Student-Free Day PD

This might just be your very last chance for Supply and Demand PD... so put Monday 17th October in your diary. We're back at Raven Street Reserve, I'm between computers right now so more details are to come soon...

RAIN HAIL OR SHINE

Yes the PD is still on... email me if you want to RSVP late so I can make sure we cater for you... amberssupplyanddemand@gmail.com

Sharing

I spent entirely too long on the phone with a friend tonight (apologies to her son for taking up so much of her time!) talking about a single classroom game. Silent Ball. I use it, well as a ballgame. She uses it for spelling, times tables/number facts, phonics... really it's the Magic Pudding of games- it never, ever ends. . .

I'm hoping that's what our PD on Sunday is- the sharing of resources that grow rather than shrink from being shared. If you would like to come on Sunday we still have places available- come along and share or enjoy the show. Email me at amberssupplyanddemand@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to RSVP for the event. And I promise that everyone there will be a lot less grumpy than the Magic Pudding man!

DIY PD

When:       Sunday 28th August 2011, 
                        11am to 4pm

Where:      Raven Street Reserve, 815 Rode Road, McDowall

(heaps of on-site parking available at a lovely air-conditioned data-projected room!)

Program:    Networking, Q&A, your favorite lessons presented, quick lesson planning (the famous 3 step planning process), quick lesson ideas, PE and game ideas.

Cost:                 $55 including lunch, refreshments, afternoon tea,

take-home (emailed to you) resources & PD certificate

RSVP:         ASAP!!!
email amberssupplyanddemand@gmail.com for “bring a friend” discounts & payment details

**Photo notes** 
I love this photo. I think of it when I need to be reminded that sometimes everyone just needs to muck in and get on with the job***

Put Your Thinking Hats on for the 28th...

Put your thinking hats on and get ready to share your Supply Teaching Secrets with your colleagues on the 28th of August... more news to come...

New Workshop Dates

Well we are half-way through the year- but how many of us have half our PD requirements done? I've got two exciting PD opportunities coming up next month- my "Surviving and Thriving As a Supply Teacher" on Sunday 21 August and the band-new "DIY PD" on Sunday 28 August. Start-times are still to be finalised, but put these dates in your diary. Both will be $55 for 5 hours of PD.

*** I'm resisting posting a million "cat in the hat" photos here... but please put your thinking hats on and think about what you could present at the DIY PD day***

Undivided Attention...

Amazing... one of his lesser-known poems- but it does take your breath away...

Pink Gumboots... adapting to your environment without losing your identity

If I've had the pleasure of meeting you- you will know if humanly possible I'll be wearing pink shoes. They make me smile. They make the kids smile. Really- what more could you want? Well, with the recent rain I've discovered you could want gumboots. For those cold days where the rain just keeps going, gumboots are a very useful adaptation to the school environment. And today I was able to find... yes... you guessed it... pink gumboots. It made my day. It made the checkout lady smile. And it made me think... how much of "me" do I get to keep when I teach?

I think that's really a challenge for us Supply Teachers- balancing between adapting to our ever-changing environment and staying true to ourselves. As much as we adopt the behavior management plans of the different schools we teach in, we all have our own personal philosophy about discipline. Every day do our best to work within a different set of school values, different moral frameworks and different learning environments- but we really do need to make sure we don't lose ourselves. It's not really about pink shoes at all- it's about the right express our own identity. Without getting too deep I'd hope that as teaching professionals we are able to work in a way that aligns with our personal teaching philosophy. I think I'm lucky enough to have found schools that allow me to do that... and I hope you do too.

PS- I think my gumboots will also remind me to make the best of whatever comes my way... because now even on a rainy day I can have a reason to smile. And yes... that is a part of my personal teaching philosophy!

Three Choices...

Today I gave my class (year 6) three choices... they could be awesome, terrific or wonderful. There were no other choices. Each child got a certificate with tick-boxes for each choice- to take home or show their teacher. Some kids told me that a certificate like that was a guaranteed dessert, or control of the TV remote at home that night. Others kept theirs at school to show off to their teacher tomorrow. I've put a copy of the certificate in the downloads section... but it's easy enough to make your own.

