This School Year

     This has been an interesting year for me.  I made the decision to return to my home city in Portland, Oregon, but I didn't have a job to go to.  I began in July applying to substitute teach.  Things have changed so much over the years.  It is hard to get in as a substitute!  There are so many substitutes and the schools want to make sure their substitutes have plenty of work.  I applied in July and then the information was transferred to a new office that took over the substitute training and calling system.  The schools in the area wanted a different place to call the substitutes.  After months of trying to get accepted, I finally found out that the first office lost my papers and it was too late to get in as a substitute.  I was so frustrated!  At the end of January, I was informed that they would take applications.  I finished my application, did the online trainings, and went to the training at the ESD office.  I finally was able to begin as a substitute on February 19th.

     It was so good to be back into a classroom with kids for the past 3 months.  It was quite an adjustment from having my own classroom to being a substitute.  It's so hard having classrooms where students don't respect a teacher and I spend a good deal in managing behaviors.  I am so glad that I'm able to teach again.  I'm sorry that this school year is almost over, but I know everyone needs a break.  I also have enjoyed reconnecting with teachers that I taught with when I first began teaching.  A few of them are still teachers in the district that I began my teaching career.

     I'm looking for other ways to earn some money since substituting part-time isn't near what I was making as a teacher.  I recently signed up to be a Close to My Heart consultant.  If you don't know about this company, they make and sell products for scrapbooking and making cards and paper crafts.  I have been using their products at least 15 years.  I feel this would be a great extension of my love for crafting and teaching.  I will be teaching adults how to scrapbook and make cards.  I'm looking forward to starting this.  I'm also hoping that I will use my skills to create units or lessons that teachers will be interested in purchasing through Teachers Pay Teachers.  I have started some and need to get to finishing them.  I hope to have some things ready this summer.

     I know all of you teachers are looking forward to the summer break.  The schools here will be done around June 13th or earlier.  One district is done on June 3rd because they have 9 furlough days.  It's so sad to have to have so many furlough days.

     Enjoy your summer break!