Substitute Teacher Tips

At first I thought being a substitute teacher was going to be a transitional thing. My last job had ended and I wasn't finding anything that I felt was a good fit. I'd been interested in working as a paraprofessional in the local school district and preferred the office-oriented jobs to those actually working with children.

God had other plans. And I'm thankful that He did. Once I found out how easy it was to work as a substitute teacher for that same school district I applied immediately. The hiring process is fairly straight forward, so I was hired quickly. After a very brief orientation, I was ready to start working. Mostly, I planned to use this opportunity to scope out which schools I preferred and to get the inside scoop about upcoming job openings.

Since I'd been a preschool teacher before I became a mom, I felt like I had a grasp on what I was getting involved with as I began my new occupation. (More on that another time.) A family member at one of the schools put in a good word for me and I was working...at least a couple days a week. I've been at it for a year and a half now, in school years. Nowadays, I usually work 4-5 days a week.

Here are some of my best substitute teacher tips -

1. Ask questions. While all the schools in the district are similar, they are also very different. Arrival and dismissal procedures vary. Different principals have different approaches to discipline. Sometimes children can be helpful, but usually its best not to ask them your questions. When possible go to an adult. Generally the staff in the grade where you're working are more than happy to help you out.

2. Take notes. No, I mean it. I used a 2 page per month calendar and wrote down a few words to help me recall what that class, grade level or school was like. It was very helpful later when other sub jobs came up in the system.

3. Give the teachers feedback. I have found that most teachers want to know how the day went while they were out of the classroom. This isn't the time to lay it on thick about the children who gave you a hard time. Believe me, they are well aware of them. Just a short note about any significant issues is sufficient. On the flip side, it's best to focus on the positive components of the day. And if the day went spectacularly, be sure to be very complimentary. Everyone likes to get be encouraged.

4. Make business cards with your contact information on them. Teachers want these. They keep these. Sometimes I leave a few - one for them to keep at school and one for home. One for themselves and one to share with another teacher. At first I made mine on the computer with card stock and cut them with my Fiskars slide cutter. But after a while that got old, so I ordered some very basic cards from VistaPrint. They have my name, email address, phone number, the grade levels I typically work with and the time of day that is best  to text or call me.

I no longer think of subbing as transitional. It's my gig. And I love it!

A Page from My Coloring Book

I received a couple of coloring books as Christmas gifts. I have really enjoyed playing with my colored pencils and filling in the flowers of this page. I was actually rather engrossed in this project the day after Christmas. I was going to "undecorate", but when I woke up with a killer headache I just wanted to relax. So I was thankful when I found this delightful and time-consuming distraction. By time-consuming I mean hours. It took me probably 4-5 hours spread over 2 days to complete this page, but I love it. 

This page is from the book

Today is going to be a Great Day!

I may have a hard time getting back to my sewing machine. But then again, maybe not. I'm going to a quilting retreat this weekend. Yay!

Today I'm Thankful For ...

1. Tea ( especially Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast tea).
2. The apostle Paul, who wrote many of the letters found in the bible.
3. Time to season of life.
4. Living in a place where I don't have hide my faith in Jesus Christ.
5. One Simple Act, a book by Debbie Macomber.

I Finished A Quilt...Finally

It has taken a few years and a kick in the pants to get this quilt finished. Originally, I was making this for my son who loves yellow. I thought it would be right up his alley. Not! When laying it out on the floor, I asked him how he liked it and his ambivalent response was, "It's okay." Not exactly encouraging. Who wants to give a quilt to someone who doesn't LOVE it, right? Hence the name Son's Folly. He'll never know what he missed. (I'm pretty sure he doesn't read this blog.) So, I will have to come up with a different quilt pattern for him.

In the meantime, I'm thinking of entering this quilt in the local quilt show. The pattern comes from Kim Brackett's book Scrap-Basket Surprises. It is the same quilt that is on the cover of that book. In the book it is called Bali Sea Star. You never know, maybe it will be more popular at the show than it was at home. 

I'm just thankful that this one is off my plate. Now...what to work on next?

Beautiful Autumn Leaves

I just had to stop and take a picture of these trees that I saw after dropping off some items at the local thrift store. In a day of near panic attacks for stupid reasons, this was a refreshing reminder of God's handiwork. I'm thankful that I could enjoy these beauties as I went about my daily tasks.

I'm Thankful for The Bible

While teaching the four year old class at church last Sunday I was trying to remember the song that I used to sing back in my preschool teacher days. It was a very simple little ditty. After mulling it over I believe I've got it. It goes something like this:

The Bible is a special book
God's words are written there
I'll keep it in a special place
And handle it with care.

This little song is meant to instill a respect for the bible. It is indeed God's holy word and it should be handled with care and reverence. It is also meant to come out of that special place and be cracked open...regularly.

