eat right etc, etc.. (There's plenty of professional advice out there on how to mind yourself that I would encourage everyone to be aware of!) I found myself last year being quite ill for about a month. I'm (touch wood) someone who doesn't get unwell that often, but I found myself working non-stop for about five weeks. Over the space of two weeks I went from having headaches, to a cold, to a chest infection to eventually losing my voice for a couple of days. It took me a week to recover and then suddenly the exact same thing happened again over the following two weeks. I was working throughout it as I didn't want to call in sick while I was subbing for a sick teacher! As unappetising as it sounds I always kept lozenges beside me at night as well throughout the winter. I would wake up at about 8:00 am, pop one in my mouth and await a phone call. Not nice, but it worked, whenever the phone rang I sounded fresh as a daisy!!
3. My third bit of advice isn't for everyone but I think you should always shower right before bed time. If you're someone who can have a three minute shower in the morning, that's great! For me, I always wash my hair at night as it's long and thick and would take aaaaages to wash and dry otherwise!
4. Always plan what you are going to wear the night before. I know it sounds like a waste of time but it saves so much time and effort in the morning knowing exactly what to put on. There's nothing worse than going to your wardrobe and not having anything clean to wear! :/ 
5. Finally, for the girls, I have perfected my 'FIVE MINUTE FACE' and I would encourage everyone to do the same!! I know there's plenty of girls out there who don't wear make up, and that's great, embrace your natural beauty! But sometimes the occasion calls for it. Turning up to a school looking washed out and dark rings under your eyes doesn't give the best impression.

Here is how I get ready in five minutes:

• I always have my clothes decided on the night before. If I'm going into a brand new school I have a couple of 'go - to' dresses that I choose from to wear. They're smart and professional, until I see the dress code of the other teachers. (30 Seconds)

• I have naturally wavy/curly hair, it really doesn't take much effort to get it looking right! As I've stopped using heat on my hair for everyday purposes, I always put it into a plait at                night, so I just undo my plait, spritz in some sea salt spray (I use Lee Stafford Sea Salt               Spray. It doesn't dry out hair too much) and  some dry shampoo (I use Baptiste XXL                   Volume) (One of the best inventions. Ever!) for volume. (30 seconds)

LIFE SAVER!!

Lee Stafford Sea Salt Spray

• I then move onto my face where I moisturise my face and lips, prime, and apply foundation. (One Minute)

Step One

• After this I do my eyes. My eye make up is just liquid eyeliner on my top lash line and some mascara. If I have time I'll use under eye concealer which I pat in using my Eco Tools Blender. (One Minute)

Step Two

• I apply matte powder to set my foundation, contour my cheek bones and forehead and apply a bit of blush on my cheeks. (One and a half minutes)

Step Three

• Finally I spritz on whatever perfume I'm using at the time and a moisturizing lip balm. (30 Seconds)

Step Four

I then grab my handbag, sub kit and something to eat and I'm out the door. I'd recommend everyone trying a FIVE MINUTE GET READY ROUTINE. At the end of the day, no realistic principal expects you to be there within 10 or 15 minutes of receiving a phone call, but the quicker you arrive the better it looks!

Happy Subbing!

Aisling♥

SUBSTITUTE/OLCS FORM

Here is a form I filled out and brought with me to every school I subbed in. It reminded me what documents to bring (check off) and gave all the details a school would need.

I just found it very handy to have with me so secretaries or principals aren't asking for everything individually, it's all together on one sheet.

                                                        CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM



If you have never worked before you won't be on OLCS. The form below are all the details you'll need to be put on the system. Once on the system use the form above for every school you go into.

                                                      CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM

FREEBIE!!!! GET TO KNOW ME FACEBOOK WORKSHEET!

As a substitute teacher I know how difficult it can be sometimes going into new classes. I found myself last year doing a lot of sub work in younger classes. I love working with younger children as they try so hard to please and your day is spent doing core subjects  with educational games, songs and rhymes thrown in. I found sometimes that suddenly going from that to an older class a bit daunting. Sixth class don't tend to enjoy singing songs or doing rhymes while transitioning from one  subject to another!

