Not Another Primary School Teacher Blog

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

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 18:40:00 +0000

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!!:

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!!
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!!
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!
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! :/
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

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 17:33:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:31:00 +0000

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!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 20:08:00 +0000

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!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 19:24:00 +0000

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!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 20:29:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:05:00 +0000

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

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

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:05:00 +0000

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♥

Not Another 'GETTING SUBWORK' Post

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 00:27:00 +0000

I've spent my first year out of college subbing. I had the opportunity to work in seventeen different schools, sixteen of them in Dublin. I've worked in DEIS Schools, Educate Together Schools, Private Schools and an Autism Unit. If I could go back in time to August 2014 and if someone offered me a job for the 2014/2015 school year, I could have whatever class I wanted, in whatever type of school I wanted and get my DIP done, I would say NO THANK YOU!!! I can't put into words how much I've loved this past year and how much experience I've gained throughout the year. I've grown in so many ways, my confidence in myself and my ability to teach, I've learned so much about classroom management, planning a day, classroom organisation and how to interact with children from going into different schools and I've learned so much about myself.

The first thing every substitute teacher should do is sign up for TextaSub. I remember the very first day the schools opened in August, principals were looking for subs, so sign up the night before schools re open for the 2015/2016 year! For anyone who hasn't heard of this it's a service run by the IPPN. You must have a mobile phone number(obviously) and be registered with the Teaching Council. When you sign up you can choose two counties to get TextaSub updates for. Your subscription lasts for seven days and you must renew before your subscription runs out or you'll have to sign up again. I normally just subscribed to Dublin but if I had had a driving license at the time I would have signed up for Wicklow or Kildare as well (i.e a surrounding county).

That sort of leads me onto my next point.

I spent the year without a car, and it wasn't easy. I was very lucky that I had a certain number of schools in my locality that I worked in and were within walking distance. If I am subbing next year, I will have my car in Dublin with me. If you don't have a car get the Hailo App! NOW!! I spent over three hundred euros on taxis this year, just getting me to my schools in the mornings. It's expensive and worth having a car and SatNav.

Once you have that all done, it's time to get out and go from school to school with your C.V. I went to schools in the second and third weeks of September. A lot of principals told me that they just call subs on a first come basis. If your CV is the first one in, then they'll call you first. I would recommend giving schools a week to get themselves organised. Make sure you have a planned route of where you are going to go.

School Days is a great website for giving you a list of all the schools in your area. Don't call into a school first thing in the morning, leave an hour at either end of the day - if a school opens at 08:30, go in after 09:30, if a school closes at 14:30, don't go in after 13:30/13:45. Also in the run up to break and lunch, this is more for your sake. You can't be guaranteed you'll ever call into a school at a 'good time', but you're giving yourself the best opportunities to meet with the principal and have time for a brief 'chat' if you avoid calling in at these times.

How to Dress?

When going around with C.Vs, it's important to dress professionally. You also have to be realistic and wear something comfortable as you might be doing a lot of walking or driving.

I love heels but I wore pumps when I was going from school to school. I like to wear dresses so I wore smart dresses when going from school to school. Wear something that makes you look smart but also feel like yourself. Making a good impression is difficult if you feel and look uncomfortable. It's important for both male and female teachers to look professional but also remember you're not going for interview. Look neat and tidy, feel comfortable and act approachable and friendly. You only get a few minutes, maximum, of a principals time, if you're extremely lucky. As long as you look smart, they won't remember your outfit!!

CURRICULUM VITAE

In each envelope I had a C.V, Cover Letter and a business card attached with a paper clip. I made mine as I wanted them to look a certain way, but Vista Print do great deals on business cards, so if you aren't overly creative or just don't have time I'd recommend ordering some. Just make sure you give yourself enough time as they need to be printed and posted out to you and may take a couple of weeks. They print 100 standard business cards for Euro4.99.
Here is a sample of a business card. Make sure to include:

Your name
That you're a Substitute Teacher
Mobile Number
Email Address
Teaching Council Number (I put mine under my name on both my business card and CV.)

