Spring Break!

Well, third grade is going pretty well so far. This week I am on Spring Break and really just not doing much except for being lazy and lounging around. It feels VERY good :) When we go back, I will be starting multiplication with my students and shifting into hardcore test-prep mode. They take their math test in a little over 2 weeks. I am nervous for them, so I cannot even imagine how they must feel. I do not remember such stress being put upon me while I was a third grader. Hmm...Gotta love those standardized tests!

Last Thursday I went to a Teacher Job Fair. I ended up having two different interviews that both seemed to go pretty well. It did make me slightly discouraged, though. I feel like I am never going to get a teaching job in Ohio. Especially not in Northeast Ohio, which is where I would like to stay for the time being. I just want my own classroom! Subbing is not terrible, but it would feel so much nicer to have my own classroom where I can do all of my own things. I guess I am going to just keep applying and see what happens. I am still considering moving to North Carolina, but I'm not sure if I want to just haul off and move to a place where I know NO ONE. Not a soul. It's a scary thing to think about...but at the same time I feel like it could be strangely adventurous and exciting. I guess we will see where I am at come July and then it will be time to take any job I can get that seems halfway decent.

I don't know. This job search process is incredibly frustrating. How come no one in college prepared us (us being myself and my fellow teacher friends) for the extensive post-college job search process? I mean, sure I have the college's career center, but I almost feel like I should have taken a whole class on this kind of thing. It is exhausting and overwhelming just to write about on here. It almost feels hopeless...like a lost cause...I wish I would just see a *poof* of smoke and a magical job contract with a decent salary and good benefits would just appear in front of me, with a pen floating next to it to sign with.

Hey, a girl can dream, can't she!?

I plan on using the remainder of this break to continue applying to school districts and getting my name out there. There has got to be SOMETHING I can do...
I'll keep you posted.

Third Grade, Here I Come!

For at least the next five weeks, I will be substitute teaching in a third grade classroom. It will be nice to work with some children that I am actually licensed to be teaching (my license is Age 3-Grade 3)...however, as of right now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I guess this is how every brand new teacher must feel when he or she gets a job two weeks before the new school year starts...that is, being thrown into a new job without any real warning. I am feeling this way because I was informed today that not only would I be subbing, but I would also be responsible for planning all of the lesson plans over the next month or so. Coming up with the plans is really no problem. I like being planned so that things go more smoothly...and if I get to create the plans, I will be more familiar with the material that I am teaching and therefore will probably be able to teach it better. I guess I just wasn't expecting a teacher to actually hand over the reigns so fully. Plus, today was Day 1, so I have to get used to the way the classroom runs. It is nice because this thrid grade is departmentalized, so I will only be teaching reading and math...and will also have 3 other third grade teachers to help me get into a groove.

Tomorrow night I also have to stay at the school for a concert in the evening, so I am hoping that during the 3 hours between the end of the school day and the time when students begin arriving for the concert that I will be able to get at LEAST next week's plans done and ready to go. I will be stuck at the school so I may as well try. I guess that makes me feel much less stressed because I will have some time where I am forced to get them done and none of the distractions of home.

I am actually pretty excited to be taking on such a large position...and it could end up being for ten weeks (until the end of the school year)...depending on when this teacher is able to return.

So I am diving into this head-first, a little weary, but ready...and I will do my best.

I Really Need To...

-get on the ball with updating my blog more often. It just seems that since I have a job almost every day and I tutor most evenings that the last thing I want to do when I come home is sit in front of my computer. I apologize to those of you who actually read. I am going to try and be better! agh.

-get my job portfolios ready to hand out at the teacher career fair I will be attending in less than two weeks. I have already had my resume critiqued by the university's career center...but now I have to update it since I began substitute teaching. These portfolios will include a copy of my cover letter (for this purpose a general letter of interest), resume, reference list and letters of reccomendation, a copy of my teaching license, background checks, and a sample lesson plan...maybe a few photos of me actually teaching will be thrown in as well. To assemble them, one of my teacher-friends suggested that I use clear-front report covers (not the ones with the sliding side bar, though). Anyone have any other ideas? I want them to look as professional as possible.

-get my suit altered for the fair. I ordered a navy blue business suit for the job fair and interviews and the jacket needs to be taken in slightly. I really need to get this done so I look more polished. Oh! and I need some matching shoes.

-get a haircut. Again, with the polished thing.

-start getting my application out to schools that will not be attending the fair. The end of the current school year is really going to sneak up on me because on Monday I am beginning a long-term substitute position that is going to last for at least the next 5 weeks. But at least I will have spring break in there to get my applications out. and *maybe* (gasp) have a break!

Well, that is a pretty comprehensive list of the things I need to be doing. I know each time I post I say I need to do it more...but I really will try...and now I'll be pretty consistent with my posts because I'll be able to share funny tales from the third grade instead of bouncing around from room to room. :)

Oh! and no one responded last time about the charter schools...any opinions of them??

So Busy!

I regret to say it has been awhile since my last post...BUT I have had a substitute job basically every day since the last post, and I have been tutoring a lot, so I have been crazy busy!

Subbing is going pretty well. I don't particularly enjoy working with the older kids (5th graders), but I am really warming up to them. I guess I just have more of a passion for the younger grades...and I am glad to have learned this while subbing. Like I mentioned, I have had a job almost every day, which is also really nice for my bank account.

