Top 10: Things to do Before Student Teaching

For some of you, you're just days away from your first official day as a student teacher.  Emotions are probably high- excited, sad, nervous, and the list goes on. Some of you are probably over prepared while others are wondering where to even begin to prepare.  It was only one semester ago when I was in your shoes, so I know exactly how you're feeling (check it out here).  

Take a deep breath- it. will. be. okay! 

Today I wanted to share some things you can do in the following days to make sure you are prepared for your very first day. Here's my list of ten things you can do in the upcoming days in order to head into your semester of student teaching prepared. 

One: Gather your supplies

Take a little inventory on your school supplies. What do you have and what do you need?  The supplies you need for student teacher are a little different than if you were taking classes. You'll want a large binder to keep your lesson plans in,  pencils, black pens, colored pens, highlighters, post-it notes, agenda, notebook, markers, and anything else that makes you happy. You can check out my recommendations for supplies from my blog post back in August all about school supplies for student teaching.

Two: Checkout your wardrobe

Yesterday I shared with you my tips and tricks for dressing in business casual.  Spend some time going through your wardrobe mixing and matching different outfit combinations.  The more outfits you have created the easier it will be to get dressed. Make a list of items you need to get and items you want. Remember you're on a college budget and there is a difference between wants and needs. 

Three: Begin to create a portfolio

This sounds a little intimidating and overwhelming.  You don't have to have this perfected, but you will want to start. Begin by gathering supplies and figuring out what format you want to you. My portfolio is a digital one that is hosted by weekly.  If you have questions about this, let me know and I'd be happy to help you. 

Four: Update your resume/ cover letter

By now you should have created a resume. Take a few minutes to update it and make sure it is error free. Throughout this semester you'll have the opportunity to interview for jobs, so it will be easier if you have this done now rather than rushing to get it done later on.  The same goes for a cover letter. Begin to draft one, if you don't have one yet.  It doesn't need to be perfect, but chances are you will be working on it during one of your seminars. 

Five: Social media clean up

This should have already been done by now, but just in case it hasn't get on it.  When getting hired, your social media accounts will be viewed.  Just because you have them set to private doesn't mean that they can't be viewed.  Make sure everything you are tagged in and have posted is appropriate. The grandma test will help you (if you'd be embarrassed for your grandmother to see it, then it probably shouldn't be posted). Check for alcohol, foul language, etc. If you want to be proactive, then you could also create a professional twitter. This is a great way to showcase your digital citizenship, projects you've done with students, accomplishments you've had, etc.  

Six: Get organized

Starting off the semester organized always brought me inner peace and clarity. It's one way to feel like you have your life together, even if in reality you don't.  There's lots of different things to organize, but there's several items I definitely would.   Clean up the files on your computer, organize your room, organize your closet, and organize your bathroom. Doing this will make you feel much better. 

Seven: Go shopping

Who doesn't love a little retail therapy? Grab a friend or your mom and head out to your favorite stores. If you're stressing or have a little anxiety, it might calm your nerves.  I'm sure you've figured out somethings you need to be ready (school supplies, groceries, a lunch box, clothes, shoes). Take advantage of this time to go out and buy these items.  At the very least, you need to go grocery shopping so you can meal prep for the week.  

Eight:Do something fun 

Seriously. This is a must. Call your friends and plan something fun for the weekend.  This is your time to let loose, laugh, make a few more memories, and enjoy the time you have with friends.  Maybe go to a winery, visit an aquarium, go shopping, enjoy brunch, a night out, or watch that movie you've been wanting to see. This semester you'll feel isolated from your friends as they will be taking classes on campus and you'll essentially be adulting.  Remember it's your senior year, so you should be making memories and having fun with your friends. Use this time now before you're swamped with grading, lesson planning, applying for jobs, and all of that fun stuff. 

Nine: Meal Prep

Head over to pinterest for a little inspiration.  The more you cook now, the easier your nights will be during the week.  Start with something easy, then work your way up to more challenging things.  Checkout my pinterest board if you need some help getting started. 

Ten: Treat Yourself

The day before you begin, do something for yourself.  Get a manicure, a pedicure, buy a latte, binge watch your favorite Netflix show, etc.  Do something for yourself that will make you feel relaxed.  In the upcoming months you won't have much time to do these little things, so take advantage of your time now and #treatyourself. 

If you're still feeling lost be sure to checkout my following links for help:

Student Teaching Survival Guide

Teacher Outfits

Thursday Thoughts to Inspire Teachers

What's in my bag: Student Teaching Edition

Work Week Breakfasts

School Supplies for Student Teaching

Monday Motivation

Walk in my Week: Student Teaching Week 2

Walk in my Week: Student Teaching Updates

Good luck!