But it got me thinking about the choices we give ourselves as Supply Teachers. Do we assume that a challenging school is going to be, well too challenging- thus removing the "great day" option from our own list of possibilities for the day? How many bad days have we had simply because we don't give ourselves the chance to have a good day? Like today, tomorrow I've got a lovely class at a lovely school- and I'm simply not going to give myself the option of having anything other than an "awesome, terrific or wonderful" day- it worked for the kids today so I don't see why it can't work for me too!

Back to work...

It's back to work time again and I hope that everyone has had a great break. If you are working this week, you may want to work through some old NAPLAN tests with your kids... you can find old tests here. I also fixed my link from last week (my bad)... here it is again. And on that note I'm taking my tired little "I can't believe I'm back at work already" self off to bed for an early night!

Links

Yes it's holidays- and yes, we are lucky not to spend our holidays planning and preparing for next term as classroom teachers do. But sometimes a moment of preparation can be very helpful- and with that in mind I give you this little something to get your teeth into before we go back to school.

As with most of the things I share here- this is neither my discovery (thanks Kim) nor my invention (Jenny Ether is a genius). Need to guide a class through writing a poem? It's here- along with all the scaffolding you could ever need for twelve other text types. There are examples, templates and hints- all available at the click of a mouse. And for those of us without internet access at school- you can download the templates into microsoft word and save them for later use.

Thanks again Kim for your great link- and if anyone else has some helpful links to share please let me know so I can publish them here for us all to use. Remember- it's not just internet links that are useful to us, I find that it's the links between people that really count.

**note- link now fixed- make sure you take a look at http://www.writingfun.com/ - it really is a great site.

Holidays!

Yes, it's holidays. No, we don't get paid. Well we can't have it all- but we can make the most of what we do have. Really- it's what we do as Supply Teachers- make the most of what we have and be sure to smile while doing so!

Take a moment to join the Union Shopper to take advantage of a range of discounts to make your hard-earned money go a little further this holiday. This holiday break I'm working on some exciting PD opportunities for us all... more news to come soon.

Wednesday Indulgence

Take a moment to remember just how lucky we are as Supply Teachers. Why? Well we literally have a moment to take. Look in any classroom and you'll find a regular class teacher hard at work. It's that time of year again, where regular class teachers are all wrapped up in parent-teacher interviews, marking, moderating and all of that hard work that we manage to avoid. Leaving before 3.30 is an indulgence. Not getting to school until 8.15 is even more of an indulgence. Taking a moment... well that's just unheard of at the end of term. And having the time to play with something like this.... well that's just something that no classroom teacher has the time to indulge in right now. So make the most of it and time the time to puzzle a supply day away. Get an early finisher to put the weekly spelling words into a crossword and print a copy. Grab a roll and do a find-a-word with names. Enjoy.

Wednesday Night Dinner - With All The Trimmings

At our PD Planning Session we decided we want it all- from teeny-tiny badges to massive smartboards... I'm going to try to cover it all at our next workshop (date yet to be confirmed). Currently I have had requests to make sure we cover:

• literacy games
• numeracy games
• PE games that don't need much space or equipment
• calming games (to focus children after breaks)
• quick resources
• activities for early finishers
• tips for dealing with Special Ed kids
• epipen info
• smartboard resources (and learning place access)

If you have any requests for areas for us to cover, or if you have an area of expertise that you feel would be of benefit for us to learn about... please, please email me. Our next workshop will certainly have all the trimmings!

Real DIY PD

Following a very successful (and delicious) planning session we have the theme for the next workshop...

We really are going to make our own PD. Our next workshop is a "bring your favorite lesson" occasion, where everyone attending gets a 20-minute(ish) slot to present (a summary of) their favorite fall-back lesson or lessons. This is the time to learn a dozen or so fail-proof lessons... and make them your own. We're talking those lessons that use few or no resources that can be adapted across a number of year levels and can cover a range of KLAs.

We'll take some time to examine and build on each lesson, play the games, and create variations and improvements. I'll be asking for an overview of what everyone would like to present before the workshop... and I'll distribute a copy of this overview at the workshop to make everyone's note-taking life just that little bit easier.

We really hope to see you there,

the more of us, the more lessons to share.

And yes, I do love Dr Seuss.

