What is an effective way to set up my classroom?

      There are countless ways to set up your classroom. These are questions you should ask yourself before you begin:   Are you planning to have students work in small groups? Do you want all the desks facing the front of the room? The way you set up your room will also be different depending on your grade level.      Not only is the physical set-up of your room important to decide, but the use of organizational tools is essential. The teacher's desk can turn into a bottomless abyss where all papers go missing if set on top. A way to avoid this is to have:
  • A turn-in bin for student work
  • A filing cabinet with student folders
Talk to your colleagues and take a peek in their classrooms for ideas!



It’s about ORGANIZATION!!!    ​
Teacher blogs are a great way to get ideas for organization and the physical layout of your classroom. Below are some popular links:

The Brown Bag: Classroom Organization: Tips and Tricks

The Simply Organized Teacher

We Are Teachers: 15 Marvelous Classroom Organization Tips for Back-to-School

Miss Decarbo: How I Stay Organized: Weekly Lesson Planning Tips and Tricks

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How do I structure the day?
  
  • Your school may have a schedule in place already
  • Every aspect of your day needs to be listed on the daily schedule (even the 5 minute activities)
  • Your teacher calendar should also include as much information as possible. You can’t remember it all!!

Blogs are a great place to look to see how other teachers are setting up their days.

The Cornerstone for Teachers: Ideas for Daily Class Schedules

The Cornerstone for Teachers: Teacher Daily Schedule Makeover

Top Dog Teacher: My (Jam-Packed) 2nd Grade Daily Schedule


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What do I put in my substitute binder?

    
    Your substitute binder should be a magical document where anyone could step into your classroom and know what to do, and have everything they need to support your classroom for the day. A great tip is to make a Sub Plan template and write a handwritten “thank you” to the sub. A typical substitute binder should include:
  • An introduction letter to the substitute
  • Attendance and lunch count forms (and what to do with them)
  • Seating charts
  • A list of your classroom rules
  • Emergency procedures (what to do if...there’s a fire, lockdown, etc.)
  • What your duties are, what day you have them, and how to perform them
  • Your daily schedule including the time of day
  • Your students’ daily schedule
  • Student health concerns
  • Emergency sub plans
  • “Go-to” students for subs
  • “Go-to” staff members
  • Necessary worksheets and materials for the day
  • Logins and passwords
  • Substitute feedback template: How did the day go?
  • Detention/ office referral forms/ nurse

    Of course when you have a planned absence or a sick day you can “feel coming”, you will create personalized sub plans to have ready for the next day. It is, however, so important to have emergency plans that are easily accessed in the event that you do not have the ability to make them last minute.
    To the left are some links that may help give you ideas for your binder:

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Links that may help give you ideas for your binder:

NEA: A Substitute Teacher Folder Checklist

Scholastic: Your Substitute Teacher Folder Checklist

Wife Teacher Mommy: How to Create a Brilliant Substitute Binder

Look for ready made sub plans on:

PE teacher
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Physical Education Sub Plan
How do I request a day off?

Every school is different when it comes to requesting a day off. Examples of these are:
  • Filling out a form from the office
  • ASEOP (Online requesting site)
  • Employee Self Service
    Knowing how to request a day off is something that may not be mentioned to you as you begin your first year at a new school, so make sure you speak up for yourself and ask the right person. A good place to start is to ask the secretary in the office or a colleague.

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How do I understand “teacher talk”?

      If you haven’t yet noticed teachers use a lot of acronyms! Teacher talk can sometimes be challenging to interpret when you are still trying to learn what everything stands for. IEP, 504, IDEA, FAPE, SLO, OT, GT FBA, DOE, ELL, PLC, PBL--- the list goes on! Below are some links to help you familiarize yourselves with these terms and what they mean.

Education.com: 23 Acronyms That Teachers Use

Frequently Used Acronyms in Education
How do I prepare for an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting on a student?

      You are going to be invited to meetings. Lots of them. The most frequent invitation you might get is to an IEP meeting. These are held annually, triannually, and whenever anyone associated with the student calls for one. Woot woot! You will be asked to present information!   When all the eyes are on you, be prepared! Be sure to have your data. Here’s a link to a sample template that you may need to modify to meet your school’s specific testing. Always end on a positive note. Parents tend to hold onto the last thing mentioned by the teachers.

Below is a link to a template you may use to help you prepare for your IEP meetings. 

IEP Meeting Teacher Input Form
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How do I prepare for parent-teacher conferences?

      Parent-teacher conferences (PTC) are different in each school. When do you have them? How long are they? What do you need to say? This is a conversation to start early in the year because typically PTCs come up in the blink of an eye, in October/November. Be prepared to discuss:
  • Topics being taught
  • Academics
  • Behaviors/Social Skills
  • Grade-level expectations
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Student Self-Reflection Form For Conferences

Scholastic: Ten Tips for Productive Parent Conferences

NEA: Parent- Teacher Conferences