Student teaching is over, now what??

 

Congratulations!! The day you have worked so hard for is finally here! You have finally finished your student teaching experience, but now what?? We are all individuals and we need to reflect on what situations will work best for ourselves. You may feel confident enough to jump right in and manage your own classroom or you may feel you would like a bit more experience and try your hand at substitute teaching.  In this post I will talk about my personal journey and some thoughts that may help you with deciding what would be the best next step for you!

Throughout my college career I had the opportunity to observe and spend quite a bit of time in various classrooms, which I am very thankful for!

During my Practicum I spent 2 weeks at an urban school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which was a much different setting from the area I am from.  I attended faculty meetings, workshops and did some teaching in a 1st grade classroom with the supervision of the immediate teacher.

My 1st placement during student teaching was in 1st grade at a local Catholic school, which I actually attended as a student when I was younger! I attended faculty meetings, created lesson plans, graded student work and tests...with the supervision of the immediate teacher.

My 2nd placement was in 6th grade at a near by public school as the reading teacher.  Again, I pretty much had the same workload. I attended faculty meetings, created lesson plans, graded student work and tests...with the supervision of the immediate teacher.

Field work, Practicums, observations and student teaching will provide you with many experiences and situations that will hopefully help you become a successful teacher.

After graduating and receiving my teaching certificate my next step in the teaching world was to become a substitute teacher.  I have only been substitute teaching for about 5 months but I can honestly say that I have learned more in this short amount of time than I had in all my years of college! If you notice above, I made it a point to include that all of my experiences were with the supervision of an immediate teacher.  Once you are in a classroom alone with 20some students, things tend to be a bit different!
 

Unless you are 110% confident with yourself as a new teacher, my advice would be to gain valuable experience as a sub.

Decide what school/s you would be interested in receiving a full time position at.  

You may want to sub at 2 or 3 schools, which is great! This will give you the opportunity to determine which school you feel would be a perfect fit for you. If one school does not seem to be the right place for you, you may decide to leave that school behind and give more of your effort to an amazing school you would love a permanent position at. All of this is a learning and growing experience for you as a teacher! 

 Subbing is an opportunity for you to see what works for you and what doesn't.  You can observe what your strengths are and what areas you may need to improve.

Subbing in a school district that you wish to be a permanent teacher at also allows you to see how the school works. (Lesson plan formats, attendance, lunch count, specials, rules, expectations, etc.) It also allows you to become familiar with the faculty and staff.

I probably could have said all of that ^ in a few short words...basically, after student teaching I would highly recommend subbing!

I was recently asked to take a long term sub position starting in March, I am so excited! I feel that my time as a day to day sub has helped me become more confident with my ability to take on this new adventure!
This post is getting a bit long, but I will be writing new ones as my journey continues! :)


  Thank you for reading! Happy teaching! :)

My Substitute Teacher Must Haves!

Here is a list of must haves that I bring with me on a typical day of substitute teaching!

I have a medium sized tote bag that I bring all of my must haves in.
I also bring a tumbler to keep hydrated throughout the day and my Lilly Pulitzer Lunch Break tote.

In the outside pockets of my tote I bring:
A small pack of tissues.

Hand sanitizer. 

My pocket agenda/planner.
Inside of my tote I bring:
Mad Libs (this is a fun time filler!).
Super Sub: A Must-have Handbook for Substitute Teachers by Cary Seeman
(I have not needed to use this yet, but it is filled with easy lessons for all subjects grades k-6!)
Read Aloud books.

My Substitute Binder.

My Substitute Binder is where I keep everything that gets me through the day!
Inside I include:

My name tag. 

I printed out a name tag on Word Document, laminated it and hang it on the front board with a magnetic clip.

Extra paper. 

I use this for a lot of different things! One of my favorite uses is to jot down any really good ideas I come across while subbing in a classroom.
A job chart.

 I made a chart on Word Document so I can track each job I have had. I am currently subbing at a few different schools so I mark down the date, school and times.
Extra activities.I typed up a few lists of riddles, idioms, and other activities that I can use if we finish our lessons early.

Stop sign cards. 

I found the freebie here:  http://rockandteach.blogspot.com/2012/08/monday-made-it-part-4.html

Stickers.
I sometimes give these out for good behavior or for winners if we play a game.
Shout Outs! 
I got these from Teacher to the Core on TPT.
There are over 80 recognition cards to use!
I use these with younger students who have showed great behavior throughout the day.
They love them!! :)

Birthday Print Out.
I made a small birthday day print out that I can give to students from me, as well as a small gift. (Eraser, pencil, note pad, etc.)

A folder.

 I use this to keep my Sub Notes and Behavior Notice sheets.

Behavior Notice Sheet. 

Usually students do not get too out of hand, but just in case they do I have made a Behavior Notice Sheet that I can pass out to students who refuse to cooperate. I allow students to fill out the paper on their own, that way they can assess their behavior. I leave the note for their teacher & give the teacher the choice of sending the note home or not. (I typically only use this with 5^th & 6^th grade.)
A Note From the Substitute Teacher.

  I made a brief note on Word Document and print them out on pretty paper from Dollar Tree!

Also inside the binder I have a 3 ring pencil case which includes:
Colored pens. I use these to grade any papers that the class finished during the day.
Pencils.

 I cannot tell you how many times students have come to me telling me they do not have a pencil! Of course I always make sure to get them back at the end of the day!) & I also use these to mark attendance.
Pencil sharpener. 

Self explanatory.
Sticky notes.

 At the end of the day I like to leave notes/piles for the teacher to keep things organized. (“Extra Copies” “Notes for you” etc.)

Highlighters and Sharpies. 

Just in case, you never know when you might need one!

Black Pens.
Paper Clips.
Magnetic Clips. 

I use this to hang my name tag on the front board.

Prizes.
These are a few I picked up at Targets $1 spot.
(Pencils, erasers, note pads, small toys)
I typically use these to give to a student if it is their birthday, or to give to the winner/s if we play a review game.

(I have a separate pencil case that I keep these in)

I think that's everything!

If you have any other must haves leave them in a comment below!

Thank you for reading! :) Happy teaching!

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                        Katie