It's nice to have a few lessons that appeal to older children in your sub kit. Although in one sense it is easier with the older classes if you're left high and dry for work, as they're normally able to tell you what they've been doing this week or last week. 

I have a couple of stand alone lessons that are tried and tested and always seem to work with fifth class and sixth class. Here's a worksheet I created that I think would be perfect as a lesson to get to know the children in your class. I think this is a perfect way to start your first day with a class if you are subbing for a week or more. It allows you to show the children that you're somewhat on their level with social media etc.. (!!!!!) and it gives you a chance to go through them afterwards and ask the children to give more information about themselves. (Oral Language!)

For example:

'Child's name, you wrote that Harry Potter is youR favourite book, why do you love Harry Potter?'

etc... etc...

I also think as a class teacher it might be nice to do this at the beginning of the year. Why not take the children's photos and stick them on as their Facebook Profile Pictures? I think it would be a nice display for the first week!

                                         
                               CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD WORKSHEET

MY RULE WORKSHEET FREEBIE!!

I love the idea of children helping draw up a classroom contract. I first heard of it in college during a drama lecture. The idea is that the children come up with various rules to make the classroom a safe and productive environment. The children then sign the contact and therefore agree to the rules.

If any teachers are planning on doing this, I've created a worksheet in which the children can write their own rule and think about why it is important and why it should be part of the classroom rules.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD WORKSHEET

BIRTHDAY HOMEWORK PASSES FREEBIE!!

I think it's pretty standard in most classrooms to see some sort of display showing when each child's birthday is. I was recently looking at some wonderful examples that I've taken screen shots of for when I have my own classroom (!) I think it's important to do something to acknowledge the children's special days!
                         


                        
                            via GIPHY



 One thing that a lot of teacher's do is give no homework. I quite like this idea as it's completely inexpensive. Most children will get presents and sweets for their birthdays so I think no homework is very much appreciated by children plus you're more than likely going to get a note from the parent saying that they went somewhere for the evening to celebrate and didn't have time to do their homework anyway. I know homework shouldn't be seen as a negative thing (etc.. etc..), but I do believe no homework is an appropriate 'reward' for birthdays.

I completely disagree with children being banned from doing P.E or Art if they are misbehaving as these are important parts of the curriculum, but I am all for no homework on special occasions!!

I think an extra added touch is to give children Homework Passes, to put into their diaries to show their parents that they don't have to do homework. It's a bit of a gimmick but I think it's a nice touch, something I'll be using when I get my own class. Until then you are more than welcome to download them, print them off and laminate them!

I made a copy in colour and a copy in black and white. The black and white would be nice to print on coloured paper and possibly be cheaper than printing the coloured ones!??

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PASS IN BLACK AND WHITE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PASS IN COLOUR

SUBBING FREEBIE 'WHILE YOU WERE OUT...' NOTE!!

Hello 2015/2016!!

It's officially the new school year! 

                       
                          via GIPHY

For anyone who hasn't managed to secure a teaching position this year, you are now facing the world of subbing. If this isn't your first year working as a substitute teacher, you're probably feeling a little bit down. I know I do, from time-to-time! I just keep reminding myself of how much I loved last year! I've a years more experience this time around and I'm looking forward to being even more adventurous and creative with my lessons over the next year. Someday I'll have a class of my own and I hope to be a great teacher! Even now I have one teacher that I still remember and speak about with great respect and admiration, and I hope to someday be that teacher for someone else too! How do you become 'great'? Practice!! ! Make sure you get the most out of this year by taking note and inspiration from every class you're in. As I mentioned before I carried a notebook with me EVERYWHERE and wrote down and took photos of displays, lessons, ways of organisation etc.. that I saw in all the classrooms I'd been in. Also if you have free time why not even do some volunteering or get a new skill?!Personally I'm doing a  couple of courses this year which I will write about nearer the time! I feel it's pretty widely accepted that being a substitute teacher isn't the easiest thing in the world, but it's not the worst either! Once you get into the swing of things it becomes quite enjoyable. You're a new face for the children, you can offer them a day of fun-filled learning and hand them back to their teacher at the end of the day plus no long term planning!

