Wordless Wednesday - Substitute Teacher Evaluation

This is a linky party I can manage! Simply post a picture and ask a question that your followers can answer. Thank you Christina for making this blogging thing easy in the crazy home stretch of the school year! 

This week I started in a new district and had my first substitute teacher evaluation. They say that they forward these forms on to the human resources office for future hiring purposes. This was something new to me. So, I was just wondering....

Do you complete substitute teacher evaluations to provide to the district for future hiring purposes?

P.S.
I'm donating a prize pack to Sara's giveaway! Stop by her blog to enter to win some amazing prizes!

 

Five for Friday - Easter/Vacation Edition

For all of you that are long gone with your spring break and are counting down to the last day, I am very jealous! We are still going strong right til what seems like the middle of summer around here! However, I was lucky enough that Easter and spring break coincided so I got an extra day out of it! Usually they take away a day by having the break fall the week leading up to Easter so we miss out on the extra day of Good Friday. This year it was the week after Easter and boy was that extra 24 hours crucial to my survival!

For your viewing pleasure, here is a little re-cap of my Easter and vacation week.

 

1. Pete the Cat Easter Egg Hunt! 
I know this is from last week but we all know I haven't linked up to this party the entire month of April! Pete led us on an Easter Egg Hunt after reading his new Easter book. Fun times all around!

2. Easter Cupcakes!
 These cupcakes took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to make but they were well worth it in the end! Everyone loved how pretty they looked! Pinterest has really upped the holiday dessert competition level!

3. 3M Cloud Library!
Not sure if your town/state library has the 3M Cloud Reader but it is worth checking out! I have spent a good chunk of time reading on my iPad. This app is a dream! Who doesn't love reading free e-books! I have tried other apps but have always had to wait to check out the books and this has multiple copies of the most popular books ready to go without the extensive holds! 

4. Graduation 2014! 
I might be living in denial that I only have one week of classes left til graduation! Seriously where has the time gone! When you have a cap and gown ready to go, it just got real!

5. Random Acts of Kindness!
A stranger left a daffodil on my windshield today and it was the smallest random act of kindness that made a world of difference brightening my day. I can't wait to pay it forward this weekend!

I am off to enjoy my Friday night and hope you do the same!

Thanks to Kacey for hosting as always!

Where have I been? Currently April!

It has been quite a while since I have posted regularly with a content rich post. Now I am not really one to make excuses, but I have been very preoccupied lately. What have I been up to you might ask? Prepping for graduation! It's just over a month away! Yikes!

Here is a list of all that I have been up to in March....

1. Professional portfolio - Seriously the most labor intense thing I have ever created! However, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and hope it will be put to good use soon!

2. Resume writing - I did not realize how often these things have to get updated! It seems mine needs an over haul every month. I just finished updating it this weekend and in just a couple of weeks it will need to be updated again when I start another job.

3. Cover letters and more cover letters - I have spent so much time researching school philosophies and mission statements this past month that I could probably quote them in my sleep!

4. SchoolSpring - No one tells you how much data entry goes in to each little section of SchoolSpring. Nothing can be uploaded as a PDF and be good to go. You have to type in every little detail of every section. SchoolSpring has taken over my life!

5. Interview prep - I have been attending interview practice sessions for the upcoming job fairs that I will be attending in neighboring states. I have been taking each answer and writing out what I would say so that I can be more prepared and less caught off guard during interviews.

6. Subbing - In between all the above, I have been subbing a lot! Today is the one day that I have had off in a long time! Subbing in multiple districts is fantastic experience but definitely keeps me very busy!

7. Graduation prep - Cap and gown, financial aid, transcripts, mandatory meetings, and the list could go on forever! Who knew there was so much crammed into the last couple months of college!

8. Certification/Testing - I have been trying to branch out and get certified in multiple states to increase my odds of getting a job for next year. Along with certification comes additional, very expensive, testing. Not my idea of fun if you ask me!  

So as you can see I have definitely been very busy in March. Hopefully April will slow down but I anticipate it will be busier than ever before!

3 days late, but I am finally getting around to linking up with Farley. She keeps me realizing just how fast this year is going by! We are already over a quarter finished with the new year! Can we just press on the brakes a little bit? No? I didn't think so!

Here's how my April is playing out...

Listening: When working, I love to listen to singing competition shows. They don't require my full attention on screen but still provide enough entertainment to get me through my work load. I don't know what it is this year but I don't really care for anyone in particular on Idol this year. No one really stands out as that amazing singer or great personality for me this year. Anyone else feel this way?

