2 A.M. Find!!!

I'm lying in bed, exploring Pinterest trying to get even more ideas for my classroom, when I go over a pin that was all about classroom organization. There were some really great things on this pin! I was scrolling through and I found something I LOVED! It is a collapsable file folder that can be hung on the wall! I have been thinking about having some sort of filing system where the students can turn in their papers and this thing is perfect for that. Not only does each section have labels (for the older kids) but it is color coded so the younger kids would know where to put their papers even if they can't read! PLUS at the end of the day/week all I will have to do is fold it up and I have all my papers neatly filed so I take take them home to grade. And it was fairly cheap too! Only $14.99, that and the fact that I am a terrible impulse buyer had me taking out my credit card at 2 A.M. :)

Such a good idea for teachers, thought I would share!

Now that summer vacation is in full swing, I've been spending my days researching on the computer! I know I should really be outside, but last week there was a significant increase in job openings. I spent quite a bit of time researching schools and filling out the applications (those can be quite lengthy). I am still being a little picky about where I have been applying, and I have been questioning that lately. I have been asking myself "Is it more important to just have a job for next year? Or have a job that I will love?". I believe that I have come up with an answer to my problem. My game plan is to continue to do what I'm doing until the end of July, and if I don't have a job by August, then just apply everywhere. Ideally I would like to stay in the area, but if I have to move to get experience that is what I will do! So for right now I'm just going to keep calm and carry on :)

In the mean time, I have been spending the rest of my computer time getting things ready for my classroom! First I spent way too much money on Etsy, buying signs for my classroom and saving ideas for what else I can buy there. I have also been looking at Teachers Pay Teachers for signs, organizational tools, classroom management ideas etc. Mostly I have been looking at the freebies (since I spent so much on Etsy!), but I did find something that I am interested in buying that is in their top 100 list. These Brain Breaks for the Classroom are a great idea! They can be used at almost any age, and there are plenty of ideas so you can pick and choose which ones you want. Plus I love the idea of having them on popsicle sticks. I think this is great so that students can take turns choosing, or you can easily leave them out for a sub during the day. Check them out if you haven't already! If I don't find a job until the end of the summer, I'm thinking about starting to make my own products on TPT just for some extra cash flow. Also, from all of these things I have been researching I just started writing down things I still need to buy for my room if I want it to function smoothly. And boy there is a lot, and the list just keeps on growing! I have the rest of the summer so hopefully by spacing them out I can get a lot of prep work done for my classroom because I WILL have one come fall! :D

I have just recently started following a new blog, Young Teacher Love. I think this lady is very relatable for me being a new teacher, and she has so many good ideas! I've added her button on my sidebar, but check it out! She already has so many followers!

Unfortunately I have not had a lot of good news to report the last few weeks (note the time between my posts). Out of the three interviews I had, I have heard back from two. Both of these districts said that they would not be advancing my application at this time. One of those two offered to have me come back as a sub in the fall, which I thought was nice, but I'm hoping to have locked in a position by then.

The other district I have not heard anything at all from them. I'm hoping that the reasoning is that for the positions they had open right now I may not be a perfect fit for, but they are still considering me if something comes up in the future.

This has been disappointing for me, because these were districts that I really wanted and thought that I had done well in my interviews. But I'm keeping my chin up! There have been several more job postings since then that I have applied for, and it is only the beginning of June so there is still plenty of time. I'm trying to utilize the networks that I have and I'm checking websites quite frequently for postings. I may not have any updates for awhile, but maybe I will get a surprise soon! Everything happens for a reason, I must be meant to do greater things in other places :)

Interview Updates

Within the past week I have had three interviews in some VERY nice school districts! First off, it is a total confidence booster that these schools are interested in me to begin with, and if I can get a job with one of them for my first classroom? Would be amazing!

Second, between the three I think I did alright. Some were pretty intense and had some really hard questions, but that is the point of interviewing so that they can see who I am and how I really feel. I have not heard back from any just yet (still can be a good thing) and I know two of the districts that I interviewed with are doing more interviews this week. I am hoping I can at least know either way within the next week. I would love to get a job before we get into summer, and I am just getting super antsy right now!