XOXO

What's in My Bag: Student Teaching Edition

A few weeks ago when I shared that I would be creating this series I got a few questions regarding what student teachers should bring with them on a daily basis. This is definitely a personal preference. Some people might bring more items back and forth, on a daily basis, while others will carry very few things. It also will depend on the space you are given to make your own within the classroom you are located. I was fortunate to have my own desk. My cooperating teaching was kinda enough to provide me with just about all of the supplies I needed (post it notes, pencils, pens, highlighters, notepads, paper, index cards, a clipboard, paper clips, stickers, tape, white out, binder clips, rubber bands, markers, a coffee mug, tissues, hand sanitizer, and more). I was also in a safe privileged school, so I was able to leave things on my desk without them being taken.  This meant that I didn't have to bring too many supplies back and forth with me- only the ones that I would need to complete the items on my nightly to do list. 

Let's start off with the bag. I had been looking at this tote from Madewell for several years. I always thought it would be what I would ask for as a graduation present since it didn't quite align with my college student budget.  However, a few weeks before school started J.Crew came out with their fall catalogue as well as a sale.  I found a tote even better than the transport tote I originally wanted. The All Day Tote was just screaming my name. It seemed to be similar in size to the other tote, but it had more pockets- better for organization.  I ended up getting it for about 50% off, so I decided to personalize it with my first initial.  The gold personalization and the bag tag really spice the plain black bag up. The bag itself was designed to be an everyday bag to get the working woman through an entire day (barre class all the way through lunch and the working day). This bag definitely did not disappoint me this past semester. I have gotten my money's worth and will use it throughout my teaching career. 

Folders

I typically brought two folders back and forth each day. One folder contained assignments that needed grading. Keeping them in a folder helped me prevent them from getting damaged in my bag.  The other folder contained miscellaneous items like papers that needed copied, ideas for future lessons, notes from seminar, etc. This was the first time I used filing folders as opposed to pocket folders. I actually found that the filing folders were better to use because they didn't crinkle the papers and could hold more.  I found these folders on sale at TJ Maxx before the semester started. 

iPad/Laptop

I alternated between bringing my laptop and ipad.  I has access to the wifi, so I was able to bring either device.  The school I was at relied heavily on Google Drive, so I had access to all necessary documents from pretty much anywhere.  If I knew we would have the laptop cart, then I would only bring my iPad in. However, if we didn't have the laptop cart reserved then I would bring my laptop in. I found it easier to grade online assignments from my ipad, but it was easier to create assignments, lesson plans, etc. using my laptop. 

Notebook

This was something I used a lot.  My agenda had a few blank pages in it, but I ran out of those pretty quickly. This notebook came to meetings, lesson planning with my cooperating teacher, home on the weekends, etc. I used it to take notes during meetings, write out daily to do lists, write reminders to myself, inspirational quotes, things my students would say that stuck with me, etc.  This notebook was the perfect size. You can find something like it at Target, Amazon, Marshalls, or TJ Maxx. 

Agenda/Plan book

I highly recommend getting an agenda to use just for the semester of student teaching. You will want something with a lot of space and multiple calendars. I used the front calendar to keep track of my personal life and the calendar before each month as one to keep track of school life (meetings, letter days, assemblies, etc.). I purchased a jumbo Lilly agenda towards the end of last year.  It gave me plenty of space and provided me with colorful inspiration on challenging days.  

Pencil Case

I brought this back and forth with me, but I mainly used it when I was grading papers or writing lesson plans outside of school.  This creme de la creme (cream of the crop) pencil case is from Anthropologie.  They don't sell this exact one anymore, but you can still find similar ones here. I always kept a few black pens, a highlighter, a pencil, eraser, paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands, white out, stickers and a packet of post-it notes inside of it. 

Wallet

This one is pretty self explanatory since you shouldn't leave the house without it.  Plus you never know when you might need a few dollars to donate to whatever the cause of the month is. 

Emergency Kit

I call this pouch my emergency kit, but it's really just the random items I never know when I need.  I bring this in all of my bags.  I usually keep lotion, hair ties, a hair clip, bobby pins, lipstick, chapstick, feminine products, hand sanitizer, gum, cough drops, tissues, advil, and my inhaler in it. All of these items came in handy throughout the semester. 

Glasses

Some days I needed these and others I didn't, but I always liked to keep them with me.  I found that days when I did a lot on the computer or when I was grading essays I needed them. 

Water Bottle

Water is something that I hardly ever leave the house without.  During the school day water is a necessity.  As a teacher, you talk a lot. Your throat will get dry, so you always want to make sure you have water.  I used the 32 oz. Hydroflask. It kept my water colder throughout the entire school day. I would usually try to fill this up twice from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep. Drinking out of a water bottle consistently also helped me track how much water I was consuming. 

Travel Mug

This came to and from school with me just about everyday. Some mornings it was filled with ice/cranberry juice/orange juice, iced coffee, or hot tea. During school, my cooperating teacher would make tea so I would fill it up on chilly afternoons as a pick me up.

Lunchbox

In case nobody has told you yet, teachers don't have much time to eat. You will want to pack your lunch to save time and to make sure you're eating healthy.  I always made sure my lunchbox was filled with a mid morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack for the hour (plus some) long drive home. My Vera Bradley Lunch Bunch Bag fit perfectly in my tote. 

Other Items:

Some other items I kept in my bag were a hair brush, my keys, pepper spray, my school ID, my ID for the school district I was in, and a charger for my laptop/ipad. 

XOXO