Although supply teaching means that you can enjoy your evenings and weekends free of all that marking and planning – it is not without a downside. Here are some ways to survive on supply.

Arrive Early

Always remember that the class you are teaching that day is Not Your Class. You must enforce the rules and routines already established by the teacher no matter how small. A teacher should be able to leave their class knowing that rules and routines will be carried on in their absence. Of course there will be the odd child that will ‘play up’ and take advantage but these are easily spotted and dealt with.

Some schools have folders for supply teachers containing valuable school and class information. It is worth arriving early to read through such information. You need to know about any special needs the children in your class have including medical conditions and any behaviour difficulties along with how these are normally dealt with.

You will need to know about ‘rewards and sanctions’ and make sure that you use these effectively. Carrying special stickers or stamps can be very useful as kids love these instant rewards – a bag of delicious sweets is equally useful, but be aware of nut allergies etc.

Planning

If a teacher has left planning – that’s great. Again it is worth arriving early to read through and absorb. Sometimes other teachers’ planning is hard to interpret and you may need to find resources- a difficult task when you don’t know where to look and everybody is very busy. There are times when you will just have to improvise so be prepared for this.

Lessons

If there is no planning available for you then it is worth having some ideas for lessons written down that are self limiting and don’t require differentiation. For a numeracy lesson you could simply ask the children to find ways of making 5, 10 or 20, 50 and so on depending on the age group. For Literacy you could ask the children to make their own books with folded paper, using one of your favourite stories as stimulus. Having some good quality worksheets to hand is always a useful standby.

Teaching Assistants

If you are lucky then you may have a teaching assistant working in your class. You will find the support teacher will know the children well and be of invaluable help, so talk to them. Many supply teachers can feel undermined when faced with an unhelpful teaching assistant. You need to remember at the end of the day that it is you who are responsible for the care and safety of the children in your class.

Marking

Supply teachers often ask about marking children’s work. If possible get children to mark their own work. Mark work as you go along – this will save time at the end of the
day. Use the marking policy in place.

Staff Room

Many supply teachers tell me that they don’t go to the staffroom at all. Some staffrooms are friendlier than others but don’t take it too personally if you are ignored – most teachers are preoccupied with work and some school staffrooms are just not very welcoming. One of the advantages of supply teaching is that you don’t have to go back to schools you don’t like.

Many supplies spend their breaks marking.
Fresh air can make you feel refreshed for the afternoon session.

Staying after School

Some supply teachers have been seen scrambling over children to get out of school! Aim to spend some time after school to finish marking and making sure the classroom is tidy. It is helpful to leave a note for the teacher telling them of any incidents. It’s always nice for teachers to be told if their class has behaved well in their absence.

New Teachers

Supply teaching is a great way to gain experience of many different schools and the way they operate. It is important that you find the right school for you if you want to take on a permanent position. Supply teaching can offer insights into how other teachers operate in their classrooms. Take the opportunity to gather ideas for when you have your own classroom.

Art and Craft Ideas for Kids #1 Bulletin Board: Keep things organized with this handy bulletin board. Why spend $40 to buy a pre-made bulletin board when you can easily make one for under $10? You can customize the bulletin board with each kid – pick the favorite colors to decorate the bulletin board. This project should take about 20-30 minutes.

Art and Craft Ideas for Kids #2 Brown Paper Lunch Bags: Make your kids’ lunch extra special by packing them in customized brown paper lunch bags. Just take a regular bag and decorate it with labels and stickers. Or punch interesting shapes on the bags directly with craft punches. It will definitely give your kids something to smile about. This project will take about 10 minutes.

Art and Craft Ideas for Kids #3 Customized Notebooks: This Who wouldn’t want a cool notebook to scribble notes on? There are many way to customize a notebook – you can cover it in scrapbook paper, photos, stickers or even fabric. A beautiful notebook will surely inspire your kid to write more often. This project will take about 15-20 minutes.

