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♥

Not Another 'QUIET CRITTERS' Post

If anyone is an active Pinterest user, you'll probably have seen these a hundred times over! For those that don't know, Quiet Critters are literally one of THE BEST gimmicks you can carry around in your SubKit. I've only used them with Junior Infants, Senior Infants and First Class but each and every time I've used them they've worked a treat!

When you're a Newly Qualified Teacher it's always a bit difficult trying to work out what classroom management techniques you're supposed to use or what classroom techniques will work when you are only in a classroom for one or two days. Sometimes teachers have a system they use, like The Traffic Light System or marbles in a cup or a points system etc.., but very often I've been in classrooms that don't have any sort of a system! I feel it is very important to introduce some sort of system to encourage good behaviour and good work, but every now and again you'll find teachers who don't do it. Each to their own! As I've mentioned in my 'What's in my Subkit?' post, I always carry sweets and prizes. If I feel a class is particularly rowdy I'll introduce some sort of reward, which I go into more detail here.

These Quiet Critters are AMAZING for use with younger classes, Like I've said,  I've only ever used them with Junior Infants, Senior Infants and First class but they've loved them!

Here they are in all their glory!!

They're very simple to make, devote an hour to it some afternoon, and you won't regret it! 

To make these little critters you'll need:

• Pom - poms (I got mine in Tiger, I think the colours are lovely!)
• Googly Eyes (Art and Hobby Shop)
• Foam cut into love heart shapes for feet (Art and Hobby Shop)
• Bows/ Ribbon
• Strong Glue

I literally cut sheets of foam into love heart shapes and glued one piece to each pom - pom. I then stuck on the googly eyes. For the 'girl' Quiet Critters I stuck them on top of each pom - pom, like a bow and for the 'boy' Quiet Critters, I stuck them beneath the googly eyes, like dickie bows!)

I always introduce the children to them as my little pets or friends. We have a look at the box and see all the 'Shhhhhh!!'s written on it. I tell them they're really scared of loud noises so they must be quiet. If they're too noisy then I'll have to take them back and put them away into their quiet box again. The Quiet Critters love to just watch the children doing their work. You'll find yourself answering a lot of questions about them, like: "Yes they like to be petted, but gently!!" "No you can't bring them home, they're my little friends and I like to bring them with me to other classrooms!" "Yes you can give your Critter a name!" etc... 

Before I give each child their Quiet Critter I go through a song with them. My song is just one I made up myself, it isn't great, but it's still effective! I hope someday to get a chance and be inspired to re-write it!!!!!!!!!!

The reward system works as follows:
I give every group a bowl (pink or blue bowls in the picture). The children earn pom-poms based on how well behaved they are. So far I haven't had any mix up between the pom - poms they earn and the Quiet Critters themselves but you can use marbles or beads or maybe something that's available in the classroom like cubes, instead. I just find the pom-poms are light and easy to transport. I give a Quiet Critter to every child in the class, if we're doing quiet work. If they're talking too loud I have to take the Critter back. It is possible to get your Critter back if you are very well behaved! By the end of the lesson, each group gets a pom - pom in their bowl for every Quiet Critter that stayed on the table for the duration of the lesson!

I cannot express how well these little guys work! Unlike a lot of classroom management techniques, they don't need to be repeated over and over for the children to understand the consequences of being disruptive etc... It's a great prop to use straight away, with little explaining! 

Give them a try, I promise you won't regret making them!!

Aisling♥