I think at a later date I will post some of the questions I have been asked to help others prepare for future interviews, but I am trying not to name districts so I don't want to give anything away by posting the questions they asked. I also will post examples of anything else that I am asked to bring/make for an interview. The sooner I can get a job, the better!

Job Hunt Looking Up

I have great things to report this week!

Last time I posted how I had finished a hard copy of my portfolio to bring with me to my job interviews. I finished this before I went on vacation, just in case I was contacted for an interview and I was! I had my very first interview last Thursday. Since it was right after I came back from vacation I was nervous I was not prepared enough. The initial interview was broken down into 2 parts: a writing sample and an interview with 2 principals. I thought I did well on the writing part, but I was so nervous for the interview! I thought I didn't do very well, because I felt like I blanked out when they asked me some questions. But I tried to stay calm, and do my best. I didn't leave very confident, but the next day I was contacted to come back for a second interview! This was very good news for me, because it is a nice school district that I could see myself staying in for a long time.

Now this week I have another interview with a school that I met with at the job fair I went to. That interview is Wednesday, and my second interview is on Friday so this will be a busy week! I also found out that there was a job posting at my old school that I student taught at. I think I have a good chance of interviewing for that one as well. It is for a different grade than I was in, but the teachers in that grade level I really felt I got along well with so that would be AMAZING if I could teach at my old school! This is the nicest school I have ever been in, and I love so many things about it, it would be a dream come true if I could work there!

Right now I'm gathering more info about the school districts I am interviewing with this week, and coming up with sample questions I might be asked and try to write out what I would respond with. That way I won't blank out during a question again! Wish me luck for this week, I hope I have more good news to update you on next week.

Portfolio Done/First Interview

I do have a few updates I would love to share!

So last week my county had Spring Break, so this allowed me time to work on a hard copy of my portfolio. I spent a really long time working on it, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I had a hard time trying to decide what exactly to put in, and how much was needed because I have not had any professional interviews yet so I am not 100% sure what employers are looking for (plus it seems like everyone always wants something different!). When I first finished it, there were over 150 pages...yikes! I had put all of my lesson plans in, and examples of student work, but I decided to cut back to just the lessons I had done while in the College of Education at GV since those were my best pieces. I cut it back to 92 pages. I was able to get it printed off today, and I plan on going out tomorrow to get everything bound together nicely. The examples I have seen have all been in binders, so I am hoping by doing something different it will help me to stand out. So far I just have two copies printed off because it was expensive to get it done. Hopefully I will not have to do any more and I will be all set for my first interview!

Last week I was contacted by one district I talked to at the job fair, and was asked to schedule a screening interview! I have no idea how many more people were invited as well, but I think this is a good start in the right direction. I also was able to find a few more jobs to apply for, but there were only those that covered a large group for like K-5 positions not a single classroom. I have been told May is the hiring season for most schools, and I would love to get a job before summer starts that would be wonderful! Wish me luck on my first interview!

Here is a few pages out of my portfolio, just to give you an idea of what's included:



If you need more tips on the rest of what I have included in my portfolio please feel free to contact me! I just wanted to show the type of theme I had made. This took me a very long time to get it where I was happy with it, so please I would appreciate it if you used this as a guide and not just copy my words. Again, if you would like more info please just ask!

Job Fairs

Last week I was able to attend two job fairs this week at local universities. I think overall they went well, but I know there were job fairs each day last week at different universities each day so I was going up against who knows how many other teachers for the same districts. I think some interviews went well, and some not as well but overall I think I did ok. I brought with me my resume attached to my brochure to hand to employers, and I also printed off copies of my transcripts and letters of rec just in case, but I didn't end up handing them out at all. After the job fairs were over I sent out handwritten thank you notes to the people I interviewed with, so hopefully that will help me stand out a little bit! I have been checking many district websites since then, and I'm hoping more job postings will start popping up soon. Only time will tell, but I'm hoping to get something locked in soon before the summer starts! Wish me luck!