My New Classroom Decorated for Autumn & Fall Leaf Writing Template

I mentioned earlier that I have a new job, I'm working as a Temp. Specialist in a local school.  It's a step up from being a substitute and I couldn't be more excited!  I'm treated as a real staff member and even have my own classroom!  (of course I'm still paid like a sub and am not even eligible for BITSA- a teacher induction program I need desperately!)  But onto the good stuff, my new room!

Summer School

This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to teach a 2nd/3rd grade combo class for six weeks at a local Christian school.  I had the best time working with my 12 students and watching them grow in their relationship with Christ.  One of the perks of working at a Christian school, you get to talk about God and pray with the kids!!!

Thoughts on Substitutes from the Kids

My mother in law has the best job in the world, she works at a church in the preteen department.  She has been able to have many a great conversation with the kids.  Recently she shared this article that she was writing for the parents of her students based on a conversation she had had with them.  I thought I would share this delightful insight with other subs out there.

The Substitute

Awesome Classrooms I have Subbed In

As the year draws to a close I thought I would feature some of the awesome classrooms I have visited.  One of the perks of being a sub is I get to walk into new rooms and be inspired all the time!

The jungle room!  I loved all of the bright colors and the jungle theme around the room.

I'm a big fan of putting curtains on windows and I love her grass cut out border, very safari feeling!

On this wall the teacher had time zone clocks, so much fun, especially if you feature the places your studying in social studies!  Love the zebra print fabric on her desk!

Harry Potter Room.  In this room the students share basic tables and have lockers (the rainbow colored squares in the background of the picture).  Each table was a house in Hogwarts and had a sign that sat on the table to represent them.

The teacher utilized magazine organizers for the students to keep their different subject's folders in, also sorted by Hogwarts houses.

I love the way in this classroom each student has a basket on their desk for keeping their reading book and supplies handy and tidy.  It is hard to see, but on the teacher's desk is a beautiful table lamp, creating quite the professional desk.

Castle themed room.  I love the stone wall and ivy this teacher used for decoration!

 It is always important to promote college, I love the way this teacher displayed college pennants!  Also a clever idea she had was to position a bookshelf at the end of each table for keeping all textbooks handy!

I love mentally filing all of these great ideas for use one day in my own room!

Class Libraries

One day when I have my own classroom I plan on creating an inviting class library.  While subbing I have seen many examples of some good class libraries.  Below are two examples that I have witnessed:

What I like about these libraries:

• Large selection of books at varying levels.
• Books are organized making them easy to find.
• Comfortable seating is provided.
• The library is a corner of the room, making it feel like a special area.

Things I would add:

• Table lamps for additional lighting and atmosphere.
• Curtains on the window.
• A checkout system for taking books home (sign out sheet)
• Stuffed animals for reading to - kids love to read to others, even animals!

What have you done in your library/what would you suggest?

Sub Reports and Hall Passes

When I started off subbing (5 years ago) I would just write my note to the teacher on a piece of lined paper.  I found that by the end of the day I was having a hard time remembering the details of the beginning of the day.  This led to a brainstorm of how to improve the process, enter my sub report format!

A lot of the note tended to be written about behavior, so I decided to save my time when filling this out by creating a key at the top for scoring the class behavior, breaking it down by time of day/period and then averaging it for an overall score for the day at the top.  Now I was able to spend more time reflecting on the lessons taught (which is what I prefer to know about when I have a sub).  I also included a section for absent students (but only in elementary).  On my version I have my name, email address and phone number at the bottom of the page.  I left those lines blank for you to put your own in, that way teachers can request you back after an awesome day with their class!

I designed these forms on Microsoft Publisher and I print about 20 of them at a time and keep them in my sub binder that I carry with me.  I have three different forms: Elementary, Middle/High School, and Generic.

Elementary:

Click to Print

Middle/High School:

Click to Print

Generic:

Click to Print

Hall Passes:

Click to Print

I hope that someone out there can benefit from these files and find them useful! :)