Details to come- but I just couldn't resist posting early!

Wednesday Nibbles...

Don't forget to RSVP for the High Tea this Sunday...

It's that time of the week again, and after our workshop on the weekend there are a few things to post.

Firstly - the magical whiteboard erasers that aren't actually whiteboard erasers... I've yet to try them myself- but next time I'm at the supermarket I will be picking up a pack of them.

Secondly, the instructions for the Pirate Game. While they don't make for great reading- they are fun to act out and play. I have played this with everyone from preps to year 7 children and they all seem to love it...

PS- To those lucky people who were at the workshop last weekend... check your inbox late tonight for new copies of your certificates with 5.5 hours of PD on them... your discussions were so valuable I was hesitant to cut them short... meaning we ran over and can record 5.5 hours of PD for the workshop

Drum-roll please... I give you... The Pirate Game (which I didn't think of myself but play almost daily)

With the younger grades I often begin with a story… the actions are in the table below.

We are on a pirate ship. When the pirate captain comes along I’ll say “Captain’s coming” and we will all salute. Show me your best salute…

Thank-you

To everyone who came to the PD today. Wednesday will be a great blog post with lots and lots of helpful information from a very enthusiastic group... and I look forward to seeing them at the high tea.

A Feast for All- More Wednesday Goodies!

There are a couple of actual feasts on the table, and also a virtual one for your enjoyment.

Feast No 1
There's the possibility of actually getting a much-sought-after free lunch on Sunday... I'll be handing out crisp $5 notes to anyone who "brings a friend" to the Surviving and Thriving Workshop this Sunday. We have numbers to just scrape by and cover costs- but the more the merrier. Especially if you are the one getting a free lunch!


Feast No 2
This is one that will go straight to the hips... a High Tea with cakes, scones, sandwiches and really great coffee (I'm not a tea drinker- but I'm sure the tea is nice too). We are having a two hour planning session about our next PD option that we can document as two hours of PD. Come along to catch-up, chat and ensure that we get the kind of PD that we want and need in the future.

Feast No 3
This is a lovely virtual smorgasbord of contract activities available at the wonderful Kurwongba State School Website. Great for inspiration, and always fun. Can it get much better?

HELP!

Tell Your Friends!

Currently I don't have enough people attending the Workshop on the 20th of March (that's next Sunday) to cover costs. Everyone seemed to get a lot from the last workshop so if you were thinking of going, or have a friend who you think might like to attend now's the time to let me know. The people that I do have attending are very enthusiastic, and I'd hate to have to postpone on them. As always, email me at amberssupplyanddemand@gmail.com or contact me via the blog for details.

Wednesday Night Goodies...

I'm going to do my best to post a new link or resource each Wednesday night... and here goes...

We all know that it's very important to leave a note for the classroom teacher, but it can be hard to think of everything at the end of a hard day of work. That's why I've made myself a template form to fill in at the end of the day. It's not perfect- in fact it's a work in progress- but I've added it to the downloads section of the blog. The formatting only seems to have "stuck" if you download it (rather than viewing it)- but take it and make it your own... and let me know if I've left anything vital out!

Networking...

Because we don't have a staffroom table to gather around on a Friday afternoon, and because we don't have that same teacher in the room nextdoor to chat with each day... we need to network. It takes a little extra-effort at times- but the rewards can be great.


But without permanent links how can we network as Supply Teachers?

• By using blogs. Leah made my day by mentioning our workshop on her blog. It only takes a moment to post, but it's a chance to use technology to reach out to colleagues and make a connection.
• By seeing other Supply Teachers face-to-face. No, I'm not just plugging our next catchup- but it is important for us to have opportunities to have professional discussions with our peers. Take advantage of the fact that we don't have to stay back after school and catch up with a colleague after work.
• By picking up the phone. It sounds simple, but next time you find a contract that you aren't going to take, or just need someone to talk to that will understand your day as a Supply Teacher- well who could be better to talk to than another Supply Teacher?
• Email someone. Tell them what you've been up to, let them know of any opportunities that you've spotted that might suit them. You never know- their reply might have a lead to the contract of your dreams.

So good luck networking, and if you are local, I look forward to seeing you at our High Tea where we can catch up and help to clock up our PD hours!

