Although there is still some hope of finding a job, I have decided to prepare my self for a fun-filled year of substituting. Hopefully, this will give me some great experiences and help to get my foot in the door. For those of you who have never substituted before, just know that it can be a challenge. When the teacher is gone and someone "new" enters the classroom, children will test the rules. A substitute has to have the ability to gain the students' respect quickly. Although the teacher usually leaves lesson plans and a schedule, it is impossible to know the exact classroom routine. This often leads to chaos, with 10-20 children trying to tell you what to do; "Mrs. So-and-so always does it this way!" I'm sure I will have plenty to blog about once my substituting adventures begin!
I have decided that if substituting is going to be my full-time job, then I am going to give it every bit of effort I would a teaching position. I am going to be the best substitute ever! :) I came across a very helpful website, Teaching Heart, that has an entire section devoted to substitutes. There are some great tips there to help prevent chaos, even when the teacher forgets to leave plans!
To get my name out to the teachers and principals, I have decided to order business cards (FREE from vistaprint.com). I would love to say this was my idea, but a substitute I met during my internship had made some and they looked great! The teachers seemed to be impressed and it got her a lot of substituting jobs!
Hey girl, good luck with the substituting, you will do great! I will for sure have you on my prayer list :)Have you read Educating Esme?
ReplyDeleteThanks girl!! I haven't read Educating Esme but I remember one of my professors at Auburn mentioning it. It looks like something I'll be reading in the near future :)
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