Horace Mann (1796-1859) Pioneer of American Public School EducationHorace Mann grew up in a time when education was not easily obtained for those that lived in the poor rural areas of America.  Though his own early education was limited, he attended Browns University, studied law, and later enjoyed a highly successful political career.  It was during his time serving as a representative and senator in the legislature of Massachusetts and lastly Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education that he used his influence to advance change in the American educational system.  We can thank Horace Mann for teacher training colleges, free libraries, and free public education to all children through taxation.

Freidrich Froebel (1782-1852) Pioneer of Early Childhood EducationFreidrich Froebel was a German educator whose philosophy of education influenced such people as Horace Mann and Maria Montessori.  Based on the belief that a young child possessed innate qualities that would unfold gradually within a natural setting, he established kindergartens where free expression, creativity, social interaction, motor activity and learning by doing were the focus.  Many of these same tenets can be found in our contemporary early childhood programs.

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) Pioneer of Home EducationA citizen of Britain, Charlotte Mason’s dream was that all children, no matter what social class, should have the opportunity to obtain a liberal arts education.   She was dedicated to improving the way in which children were educated.  Seeing the importance of educating parents in areas of discipline and the training of children, she began the Parents’ Education Union.  It was her belief that children learn best through “living books” rather than dry textbooks and through real experiences.  Her methods included an emphasis on the enjoyment of the arts and the study of great artists and musicians.  Many of her educational practices were well suited to home education and her methods have become the foundation of many homeschooling families.

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Pioneer of How Children LearnAnyone who has taken a child psychology class will have studied the developmental and learning theories of Jean Piaget, the Swedish psychologist. Fascinated with how children reasoned, he began researching and writing books on the subject of child psychology.  When he later married and fathered three children, he was supplied with enough data to write three more books!  His research and subsequent theories have become the basis and foundation of our understanding of normal child development.

Margaret Bancroft (1854-1912) Pioneer of Special EducationBancroft’s intelligence, imagination, and dedication to her students set her apart as an extraordinary educator.  At the age of 25, she embarked on a courageous and lonely endeavor by opening the first private boarding school in Haddonfield, New Jersey, for children with developmental delays.  She believed that disabled children needed special schools, adapted material, and well trained teachers rather than to be sent to institutions.  Bancroft’s students responded to her love and patience and individually-tailored instruction.  Under her influence, the medical profession began to awaken to their responsibility to help correct defects and disabilities in children.  Admirers of her skill came to train and later became leaders in the field of special education.

Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) Pioneer of Education for African-AmericansBorn into slavery and later freed, Washington knew first hand the difference an education can make in a person’s life.  As a young man, Washington was appointed to head the Tuskegee Institute now called Tuskegee University, which was originally a teacher’s training college for African-Americans.  He was leader of the college from its infancy to the time of his death.  He became a dominant and influential figure among politicians and the general public and did much to pave the way for later civil rights and desegregation of public education.  It was his belief that education was the African-American community’s best chance for social equality and a better future.

John Dewey (1859-1952) Pioneer of Progressive EducationIt was while he was a professor of philosophy and the head of the Chicago University’s teacher college, that Dewey exerted his greatest influence in education and promoted many educational reforms through his experimental schools.  It was his view that children should be encouraged to develop “free personalities” and that they should be taught how to think and to make judgments rather than to simply have their heads filled with knowledge.  He also believed that schools were places where children should learn to live cooperatively. A member of the first teacher’s union, he was concerned for teacher’s rights and their academic freedom.

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) Pioneer of Individualized EducationMontessori methods remain the popular choice for many parents who seek an alternative education for their children, especially for the early childhood through the primary years. Before she took an interest in education, Montessori was the first woman in Italy to obtain the training to become a doctor.  She was assigned the post of medical care to the patients of a mental institution and it was there that she encountered “backward” children igniting her passion for education.  Beginning with a daycare facility in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Rome, Montessori put her theories into practice. Her methods were influenced by her previous training in medicine, education, and anthropology.   The results were extraordinary and soon drew much attention from many parts of the world, including America.  The rest, as they say, is history.