High tea... and a say on your PD... you deserve it!

Ladies and, well in the case of our little group so far, ladies. Remember our little talk about the importance of Supply Teachers? Remember that we are not disposable? Well with this in mind our first coffee catch-up is a real treat. High tea no less... that's right- nice china, lovely tidbits to nibble on, tea/coffee (really, really good coffee) and rose-petal cordial.

What: A "High Tea" Planning Session for our next Workshop
When: Midday, Sunday 27th March 2011
Where: Ramekins Cafe-  "easy to find" @ Gympie Rd (Cnr Beams Rd in the Woolies Complex)
Price: $25 for a sumptuous high tea

Please RSVP ASAP (don't you just love a good acronym?) via email to amberssupplyanddemand@gmail.com and I'll forward my bank details to you

Go on, you deserve it!

In case you missed it... come join us...

In case you missed the first "Surviving and Thriving" Workshop, I've scheduled a second one for March 20th. I know there were a few people who had clashes because of the date with the previous one, and hopefully some of the wonderful QUT students I spoke with are going to get themselves a head-start for next year.

The workshop is practical mix of general advice and lesson ideas. You will also get the chance to meet other Supply Teachers (and soon-to-be supply teachers) and share your experiences with them over lunch. See what the last group or participants had to say or take a look at the flyer then email me your RSVP. I look forward to seeing you there!

Back to uni... and resume writing... and another workshop...

Yes- the fresh-faced students made me feel old!

Thanks so much to Mandy White at QUT for the opportunity to speak to the QUT Caboolture students who will be graduating this year. After speaking, I got a number of questions about resumes. With this in mind, the downloads section of this blog now has a sample resume that might be of help to anyone currently putting together their own teaching resume. Good luck! And as always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

** Edited- Also a big thankyou to Bethan King at QUT Kelvin Grove for a chance to speak in the *gasp* big lecture theatre today. DATE FOR BEGINNING TEACHERS WORKSHOP 20 MARCH 2011.

Links... and we can all help each other out

I will add this link to the links page... and the specific downloads to the downloads page... but I really wanted to make a post to discuss them here too. At the workshop we briefly discussed the idea of "Kung Fu" punctuation. It's a very hands-on idea where the students are invited to make a specific "Kung Fu" inspired action for each punctuation mark. I've not had the chance to use it yet- but had the idea described to me by colleagues who have had a lot of success with it.

I'd like to thank Susan (who attended the workshop) for taking the time to look it up and sharing the resources she found with us. She's embraced what these workshops are all about... sharing resources and working together make us all Supply Teachers. Thanks Susan- and everyone else who is sharing their experiences with other Supply Teachers to help us do our job.

The Workshop... Worked!

A HUGE thank-you to everyone at the workshop today. Everyone left such lovely feedback and I'd like them all to know that I'm really glad I was able to help them. I hope to organise an afternoon tea one weekend soon so that we can all catch up again... and we already have ideas for 2 new workshops in the works. More news to come on those.

For an extra copy of the resources from the workshop log into the google docs account. The username is AmbersSupplyAndDemandResources and the password is SupplyTeacher. You can always look for more materials that are added to this blog by going to the downloads link on the right hand side of the page.

Almost there...

Well the workshop is this Sunday, and there's a finish line of sorts in sight. If you can still make it but haven't contacted me yet... I'll have spare copies of workshop materials on the day... but it would be great if you could email me before the day... amberssupplyanddemand@gmail.com.

Room for More

The workshop date is fast approaching, and while I'm happy to say that I have sufficient numbers to run the workshop- there's still room for more.


So... if you want to get organised to make 2011 a year JAM-PACKED with work... then I suggest my workshop...

Surviving and Thriving as a Supply Teacher

How to get work... and what to do when you get it!

When: Saturday 11th December 2010
Where: Downfall Creek Bushland Centre at Raven Street Reserve, 815 Rode Road, McDowall (heaps of on-site parking available at a lovely air-conditioned data-projected meeting room!)
Program: How to get work, how to make a good impression, behaviour management strategies, how to plan on the spot for each KLA, using flexible resources (which will be provided for you).
Cost: $50pp including lunch, refreshments, afternoon tea and take-home resources 

You can do it!