Once you've gone from school to school with your C.V (See my post on getting sub work HERE) and signed up for Textasub, it's time to turn up the volume of your phone and wait for it to start ringing! First thing's first, every sub should have a Sub Kit (Read my post on what I carry with me in my Sub Kit HERE).

The classic saying, as annoying as it is to have someone say it to you, it's incredibly enjoyable to say if yourself! - if you  fail to prepare, then prepare to fail. You can never predict how a day is going to go when  working with children, and it's important to keep that in mind, no matter how much work you put in, often things can still go wrong. It's all part and parcel of working with children. Sometimes they're completely unpredictable, in both bad and good ways, which makes the job so interesting and exciting! 

There are certain things you can do to help the day go smoother. I've created a 'While you were out..' note for you to fill in and leave for the class teacher! Just click the link HERE , download and print off a couple of copies to keep in your Sub Kit to inform teachers what you've covered in their absence!

Picture of Note

Happy Subbing!!

Aisling♥

Not another 'WHAT'S IN MY SUBKIT?' post

Is it just me or does anyone else like to just sit, take a break from life and watch YouTube for ten or fifteen minutes... or three hours. There's something wonderful about watching someone else do their makeup, go through their night time routine or do a room tour, while you sit imagining how you'll recreate that in your own life.

Heads up - You won't!

(I'm not sure what guys watch on YouTube? Video game reviews? Everything wrong with 'insert movie title here' in six minutes? Interviews of Emma Watson?)

From time to time, these YouTubers share a little bit too much with us! Sometimes even I don't care what Zoella gets up to in her free time.







And I know that every now and again they upload something just a bit too much.  I'm happy for you and NOT.AT.ALL jealous you have fifteen shades of Mac Lipstick, but I know you don't carry them all around with you in your Michael Kors/Céline handbag everyday! Now stop showing off!!

 

Although, I'll admit, I only realised how ridiculous these videos are after I'd watched nearly every 'What's in my bag?' video on YouTube that has been uploaded in the past three years. The ironic thing is I actually hate carrying a handbag with me everywhere, making the indentation in the crook of my arm bigger and bigger. There's nothing I love more than leaving my house just carrying my purse, or better still, just my visa card - Man Style!!

However, as a substitute teacher, you actually have an excuse and an obligation (!) to carry a big bag (preferably not designer) around with you from school to school, filled with everything you'll need to help make a subbing day go as smoothly as possible!

So, here it is.

WHAT'S IN MY BAG?

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER EDITION!!

I always carry two bags with me. It's not the most comfortable thing to do, but neither is being in a new school/ with a new class every other day! Hopefully being a substitute teacher isn't going to be a long term thing, therefore I always tell myself I can put up with it!

My first bag is my regular handbag, in this bag I have my purse, a drink, lunch (including cutlery) and other personal items. Basically what I'll need for MYSELF. I always bring my own instant coffee and a thermos mug to school as well! Just because I think it makes me look prepared and I love coffee!

Overview of what's in my Subkit

My 'Subkit' bag is a large shopper bag that I bought on sale from Boohoo.com. I think it was about eleven euro! It's canvass, but I haven't had any problems with anything getting wet on the inside! The main thing is it is sturdy and it is big! The most important thing I have inside this bag is a pocket folder with all my necessary documentation:

• Garda Vetting
• Teaching Council Registration
• Statutory Declaration
• An unsigned Form of Undertaking (Pricipals normally have these but it always looks good to whip out a copy when the Principal has misplaced his/her ones!)
• Colour photocopy of my passport (as photo ID)
• I also carry my details with me as well here's a link to a form you can download and fill your details in on. If it's your first time subbing, use THIS one. If you are already registered on OLCS, use THIS one.