John Holt (1923-1985) Pioneer and Advocate for Home EducationTalk about going full circle.  Whereas Horace Mann fought for the free public education of all children, Holt raised awareness of the need for reform in America’s public schools.  As an educator, he became convinced that the present system stifled the learning of most children mainly because of fear.  Disillusioned by the inability to bring reform and improvement to public schools, Holt left teaching and devoted his time to the promotion of his ideas.   He believed that children learn best when allowed to follow their own interests rather than having learning imposed upon them. His exposure to proponents of home education lead him to later conclude that the best place to set up a natural environment for learning was within a child’s home.  His books had a profound impact on the growth of the home schooling sector.

Marie Clay (1926-2007) Pioneer of Balanced Literacy Model and Reading RecoveryBorn in Wellington, New Zealand, Marie Clay became an international leader in the study of children’s acquisition of literacy.  Her methods of teaching reading and written language have swept through the United States and other English speaking nations since their inception three decades ago.  The reading recovery component was developed as a means of lifting the low achieving first grader to a place alongside the average learner.  The structure of the program calls for close observation of the student by the teacher to design lessons that constantly build on what a child already knows and taking them to the next level.  Children are surrounded by a language rich environment and encouraged to choose reading books that align with their personal interests.

Jerome Bruner (1915-)  Pioneer of Discovery Learning TheoryTo combat the behaviorist approach to education, Bruner developed cognitive psychology and promoted a constructivist approach.  His discovery learning theory is based on the assumption that children learn and remember better what they discover for themselves and that they are better able to remember new information if they connect it to something that they already know. His research and subsequent theories on child development closely aligns with the work of Jean Piaget.

Howard Gardner (1943-)  Pioneer of Multiple Intelligences TheoryGardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has redefined educators’ views of how students learn and should be assessed. Historically, intelligence has been measured through the ability to problem solve and to demonstrate cognitive ability through various controlled verbal and performance type tasks.   Gardner’s theory broadens the field of how individuals display their intelligence by including linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, special, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences.  Through his influence there has been a greater emphasis placed on performance testing and educators have become more conscious of the need for diversification of instructional strategies to match the learning styles and strengths of students.

1. Go to class

Simple enough, isn’t it? Many college students think they can skip class or sleep through an online lecture and study their notes or readings and get away with a passing grade. If you want to excel, go to class. Watch your lectures online. Participate in online discussions. Simply being in the physical or virtual classroom helps recognition later on while taking tests. You are also more apt to pay attention to the instructor’s lecture. As many professors or instructors can attest, there is a high correlation between class attendance and class performance.

2. Don’t cram

The best and easiest way to study is to simply prepare before the night before the test. Many students try to cram all of their notes, readings and assignments into an all-nighter the night before the test. Studies show that cramming for tests does not work, and to effectively learn something and retain the information, you need to see it or read it multiple times. The best way to study and retain information is to study a little bit each day. Try using the Cornell Method of taking notes to optimize your studying. After you get home from class or work, go over your notes for 30 to 45 minutes. At night right before bed, skim over the readings again. In the morning, read over your notes for about 10 minutes. Constant and consistent studying each day will help you retain information and perform better on your tests.

3. Find a good studying environment

To study effectively each day, you need to find an environment you are comfortable in. If you can’t concentrate in your room, try going to a library and finding a quiet corner. Try studying in silence. Some people like to study while listening to headphones. Try different things until you find how you get the most out of your studying time.

4. Use note cards

This may sound elementary, but it is a very effective way to learning. Note cards help with learning retention and effectiveness. When an instructor assigns a bunch of definitions, this is the simplest way to learn them.

5. Find a classmate to study with

When you have a classmate to study with, it makes learning easier. For instance, if you do not feel like studying on a certain day, your classmate/studying partner can push you to study with them, and vice versa. You can also have the study partner ask you questions to see if you understand the information at hand.

6. Get a good night’s sleep

One of the most underrated parts of studying for a test does not involve studying at all. Sleep deprivation can be detrimental to your test-taking. Lack of concentration and nervousness are largely in part to not getting enough sleep the night before. Try to get eight hours of sleep, and you will perform better.

7. Eat breakfast

Eating something for breakfast goes along with getting a good night’s sleep. Eating breakfast gets your blood flowing in the morning. It increases your metabolism, which wakes you up and increases blood flow to the brain, helping you to think and perform better.