I'm glad to say that so far this year I have studied it daily. I'm thankful for this love letter from God and what I have learned by taking the time to dig deeper.

Thankful ... for My Husband

I am thankful, really. It might not seem like it based on the number of posts in the last few several months. But that's not it. Life has gotten kinda crazy, kinda busy. Blogging has become a lower priority. Hopefully, this will change as new choices are made in the future.

I have a renewed thankfulness for my husband. He has been going through a lot of changes in the last couple of years. After losing his job as an architect, he chose to take on a much lower paying job as a janitor at our church. It was humbling, yet fulfilling for him. He was sad to have to leave California and our friends their, but oddly enough he was also sad to leave that job. It gave him time to think - that is a wonderful thing for him.

His next job was as retail salesperson at a nursery (with hopes of becoming a landscape designer). Even though the pay wasn't great, the opportunity to explore a long-held dream was wonderful. The step from salesperson to landscape designer has been challenging. And yet he is so thankful for this chance to pursue that dream that he is working through those challenges with diligence and commitment.

As I have watched my husband make these changes and deal with the fluctuations in salary and hours, it has become apparent that he is committed to providing for us and allowing himself to be used by God in new and different (sometimes very uncomfortable) ways. In this month of thanksgiving, I want to publicly profess my thankfulness to my husband for his provision.

But beyond that, he is a man who cares deeply for me. He's not one for mushy words and extravagant gifts. He would rather show his love in practical ways by folding laundry and taking me out to eat instead of watching me schlog through dinner preparations when I'm exhausted. He's a no-nonsense guy who can be my best supporter and most encouraging cheerleader. I'm seeing a side of him I never would have seen if we hadn't gone through the things we're going through now. I know even more deeply that he is fully committed to me and will never leave me. I will be forever grateful that he is mine and I am his.

Sometimes Completion is More Important than Perfection

As the baby shower approached I had to make a decision - would it be awesome or would it get finished? Let's just say it was pretty close to awesome and it got finished just in the nick of time.

Sure, it could have been better. The piecing was good. My skills are definitely improving. It was the actual quilting that was less than stellar. Unfortunately, I just couldn't give it the time it deserved. To be honest, quilting isn't something I have a lot of experience with, so even if I'd had time, I'm pretty sure than it still wouldn't have been "perfect."

There was something difficult for me about accepting that this project would be inadequate. I had so wanted it to be flawless. Ha! Who am I kidding? I'm not capable of flawless. But, at this point, I am capable of pretty darned good. Come to think of it, there's really nothing wrong with pretty darned good ... especially if I'm not trying to get a ribbon. It's a baby quilt for goodness sake. Little Jude will not be complaining that my stitching isn't on the money.

I'm just thankful to have the opportunity, skills and materials to make this unique, one-of-a-kind gift for someone special. Quilting is fun, even when it's not perfect.

Super Thankful

Last week was a week of many blessings.

Blessing #1 - There has been some cleaning out going on at work (a quilt shop). It was determined that some fabric needed to go and I was the very happy recipient of 2 yards.



Blessing #2 - My friend/quilting gal (Dawn) has been cleaning out her sewing room and throwing away - yes, I said throwing away - fabric. Can you imagine? Neither could I. I told her in no uncertain terms that I would take that "trash" off her hands. When she brought me a 33 gallon trash bag almost full with fabric I was giddy.



Blessing #3 - Another friend/quilting gal from my home state of California has a quilt pattern business. I follow her projects and life happenings on her blog, Robin Quilts, Etc. She was at Market last week and attended an event called Sample Spree. She had a contest on her blog and was going to gift one commenter with an item she picked up at Sample Spree. I was the winning commenter, so I'm going to be receiving a Robert Kaufman Roll Up in the mail soon.



I am so blessed and very, very thankful.

Change

A move is on our horizon. We are going to leave California and go to Texas. But first there are some doors to close. In the next month our daughter turns 18 and graduates from high-school. My job will come to an end. My son will complete his first year of college. Escrow will close. My husband will be house-hunting (without me). There will be a good-bye event and life will generally turn into complete and utter chaos. And yet in the midst of all this I am not finding it particularly difficult to be thankful. In fact it's just the opposite. I've embraced this new journey and am looking forward (with a teeny-tiny bit of fear/curiosity) to what the future holds. It's going to be an adventure. I'll keep you posted.

Gaining Perspective from a Movie

I was feeling a little sorry for myself and in a little bit of a pity party funk. I could see what was going on and I knew I needed to shake myself out of it.

Changing my focus didn't come as easily as I'd liked. I tries quiet meditation - it turned to stewing. I tried active busywork - it was a distraction for a short time. The underlying issue just kept rearing it's ugly head. As I went about the day and began focusing on all that I have to be grateful for the funk eventually worked itself out. I was on my way to a renewed attitude.

