It pays to substitute at least one year

The latest thing I have learned is that if you are a new teacher for grades K-12 is to substitute for at least one year. Even though it doesn't pay much salary wise (I am currently making only one third of what I use to make), it does pay much in experience.

Now that the school year is almost over and that I am looking forward to getting a full teaching position next  school year, I can look back and see that my experience on handling many aspects of the academic world has grown tremendously. Not only have I learned which schools I would prefer to get a job at, but also what grades I would like to teach. I  have also benefited from observing other teachers methods and classrooms.

Probably what I have learned about the school's politics has been them most important information . I have to thank  the one teacher who has taking interest in my new career and has guided me through the dos and don'ts. I wish I could give more details and specifics at this time, but  there is two factors that affect this, first that it really depends not only on your school district, but it also depends in which school you are at. As much as school districts try to keep unity between schools, it doesn't happen. The school ambiance and attitudes is entirely dependent on the current administration regardless of what reputation that school has had before.

So, as you substitute through your district look carefully at the attitudes from other teachers and pay attention to their conversations. Be very observant at the way the administration handles you as a substitute and how they handle disciplinary problems. Maintain your ears open to hear how students themselves feel about their school. Do not forget to talk to the custodians, and other support people, they also will give you insights that otherwise you will not know about.

Not intended to replace the real wisdom

This blog is not intended to replace or underestimate the real wisdom that comes from The Bible. My intention is just to record personal, practical knowledge and details that have made a difference in my life. The Bible has all the principles to be applied in one's life and of course the application of these principles are the wisest way to proceed.

Heard in a movie trailer...

"Everything will be alright at the end, if it is not alright it is not the end yet." I think this is one of the wisest expression I have heard lately.
To me it means that one has to work at getting things right and not to give up until all things end well. It reminds me of the words that a person I admired said to me about 18 years ago: "When we wake up every day we have two choices, to be happy or to be miserable. How that day goes really depends on our choice." I probably had heard this before, but for some reason I finally understood. It was in my power to decide to be happy, not the circumstances I was in at the time.
Later on while I was going to college we read the book "Man's Search For Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl which also inspired me to make the best of all situations and to look for the positive in all situations.

Pondering where to start

Chronologically backwards or forwards, by subject, or just plain random?

Help Prevent Wolf Hunting on Wyoming's National Park Lands

Help Prevent Wolf Hunting on Wyoming's National Park Lands

In the beginning...

Since I was very young I have taken notes on all types of things that I found interesting, curious, worth remembering or  in "wish I would have known this before" category.With the passage of time I have accumulated sort of a little book of wisdom in my brain, but as all of us know, if you do not use it you lose it. As I get near my "half a century" mark, I would like to start writing them down.  Most for my benefit, but with the hopes that someone that reads this blog will benefit from my real life experiences and acquired knowledge.