8. Lay off the caffeine

Although it may “wake you up” in the morning, coffee actually impedes your learning. Caffeine causes nervousness, anxiety and makes it very difficult to concentrate. If you get eight hours of sleep the night before and studied everyday rather than cram, you should not be tired in the morning and feel well prepared for the test.

9. Relax

When you go into the classroom or sit down in your computer chair to take your test, just relax. Sit down, take a couple deep breaths through your nose while you close your eyes for about 10 seconds. This will help you get focused and feel comfortable, so you are able to concentrate and take the test to the best of your ability.

10. Reward yourself

After the test, reward yourself with something good. Take yourself out for ice cream, dinner or other indulgences. After all, you studied hard everyday for the test, and you deserve some sort of reward. Planning to reward yourself after you complete your exam increases your motivation to work hard until the test is complete, and will also give you a sense of completion and satisfaction after the test is over.

The best way to solve this problem is finding one professional tutor and hiring them to teach your children. Well, the problem is finding a Math tutor who is professional today is not as easy as you think. However, there is one place where you can find the best solution for a Homework Help; it is Tutor Vista. This site provides you online tutoring which are available for all kinds of subjects of topics.

Especially for math topics, a tutor is dedicated to teach one specific topic such as a tutor for Fractions only or a tutor to help students from advance class to deal with their Algebra problem. Those tutors are different people with specifics skill in math. In the other words, when you are looking for a tutor to help your children Solving equation problems then what you will get for your children is an Equation tutor not a tutor who is expert in Simplify.

Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007 is a must-have for creating presentations and documents not for college student but for everyone. However some may find that it is too expensive. Fortunately, college students can buy Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate at $59.95 for almost 91 percent off. As long as they provide a valid e-mail address at an educational institution ending with the domain suffix .EDU and a proof of enrollment in at least 0.5 course credits. For incoming freshmen, if you can’t wait until your .edu email address goes live, I recommend you MS Office 2007 Home and Student for less than $100; it has fewer features but is still cheaper than at retail.

PDF to Word ConverterCollege students often come across PDF format, like papers from academic journals to quote and E-books for using the content or an amazing picture, or CV to edit for some modification. How to deal with read-only PDF files? Personally, I will not recommend the famous adobe acrobat, as it is too expensive to afford. And it doesn’t provide free technical support.

Here is an alternative: AnyBizSoft PDF to Word Converter. It offers the easiest way to convert PDF to  word, with all the text content, page layouts, images and text hyperlinks preserved. It also supports conversion of encrypted PDF files. Howtogeek.com gave it 4 stars. In the back-to-school season, it offers 40% discount with the price of only $17.95 to get a formal version of AnyBizSoft PDF to Word Converter 2.0 until September 20th.

Laptop”You can’t go to college without a computer, and anymore that means a laptop,” said Ms. Gooch, the Best Buy manager. Here you may see the importance of a laptop. Laptop is a helper of today’s student with essay writing, online learning, and project making.

However, which one is the best choice? Editor of CNET gives an answer as the entry level of laptop– Dell i1545-012B. The reasons are as follows: a 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor; 2 GB of RAM; 160 GB hard drive, charges $429. The processor is the high light, which makes it as one of the mainstream laptops under $500. You may also check Asus’ K50IJ-RX05, with a bigger hard drive, more RAM, and a few other features for about $70 more.

Flash DriveNow, whether you have a laptop, or you are relying on an on-campus computer lab, a flash drive will be essential for storing your own files and sharing them with others. Data backup from time to time is a good habit before it too late to find them. A thumb drive makes it indispensable for working on projects in groups, and for moving from one computer to another doing research and writing. The Kingston 2GB Data Traveler USB Flash Drive is a simple and affordable way to transfer electronic information to different places quickly. The entry-level versions cost less than $15 each.

Digital CameraStudents will want to preserve some important memories of their college days, and a digital camera has become a must to capture the precious moments. An inexpensive one will fit most of daily requirements. Canon’ SD 1200is is a stylish, easy to use pocket camera. 3x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD, it is enough for capturing shots of friends. This one is under $200.