I have also kept myself pretty busy with a new endeavor, selling mark. beauty products. I started using them a while back, and I absolutely love them...so I figured I may as well make an extra bit of cash by telling my friends about them, which I was doing anyway. If you are interested at all, check out my mark. website and enter code WELCOME for free shipping. (insert shameless self-plug here...lol)

On more education-related topics, in about a month I will be attending the Northeast Ohio Teacher job fair. I am pretty excited about it, but because of my licensure, its slim pickin's in comparison to other licensures. However, there are a ton of out-of-state districts that need teachers with my license. I guess I would prefer to stay around here somewhere...and there are also a few charter schools here that need teachers with my license.

So here's my question for you: How do you feel about charter schools? I really do not know much about them other than the basic concept of them and their funding. Would it be wise to apply to a few and teach there for a year to see how I like it? I know many teachers are totally opposed to charter schools, but I guess I have to at least consider them if I want to stay in this area. Is there job security in charter schools? I would like ANY information you could give me about them. (help!)

I always say this, but I am really going to try to update more!!

I Survived!

This is the first chance I have had all week to actually sit down and write a post about how my first week as a substitute went! I have been so busy...boy has the past week flown by!

On Monday, I began my first substitute teaching experience in a 5th grade classroom. My licensure is PreK-Grade 3, so I knew from the start I would be a little out of my element. Monday was a little rough because I did not yet know the students' names. However, I started things off pretty well by remaining firm with my management and discipline tactics...and I learned quickly that 5th graders all seem to hate one another. Or at least they pretend to. They are just getting into that clique-y stage, and I was pretty annoyed by it. I am used to saying "We use kind words with our friends"...but if I had said that to one of these kids they would have said, "Well he's not my friend anyways!" So a little re-arranging of my strategies had to be done, but I think I was able to do pretty well.

By Tuesday, I had gained compliments from one of the other 5th grade teachers that the particular class I was working with never seemed to be as on task as they were with me there. Hrmm...maybe what I was doing was working (taking away mintues of recess time...oh no! and talking to students on an individual basis when a problem occured)...and I have to admit, it was. Throughout the rest of the week, I felt pretty confident and in control of the classroom. I was actually doing it...being a real teacher!

During the remainder of the week, I of course had little issues here and there...but always with the same students. I had two students who complained about literally every single thing that was asked of them. They did not get free computer time. I had two students who were verbally fighting. They had a good talking-to and were reminded that the principal's office would be next.

Because the teacher I was subbing for did not have any classroom rules posted or any form of disciplinary actions posted, these were the best things I could come up with on the spot for dealing with these issues. They seemed to resolve any problems but I am wondering if things could have ever been handled differently. I guess I just always like to reflect on what has happened and think how it could have gone other ways.

It was also incredibly difficult for me to remember names. The school I was at has a departmentalized fifth grade, so I had to teach 3 different classes. I had all of the students' names in my homeroom learned by day 2, but the classes I saw for smaller time periods...well, I had not even learned their names by the end of the week. Only a select few who needed their names to be said were able to stay in my mind. Any suggestions on this? Or does it just come with time?

The lessons the teacher left for me were pretty dry and straight out of the Ohio Achievement Test practice books, but I tried to spice them up a bit by using the globe, maps, making topics relevant to the students, and class discussion. Hopefully they learned something. I sure did!

By the end of the week, I had scooped up another 6-day long 5th grade substitute position for the end of this month, another full day with my kindergartners, a half day in 3rd grade and a 4-week long term in 3rd grade...all at this same school...so hooray for FINALLY getting paid!! It's been awhile.

I got a call this evening to sub for first grade tomorrow...so I will be back at it bright and early.

Here we go again!

Tomorrow's The Day

Well, I am happy to report that I have a substitute teaching job every day this week. I am excited to finally be getting some sort of paycheck.

However, I am so nervous!!! I have absolutely no idea of what I should be expecting. I will be in a 5th grade class for the whole week. I hope that the teacher I am filling in for has some very clearly laid out plans. I guess my worries lie in classroom management mostly. I hope that the teacher has a very consistent system in place that the students already know how to follow. I am also afraid that the kids will try to be sneaky or something...I don't know.

I am sure that after the first day, my nerves will be completely eased, but for now I am just really unsure of how things should go.

If anyone out there reads this and has some advice for me on how to do a good job as a substitute teacher, I would be very appreciatve.

Buried Alive...

In the snow, that is.

Here in lovely Ohio we have had close to a foot of snow...with more on the way. Roads are terrible, schools have been closed since Tuesday morning (leaving me with no subbing jobs...and I had two this week!), and the trees and power lines are coated in thick ice.

Yay, Winter.

Actually, if you could not already tell, I am not a very big fan of the snow and cold. Which is why I have been seriously considering moving south to teach. One of my good friends is in Charlotte and she loves the area. I have never really been there other than passing through, but from what I can tell it looks fabulous. And I have determined that I need to relocate to a city because living in a rural community is starting to get a little old. Not that I don't love the town where I grew up (and am currently living in), but I just hate that in order to have decent access to anything, I have to drive for at least half an hour. I suppose I am just in need of a change.

Unfortunately, like millions of other Americans right now, boyfriend got laid off from his job. It is so strange to me though, because he works in the technology industry, so I thought his job was more secure. Apparently these days anyone is at risk.

However, boyfriend is toying with the idea that we should move south as well. More job opportunities for both of us.

Ah, we'll see.

Also...I wanted to apologize for my blog being so morose lately. Things have been a little depressing around here...and that has been conveyed in my writing...but I promise that some fun, upbeat posts are just around the corner! *hopefully*

Have a Wonderful Friday!! :)