I would also recommend you bring photocopies of the originals and not the originals themselves, again being able to tell the secretary or principal that they can keep what you're handing them makes you look like a good and organised little sub! Also you don't want your originals to get misplaced or damaged, and they're always kept in a poly - pocket in a box file somewhere safe in your house, aren't they?!!

Folder with worksheets, Pocket Folder with necessary documents, Filofax, Notebook

 

Every evening when I get home from a new school, I replace the documents that I gave to the school in my folder. Just so I don't forget to bring them to a new school if I'm called the next day or I'm not in a frantic rush to find them and leave the house if I'm called at 9:15 in the morning. Getting a call in the morning to go to a school you've never been in is stressful enough. These little preparations really help you get your day off to a smoother start.

I also carry around a folder with tried and tested worksheets and lesson plans. These are quite general and are useful stand alone lessons if I'm just in for a day and no work has been left.

Stationary wise I always have the following:

• Refill pad for writing out what I did for the day
• Coloured paper pad (This has been so useful to me. I bought a large pastel coloured paper pad from the Two Euro Shop and it lasted me months! From needing coloured paper during resource teaching, to a child needing paper for a certain thing in art or doing this!)

Example of how I used coloured paper to organise a teacher's desk who had been absent for several weeks

• My Filofax, always handy to be able to take it out and fill in dates if a principal asks you to sub again or ensure you're not already booked to work a certain day.  Also make sure you are recording the days and schools you've worked in in your diary. For your own sake!
• I always have a notebook as well. This is now very full. I wrote down ideas I got from all the classrooms and schools I've been in throughout the past year! It's been a very useful resource!

I also have a large Make Up Purse from Penneys. It's big enough to fit my pencil case and all my other bits of stationary. It also has a couple of pockets on the inside that keep my sticky notes clean! In this I have:

• Sticky notes, always handy be it for a reminder for you or the teacher, writing a spelling for a child, or explaining what each worksheet etc.. is left on the teacher's desk.
• A mini stapler and staples
• A personalised stamp which I bought from Super Stickers. Mine was about thirteen euro. It's such good quality and it's great to have your name stamped all over children's work! *Just a friendly reminder who was here*
• Pritt Stick
• Name Tags

My personalised Stamper

Sticky Notes, Pritt Stick, Selotape, Labels, Sharpie

                                               

I also always bring tissues, hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes!!

My 'Pencil Case' is a two sided Make Up Purse from Penneys as well!

Pencil Cases and Stationary

Red, blue, black pens (I also have coloured pens, but that's just my preference!)

Tippex

Highlighters

Eraser (or two or three!)

Paper Clips

Pencil sharpener (Invest in a large sized one as well as I have often been in an infant class where they use Jumbo Pencils and half way through the day I find myself with 60 chubby little hand clutching 30 blunt pencils and there isn't a sharpener to be found!)

Novelties and Games

I have a list of games that I play, some educational, some not so educational. Tiger is Uh-mazing for picking up games and bits and pieces.

• Large Foam Dice
• Mini Four - in - row
• Bingo Cards
• 20 Questions
• Game Lollipop Sticks
• Stress Ball

I also bring my Quiet Critter.See HERE for post!




Quiet Critters Box

Quiet Critters

                      


For class rewards I bring:

• A box of sweets (Normally Harribo)
• Stickers

Sample of Stickers

Rewards for Children

                 





I have shelves full of books and resources so I tend to grab a few photocopiable workbooks as I'm running out the door when I find out what class I'm going to be teaching, just as a fall back.
These workbooks are from Deals, they were Euro 1.49!!

Sample of Extra Work

Finally, I always have a super handy fold up bag with me, incase I have any work to correct that evening.

Fold Up Bag from Tiger

Hope this gives you some inspiration for what you're going to carry around in your subkit!!

Happy Subbing!!

Aisling♥