You can do it- with a little help from your friends.

It's around this time of year that Classroom Teachers work very hard (they tend to do that for most of the year- but setting up a classroom is quite the mountain to climb)- but luckily for them they have lots of contact with other teachers. Other teachers are wonderful people. They are encouraging. They offer advice. They are a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen.

It's also around this time of year that Supply Teachers begin to doubt themselves. We don't have that contact with colleagues yet. No words of reassurance from people who are going through the same thing as we are. "Where is my work?" they ask to nobody in particular. For those of you (and it's most of us- so relax) who haven't had work yet- you need to keep a few things in mind-

1. Classroom Teachers will move heaven and earth to be at school to set up their classes. They simply won't take a day off unless there is absolutely no other way around it.
2. Many schools don't hire Supply Teachers in he first week of school. Instead, music, PE, LOTE or library teachers are called on to fill in for anyone who is away.
3. YOU CAN DO IT!

Don't forget that I'm still seeking people for my workshop on February 13, and I'm hoping it will be the start of a series of workshops and get-togethers. I really think us Supply Teachers need and deserve that contact with colleagues that reminds us that we can do it- and my workshop is a great starting point for that.

What to do on the First Day of School

Feeling alone on the first day of school? Relax- you aren't alone.

There will be very few Supply Teachers (yes, you should start using capital letters to describe your profession) with work on the first day of school. So what should you do with that first day?

• Without bothering office staff (the first day is always chaos), why not drop off your resume to a half-dozen local schools? Don't go before or after school, but pick a time in between lunch breaks (check out the school website for break times) and just quickly drop your resume in.
• Got a friend who has secured a teaching job? Help them out on their first day! I once helped a friend who had a year one class (this was before we had prep in Queensland) on the first day and had a lot of fun (and made a lot of contacts). I identified myself as a "helper" and any concerned parents were assured I was a qualified teacher who was there to help out their friend for the day. I spent most of the day on the veranda making painted handprints and other messy jobs- but it allowed my friend to have messy activities on her first day without having to supervise them.
• Do something wonderful with your last day off for a while. Soon you will be working regularly- so enjoy a rare day off by seeing a daytime movie, heading off to lunch or anything that you really love. And then smile and remember- that if you ever need to take another day off just to have fun- you can! It's amazing how liberating that idea is- you may never take the opportunity to do so- but knowing you can- bliss. Mentioning this little advantage to your full-time teacher friends is a no-no!
• Double check that you are properly registered with TRACER. Because of the floods, TRACER have asked that all teachers available for work right away let them know via email (MetNorth.TRACER@deta.qld.gov.au). See their website for full details. I suggest using your EQ ID number and Teacher Registration number in all correspondence with them (and yes I forgot to have them on hand when I called them today- sorry TRACER).

So remember- even though you may not be working on the first day of school- there's no need to waste the day.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU GOT UP TO ON YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

There is good news too...

If you have found yourself without a permanent or contract position in 2011, you are not alone.
"ONLY one in 10 teaching graduates has scored a permanent job with the state's biggest employer"  ...but there is good news too!


Welcome to the wonderful world of Supply Teaching. It may not be where you thought you were going to be, but here you are. There are two things that you need to know-

1. There is work (I just took my first booking for 2011)
2. There is support (there are still places available for the 13 Feb Workshop)

So to everyone in the wonderful world of Supply Teaching, I hope to see you at work or at my workshop. 2011 is going to be a great one for work!

Brisbane Floods- Stay Safe

Sorry guys- no cute photos today. I hope that you and yours are safe and well and dry.

Stay in a safe place and look for information on the web:

• flood maps, Brisbane sandbag locations & suburbs at risk- www.brisbane.qld.gov.au
• road closures- http://highload.131940.qld.gov.au
• Qld Police Service is updating regularly- http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=159725290742158#!/QueenslandPolice
• energex seems to be down more than it is up- but when it is up you can check what is happening in your area- http://www.energex.com.au/network/asp/electricity_interruptions.asp
• and now I think I get the point of twitter- http://twitter.com/brisbanecityqld/qldfloods/

To everyone under threat- my thoughts are with you.