Loving: Done, done, done! I could sing it on a mountain top! I am finally finished with my portfolio! It only took four years in the making! I have already heard to stories of putting in all the hard work and no one even wanting to look at it during interviews but I refuse to let that happen!

Thinking: Seriously I have been awake for nearly an entire length of a school day and am still lounging in my pajamas and watching TV. This is why days off are pointless for me! I am so unproductive when clearly there are a million things I could be doing today!

Wanting: I just live for the weekends now! Combine subbing, coursework, and job searching and I am exhausted! Those weekend days are my sanity! Friday I wish you would just hurry up and get here!

Needing: I am going to some job fairs in the near future and need a suit jacket per request of my professor. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to find one on sale somewhere. Shopping for suit jackets just isn't nearly as much fun as shopping for fun springy patterns and colors! 

Hours and Last Day: As a sub in multiple districts, the times and end dates vary greatly. It can range anywhere from 7:45 to 9:00 as a start time to 3:00 to 4:30 as an end time. Same goes with end dates, especially with all those snow days, but we are looking at mid to end June. I am so jealous of all you lucky teachers who get out the beginning of May! You actually get to enjoy springtime from outside your classroom walls!

Well I am off to make some lunch and maybe decide to be productive for the second half of my day. Happy April!

1,000 Follower Giveaway!

Pinch me! I must be dreaming! I never would have imagined 1,000 followers would have been possible when starting this blog of mine. I just wanted to share some fun creations and document my journey of becoming a teacher. Now, I have gained 1,000 new friends and countless ideas to become the best teacher I can be. I truly thank each and every one of you for making my world brighter! 

I have always been a big believer in paying it forward. Whether it be freebies, fonts, or giveaways, I love spreading joy to others. Today, I am here to celebrate 1,000 followers on Bloglovin' with a grand giveaway! There is a first, second and third place prize pack to win. However...the best part? Everyone who enters wins a mystery prize pack! Keep on reading all the way to the bottom of the post to find out more!

 Frames by The 3am Teacher

Fonts by The Polished Teacher (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD)

Here we have the first place prize winner! 7 fantastic teacher resources to make planning a breeze and an amazing Jamberry prize pack to keep your fingers looking fashionable!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next, we have the second place prize pack. Six wonderful resources to use in the classroom and a sheet of nail wraps to make the job more glamorous! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Then we have the third place prize pack. A winner's choice bundle from three superb ladies so you can get exactly what you need for your classroom! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lastly, we have the mystery prize pack.

Clipart by MyCuteGraphics

 What will be inside? Well you will just have to wait and see! All you have to do to receive the mystery prize pack is leave a comment below with the name you follow my blog under and your e-mail address. Next Sunday, March 23rd, the mystery prize pack will magically show up in your inbox. Easy as that! 

Now what are you waiting for? Get entering to win those prize packs before it is too late! 

Report From The Substitute (Freebie)

I have been doing a lot of subbing lately. I have been subbing in every grade level and at multiple schools. One common thread of all my subbing experiences is the lack of a report to fill out for the teacher. Some schools may have a form to fill out for the office but how soon and how often do those forms truly make it back to the classroom teacher?

Teachers need to know the next morning what happened when the sub was in. Did all the plans get completed? Were there any major behaviors to be aware of? Any parent notes you need to know about? The possibilities are endless.

Sure, a sub might be able to snag a piece of computer paper and jot down a note or two at the end of the day. But what if a form was left behind by the sub with all the important info in one place? It would make teaching so much easier right? As teachers, it's the little things that make a world of difference!

As a substitute, imagine leaving behind a professional looking form with all the notes in one place. It would definitely make a lasting impression and make you more likely to be called back to sub again. That surely is a win win situation for both you and the classroom teacher!

I whipped up this adorable freebie (can easily be printed in black and white) for all the subs and classroom teachers out there. Just click the picture below to download.

It has places to list the children who were really superstars and those who needed extra reminders to get through the day. A section is included for students who were absent and any parent notes received. There is a large section on the lesson plan because it is important to know if the plans were completed or not. There is a section to list the highlights and challenges of the day in further detail. Finally, there is an other notes section. As a sub, this can be a place to leave your contact information.

So subs, take it with you to your next job and really impress the teacher. You classroom teachers, leave a copy for your sub to fill out and you will be sure to have all the information you need from the previous day.

If you have any other forms you would like to see me create as freebies, let me know in the comments below. I would be more than happy to create some for my fabulous followers!