Connie's Rules for Substitute Teaching...

- Don’t make it a power struggle.

- Keep your sense of humor.

- Own up to your mistakes.

- Laugh at yourself in front of the students.

- Don’t take anything personally.

Update on Applying for a Master's Program...

From email that I received on Friday 4/26/2013.


Congratulations!  Your applications for admission to graduate study at Western Oregon University as well as to the College of Education Master of Science in Education Information Technology program have been accepted.

- You will need to meet with a faculty advisor to design and sign your program plan.

How to Scare yourself… Applying for a Master’s Program

How to Scare yourself… Applying for a Master’s Program

Applying for a Master’s Program is scary in many ways.  First, it costs money that I don’t have, oh FAFSA how I love you!  Second, school scares me, what to expect schoolwork wise and how to get everything completed in a timely manner and work at the same time.  I don’t really know anything about Master’s Programs and what to expect.  I don’t know anyone that has completed a Master’s Program that I could ask about what to expect.  In general, the new stuff always makes me anxious!

That being said I applied to a Master’s Program and paid the application fee.  Now I’m in the process of filling out the program application and hoping that I will be accepted. Wish me luck!

Gun Control... you won't like my views (best not to read).

H.R. 2640 Appears to cover all of the necessary cautions for keeping firearms from individuals with mental diseases, but we know that it is not effective because people with mental issues are still getting their hands on weapons and injuring people.  I would suggest that NICS is not capable of tracking all of the people that should not be allowed to have weapons, but possibly it’s not NICS problem.  My question (because I don’t know) is do states use the same requirements when determining if someone is mentally capable (or incapable) of owning a firearm?  When reading the summary for HR2640 it appears that NICS leaves states to establish a system for determining who is disqualified from owning a firearm.   It sounds like Federal and State governments are not communicating, as they should to keep firearms out of the hands of people with mental issues.  Our determination and diagnosis of mental illness needs to be standardized, for HR2640 to work.  We need better mental health care.  We need to remember that not all of our problems with guns revolve around the mentally ill.  Even if the government takes away all of the weapons that are legally owned, bad people will still have/own guns that are not legal. 

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/hr2640#summary/libraryofcongress 

The truth about substitute teaching…

The truth about substitute teaching…

Sometimes I am a highly paid glorified babysitter and sometimes I actually teach.  As a substitute it truly depends on the class and what lesson plans are left by the teacher as to whether I teach or babysit.  Some days are busy and very productive, other days are boring and tedious; again it depends on the class and the lesson plan.

I prefer subbing for high school and middle school, or upper elementary.  We already know that I do not have the patience to deal with the lower grades; hence my license, which says, I teach 3^rd-8^th grade!  Students in the lower grades take a lot more energy, and higher grades are more independent.  Don’t get me wrong I love all ages, but for me to continue loving to teach I need to teach the students that I enjoy.  Substituting also requires that you have a sense of humor and can easily adjust to changes; I find that middle and high school students usually understand my sense of humor. 

I recently was called to substitute at a local high school, Trig… I have never taken a Trig class in my life but it sounded like a challenge, and let’s face-it I needed the money.  The sub call came almost an hour after I knew the high school had started (school starts at 7:15 a.m.), but I hurried on over to the school.  When I checked in at the main office, I was told that the first period class was over taking state testing (OAKES Testing), and that I should head over to the classroom.  Key in hand I head over to the classroom, find a student in the room – who I later determine to be a student aide.  My lesson plans from the teacher were handwritten and photocopied (to hand-out to the students for 3^rd/4^th period), below are the lesson plans that were left.  

I had no notes as to the schedule for the day, I didn’t know whether I had 1^st or 2^nd lunch, I didn’t know when the teacher had prep period.  Normally I would get this information from the teacher’s notes or lesson plan, but then I learned that the teacher had been there that morning got first period started and left extremely sick.  This high school is also on an A/B schedule, so I had to determine if it was an A day or a B day.  Class periods are 82 minutes long.  I sit and wait, and wait, and try to familiarize myself with the Trig book, and make sure that I am confident with the lesson plan I’ve been given.  First period finally ends.  Advisory period starts, 30 minutes of socializing, I have no lesson plan for these students I take role send it to the office and call it good.  Second period, no lesson plan, no students… oh this must be prep period (rolling eyes).  I can’t handle doing nothing for another 82 minutes, I go to the office looking for something to do (this usually works), they have nothing for me to do and send me to main office – the main office has nothing for me to do, they hand me a newspaper to read.  During my stint in the office I also find out that I have 1^st lunch, so my boredom continues.  First lunch, I hit the staff room across from my classroom use the microwave, there are no chairs and nobody in the room, and nuke lunch and head back to the classroom.  Finally 3^rd period, STUDENTS!  I’m supposed to have 30 students, when I take role I only have 21, wow that many are sick!  This is a well behaved class, I hand out the lesson they get to work and finish it way before their 82 minutes are up, I tell them they have free/quiet time.  4^th period, 16 students and all are here (13 girls omg!), I hand out the lesson and nobody does anything, they think this is social hour.  I spend most of this class walking around nagging students to work on the assignment.  As I walk around talking to students I realize that 9 out of 16 students do not have their textbook with them!  Can we just say that by the end of this period I had a raging headache and was done with high school girls. 

I learn something new with every sub assignment and I hope for my own classroom soon.  I try and take notes every sub assignment that would pertain to my future classroom.

Winter blues... my house plants are dying :(

My plants seem to be dying…

Winter is always hard on my plants; my plants are like children or pets to me.  It’s winter in the great Pacific Northwest and we don’t get a lot of sunlight, and I keep the blinds shut a bunch because I don’t like to see the dreary days.  It’s warmer inside my apartment in the winter because I hate being cold, my apartment is drafty and it’s hard to keep it warm.  The plants sit in front of closed blinds right next to the baseboard heaters… this does not make for a good combination.  I am sad because I love my plants, my last African violet died a few weeks ago and two other plants are losing leaves fast.  I will be in mourning for my plants for some time, please don’t ask me about my plants.

The mom compliment??

Is it a Compliment?

I’ve been given the compliment (a few times, by various friends & family) “you would have been a great mom.”  While I know they (friends and family) mean well and truly mean it as a compliment, my feelings are always a little bruised after it is said.

It was always in my plan to have my own kids and to have quite a few -- I wanted a house full (not 2 or 3).  Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we dream and scheme them out when we are younger.  So I borrow my niece and my friend’s children when I feel the need to be mommy (and I hope they don’t mind).  I also became a teacher; I’ve adopted lots of children in my heart and mind.  The children that come into my life are ‘my children.’ 

Oh, and I still want children of my very own… what the heck I’m only 40!  As long as my body keeps working I’d still have kids…

Yes, I’ll take it as a compliment!