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!