It was with this experience that I took in The Pursuit of Happyness.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd heard that it was a movie about a homeless guy who became a stock broker. I must say it was a little tough to watch at times. Will Smith's character Chris is working his butt off and trying to be the man he needs to be to support his family. Already I liked him.

But life's not working for him. The money isn't coming in. He's making poor choices. He's conflicted. Then an opportunity for change presents itself. The cost is high. His wife leaves him, he loses his home, and he must struggle to come up with money for the most basic necessities of life while he trains for his possible new job and cares for his young son. His love for his son and his desire to provide him with the father he never had pushes him along on this journey. There is a scene where he is cradling his sleeping son in a subway bathroom while holding the door shut with his foot as someone bangs on it. Tears stream down his face. He would do anything for his son.

Well... my petty problems just slammed into perspective. I have so much to be thankful for -

• our home complete with furniture, food, clothes and heating in a good neighborhood


• my immediate family, who is in good health and gets along


• my extended family, who is near and far (but basically healthy and in good shape)


• my job, which is a nice fit for my life right now with great people financial freedom, no debt and a contingency fund that can help us through just about any rough patch


• friends who love me and care about me


• access to good medical care and healing medications


• frivolous stuff like TV, quilting, good books, restaurants, reliable cars, etc.

Sometimes a good movie can really put things in perspective.

What r u thankful 4?

To-Do List

It's so nice to complete a task that has been on my to-do list for a while. It wasn't a have-to-do. It was more of a want-to-do. I have a few Christmas gifts I'd like to make for family members. I just haven't been able to get to the sewing machine. I'm not sure if it's a real time shortage, a plethora of distractions or some sort of sewers block, but I wasn't creating anything new.

I certainly don't lack for projects so that's not the problem. I seem to find time for the mending, but not for the sewing - not for the fun stuff. Only by making myself start the project was I able to get motivated to finish it. It didn't even take very long...only a few hours.

That perfectionist in me wants to have everything I make turn out perfectly. My inner realist tells me to forget perfection and shoot for completion. As I sewed I realized that it's about neither perfection nor completion, but it's about enjoyment.

Sewing is what I enjoy. I tend to put it off until all the work is done. But life keeps whizzing by and I keep working and the enjoyment (sewing) keeps getting postponed indefinitely. Sometimes for me the tough choice is the decision to play - to let the floor stay dirty, leave the laundry in the basket, let the bills sit and focus on something that is just for me. It's funny how playing hooky from daily responsibilities feels so indulgent, even if it's only for a morning. But that's what I did - indulge, play hooky, sew, and make a Christmas gift. Yeah!

I'm thankful that I have the ability and freedom to exercise my passions. God has made me a creative being and given me the resources to explore that creativity. Sewing needs to make it on my to-do list more often.

Want to see what I made?



What r u thankful 4?

Vote

This is the day that will change the world...or at least the United States of America. That's what I'm hearing today as I listen to and watch the news.



I voted by mail last week to avoid waiting in line, but I don't think it worked. I will be accompanying my oldest child to the polling place. He is soooo excited to be a part of this historic election.

He has done the research and made his choices. He is proud to be a voter this year and finds this whole business very exciting. It's fun to see his enthusiasm. And you can bet he'll be watching the news...Fox news most likely, to see the outcome. It's good to be reminded about the specialness of this privilege. We really do live in a great country!

What r u thankful for?

Discovery

The world is full of things that I don't know about. Okay, maybe I know about some of those things, but I don't get how they work. That was the case with Facebook. I've had a Facebook account for over a year now. I got it as part part of a research project for work. It was interesting, but I really didn't see the appeal and found it to be less than exciting.

That all changed with a chance encounter with an old acquaintance. I don't even know Kathy that well, but we run in the same circles. She was telling me about the wonderful experience she had with Facebook and raving about how much fun it was to find friends. Her enthusiasm was contagious and I just had to go check it out again.



That was three days ago. I can hardly rip myself away from the computer. I'm having so much fun making friends. I've found some old school chums, some people from my early married days and a whole bunch of people from that circle of friends mentioned above.

Facebook is the MySpace of my generation. There's not a lot of tricking out of Facebook pages. These people work for a living. But there are lots of pictures of kids and grand kids. It's so much fun to catch up or just be reminded of things I knew but had been tucked back in the recesses of my brain.

Now if I can just rip myself away long enough to have a life I'll have something to write about on Facebook.

I'm thankful for Facebook and friends. What r u thankful 4?

Baby Steps

Procrastination. Fear. Reluctance.Caution. It could be any of these that is slowing me down. You see I have this project. It's a Halloween costume. Sure, yeah, who isn't making a Halloween costume this week? Yes, but I started this costume back in August. I should be done by now. Actually I should have been finished a while ago.