TIPS

Here are some tips I picked up from handing in my C.V

DO NOT be timid or shy. I dreaded the thoughts of going from school to school with C.Vs from the beginning of my final year! It turned out to be fine! Sometimes you're not greeted with the friendliest secretary, but that's ok! They might just be having a bad day. Do not let it get to you. Most principals and secretaries are so nice and encouraging, you'll end up walking out of most schools with a spring in your step.
DO be respectful to the secretaries. They're important. In some schools they're in charge of organising the subs. Make a good impression on the secretaries because they are the barrier between you and the principal meeting!
DO NOT assume that you will get to meet every principal. You won't. If at all possible try to meet with the principals but sometimes a secretary will take your C.V without letting you step foot into the school! (It happened to me! Safe to say I never got a call from that school!)
DO ask to see the principal but ask nicely! In every school I went into I said something like this (in the friendliest and most sincere way I could):

"Hi, my name is Aisling. I'm just wondering if it would be possible to give my C.V to the principal in regards to substitute work."

As you can see I'm asking to give my CV to the principal but I'm not obnoxiously asking can I talk to him/her. Secretaries are used to people calling in. They more than likely have a system of who gets to meet with the principal. It's still better to make it known you'd like the principal to get the C.V instead of something like this:

"I'd like to hand in my C.V for substitute work."

This gives the secretary the option to just take the C.V. It's worth subtly asking for the principal!

Being a substitute teacher is hard work. It's okay to be tired every time the weekend comes around as you're constantly on edge, wondering where you'll be tomorrow, if anywhere. Going into different schools, different staffrooms isn't easy. Having junior infants one day then sixth class another is confusing.

Remember that a lot of principals and teachers were in the same position as you are now. You'll find a lot of principals and teachers feel empathy towards you and are very encouraging. Being a substitute teacher is very rewarding. Of course it would be wonderful to have your own class, use this opportunity to learn as much as you can, all the experience will eventually stand to you and you will be grateful for the time you spent as a substitute teacher!

Good Luck and enjoy!!
Aisling ♥

Not Another 'WORKSHEET GENERATORS' Post

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 11:09:00 +0000

Teachers, especially in the area of SEN support, teach many different pupils / classes, at many different levels. Each group /
class will require its own differentiated / levelled set of worksheets and tasks. The tools here may help you create some very
targeted worksheets and task cards for your pupils.
This generator will produce a WORKSHEET and an ANSWERSHEET.

http://www.toolsforenglish.com/tools/gap-fill/

Lesson Corner – Maths Worksheet Generator
http://www.lessoncorner.com/worksheets

Crossword, Wordsearch and Word Scramble maker
http://www.lessoncorner.com/puzzles

Make Clocks at SEN Teacher
http://www.senteacher.org/Worksheet/19/Clocks.xhtml

The Maths Worksheet Site
http://themathworksheetsite.com/

Puzzle Fast – An Instant Puzzle Maker
http://www.puzzlefast.com/

Quizinator
Create to meet your child’s individual needs
http://www.quizinator.com/

For English
On this website you can find a variety of tools that can help you prepare English language exercises within minutes
http://www.toolsforenglish.com/

Worksheet Genius
http://www.worksheetgenius.com/index.php

Worksheet Works
http://www.worksheetworks.com/

Aisling♥

Not Another 'STANDARD APPLICATION FORM (SAF)' Post

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 23:57:00 +0000

It's that time of the year again when Education Posts is filled with hundreds of jobs, it's a time of positivity and hope for all teachers looking for jobs next year.

Unfortunately, the process in which we all have to go through to obtain these jobs is a long and tedious one.

Last year, I did not have a CLUE how to fill in a Standard Application Form. It just confused me completely! I wished that there had been a sample out there for me to look at and generally show me where to put things and what should be included.!

I have put together a sample which might help the completely confused out there. It's not overly detailed but hopefully it will give you an idea of what to put in your Standard Application Form.

If anyone has any further examples or advise on what to add to it, please let me know! I'd like to make it more detailed!

STANDARD APPLICATION FORM

Good Luck!!Aisling♥