There are three parts to the costume - a dress, a skirt and a corset. You guessed it - a pirate. I'm not going to be a pirate. This is the costume my daughter has been eyeing for months. Granted, she's not four years old, so I can't just slap it together. No...it has to "authentic," which means it takes a lot more work.

I've been sewing most of my life and have tackled many of the challenges of garment construction. Along with the successful completion of many garments I've also done my fair share of "un-sewing," otherwise known as ripping out - a disgusting term. But in this costume, I've stumbled on a job that must be done well the first time. I'll have ten opportunities for success here. Ten cute little brass grommets. How hard can it be, right?

Well, all it takes is one slip and the corset is a goner. These things aren't forgiving. So, I'm going at it very methodically. First - make a small sample with the same fabrics as the original item. Next - buy the grommets (lots of grommets - extras for all the testing). Going on - try out the tools. Moving along - make various test placements, try various threading materials, call the mother-in-law for advice, pray, deep breathing exercises.

You get the idea. This is stall time. Or is it? I like to think of it as baby steps. As I progress on this path I'm learning and gaining confidence, so that I can make my final approach with a reasonable assurance of success. I'm taking baby steps.

I'm thankful for the ability to sew - first learned in Jr. High with Mrs. Smith oh so many years ago. I'm also thankful that I can show love to my daughter in a tangible way that any teenage girl can appreciate - a Halloween costume.

What r u thankful 4?

A Good Book

Recently I finished reading The Frugal Duchess by Sharon Harvey Rosenberg.


Since I've been a reader of Sharon's Blog, The Frugal Duchess of South Beach, for quite a while I was excited to hear that she came out with a book. Sharon has a down-to-earth approach to saving money. But she's not just another penny-pinching mama.

This gal has style and tells some great stories. I especially liked reading about her personal life and growing up years. It was fun to see how those things shaped her and helped make her into the person she is today.

Sharon also tells of her dream home in Miami Beach, Florida. She doesn't actually own the home, but she just might some day. Since she practices what she preaches I'm betting her savings account is steadily gr owning into the down payment she needs.

This book is chock full of great tips and strategies for saving money. This is practical frugality at it's best. I didn't get the sense that Sharon feels deprived at all. Quite the contrary. This is a gal who appreciates luxury and knows quality when she sees it. She's found ways to have those things and save a few bucks too - hence the subtitle How to Live Well and Save Money.

I'm thankful for good books that are also great resources.

What r u thankful 4?

A Favorite Song

You're Gonna Miss This




A great reminder to appreciate what you have...now!

Thankful, Naturally

Being a positive person doesn't come naturally to me. I tend to automatically focus on the things in life that don't measure up. Here's how Merriam Webster defines automatic -

largely or wholly involuntary; especially : reflex 5 b: acting or done spontaneously or unconsciously c: done or produced as if by machine : mechanical

That's me...spontaneously, unconsciously, involuntarily focusing on the most minute of imperfections - like a dang machine. While this might be my natural inclination, I don't have to settle for this characteristic.

I have control over my mind and I can make the choice to change my focus. For now it requires concentration and conscious effort. It may even take a quiet internal conversation with myself to get the right perspective, but it can be done. I can choose to accentuate the positive and appreciate the beauty, blessings and bounty of my life.

And someday maybe my automatic response will be celebrating the good, the right, the positive in life...automatically, naturally!

What r u thankful 4?

Questions to Consider

I receive Mark Sanborn's email newsletter called Leadership Lessons. The most recent issue was especially insightful. It was titled Live Like Your Life Depends On It. There were many good points, but the checklist below stood out to me.

Checklist for a Successful Day

Did I tell or show someone that I loved them?
Did I compliment or praise someone I live or work with today?
Did I read a book or listen to a tape that stimulated my thinking?
Did I increase my skill in my profession?
Did I do something for good health?
Am I closer to my goals than when I woke up this morning?
Did I do anything tough or challenging to build discipline?
Did I do something just for the pure joy of it?
Have I taken time to reflect on the lessons of the day?
Have I planned for another successful day tomorrow?

If you can answer yes to most of these questions, you have created a day of uncommon success.

I agree.

What r u thankful 4?

Quilt Show

I enjoyed a wonderful day with my mother-in-law at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach.

It was fun to see all the different ways people define quilting. There were some quilts that were on display that weren't even quilted, much less pieced. Traditional style quilts were in the minority, but the ones that were there were spectactular with their fine hand quilting and wonderful use of color.

Shopping...oh yes, lots of shopping! I showed much restraint and didn't buy a stitch of fabric. I made only two purchases. One was an open-toe foot for my sewing machine so I can do machine applique and the other was a video and toothbrush needle from Aunt Philly's. What does one do with a toothbrush needle, you ask. She makes rag rugs, of course. They look like this...

I'm thankful for this day of fun and shopping and for the opportunity to appreciate the talents and perspectives of others.

What r u thankful 4?