Month: August 2019

Starting back to school can be a time of joy or madness. No matter what age, grade, subject, specialty or location you teach in, there are going to be pluses and minuses….already thinking about data collection! I think some things are out of a teachers control and those are the hardest to mentally manage, but the things we can control are where a shift in focus should occur to turn sweaty, stressy September into sunny, satisfying September.

The Schedule

As an itinerant this is my madness. Getting multiple schedules and locations to all perfectly come together can be beyond overwhelming. This part of is often the hardest, non-teaching aspect of my job. Remembering to give myself grace and permission to voice my limits is difficult, but I am not robo-teacher and I need to build a schedule that is balanced. A hungry teacher is never a good thing.

I think if you are a classroom teacher and I once upon a time was, the schedule is still a challenge. Doing anything new is often difficult and filled with challenges. Add in the personalities, staff and children, of who we encounter for the day and it can be a very interesting situation. Remember you are not super human…everything will shake out and 10 months can fly by!

TIP: Print or create schedule(s) that are visually appealing. Use colors and images to enhance what you are looking at. Planbooks too! We look at these every day.

A pretty mess is better than a dull mess!

Work Space

Classroom teachers are very busy before the start of the year making their classrooms aka “second homes” a place to call home. Beautiful bulletin boards, reading corners, words of inspiration, labels, furniture arrangements and decorated doors….all hard work. As an itinerant I look forward to walking the halls and seeing all the themes and ideas-the scent of fresh lamination!

I miss these things sometimes.

As a seasoned itinerant I have found a few places I can put my decorating skills to work. Granted this is limited and not the norm, but I try. I try to also make my classroom on my back also pretty and engaging. If you only have your bag that’s ok you can still let your personality and taste shine.

TIP: Choose a theme or color you can infuse into your folders, notebooks, post it notes, tools (pencils, pens, scissors).

Materials and Resources

I am always looking for new ideas to make lessons and communication materials fresh. I am a huge fan of cute clip art and printing in color. My hope is the color and clipart will make my resources more attractive to my students. I am printing for one student at a time. I understand color copies are not always fiscally possible for a class of 20+ children, but this is where I say print on colored paper. I am doing this more and more. I especially use bright colored paper to send home information for families.

I want my information to pop out of a folder.

TIP: Choose a signature colored paper, colored ink or graphic to send home information, so families can quickly and easily identify your things.

Color Me Happy

I know I am going to enjoy looking at all my pastel pretty this year. Sometimes I go for the brights, but I am feeling the watercolor vibes. Maybe it is all the yoga and self reflection, but I need serenity as I am running from place to place. Hopefully looking at a serene color plate will trick my brain….and keep me zen….fingers crossed!

However you choose to color your world, add personality or spice things up I wish you a sassy September.

I have had many, many teaching bags over the years. With each purchase there is a hope and a dream that this will be “the one”. I get excited when I think I have found it…the bag that will end all bags, but sadly I keep searching….and spending.

Is it me? Is it the bag? Is it a bag addiction?

Messenger Bag

This was the first style of bag I started with. I loved it in college, so I bought a new one when I started my itinerant position. I wanted to look put together and not like a student. It was not a good choice. It could not hold enough. Depending on my caseload I might need bigger items and this was definitely the case years ago, so then I was carrying two bags! Who likes that?! I know some itinerants have to and I get the two bag need, but I needed to carry smarter. I had to kill this messenger!

Pros:

• Light weight
• Wipes clean
• I hoard and carry less
• Pockets for organization
• I look professional

Cons:

• Not enough room to do my job

Tote Bag

I probably have the most of this style. I was going to take a whole group photo, but I think that might be incredibly embarrassing and make me cry over the dollars spent in pursuit of happiness. I have some really cute ones and I will go back to them to spice up my day to day momsibilities or carry extra stuff when needed, but a couple of these haven’t seen my back seat or a school in years.

Pros:

• Depending on size- holds a lot
• I really like ones with outer pockets
• Some are machine washable
• Durable
• I look like a teacher…not a student

Cons:

• Some are and endless pit
• I load them to heavy
• Open tops- rain or snow
• Shoulder pain

Rolling Bag

I know this style of bag is used by so many itinerant teachers. We have a lot of stuff sometimes and carrying the world on your back hurts, so why not roll it behind you. I tried this bag. It has pros and cons for me. I have a nickname for the rollie-The Rolling Bag of Shame. I am very aware that this is not a cute one or high end version, but it has wheels and that was my experiment. After a good, solid try it rolled right down to the basement.

Pros:

• I am not carrying the world on my back
• I can fit a lot in it
• I can move about quickly

Cons:

• Loud-I am so noticeable
• Gross in the snow
• Stairs are difficult, so I have to carry
• Lifting it into the car
• Zero organization- it is like a pit

Backpack

This is my latest bag I am using, even though I told myself I would never get a backpack. I was totally against looking like my students.

As I have worked as itinerant for over a decade I have thankfully made friends. With these connections I have been able to leave things at my different schools. This has made life considerably easier, so my need for a huge bag has decreased.

This past school year I was using a large tote with zero issue until I was off balance on some ice this winter. I prefer to travel and work without crutches, so I decided to cave and get a backpack. I went to Vera Bradley and found a pattern that I thought would be cute all year and hide dirt-it goes on the floor beside me a lot.

So far so good.

Getting older sometimes means doing things for safety and health, so backpack it is!

Pros:

• It is a fun pattern
• Light weight when empty
• Easy to carry
• Pockets and organization are plentiful
• Washable
• I can maneuver quickly
• Adjustable over winter coats

Cons:

• I get mistaken for a student….from behind
• I load it heavy at times-ouch

So far this is the winner. Never say NEVER.

Also, I can purchase matching accessories for this particular backpack. I love that…of course!

The search is over….for now. If I end up finding “the one”, yet again, I will update this post or add it to my Buffet page.

If your a professional bag lady like me drop me a line. I would love to know what works for you!!!

Making my schedule might be the most stressful part of my school year. I get my caseload and immediately feel the pressure to get every student scheduled as fast as I can, mind you my students are in different buildings, grade levels and districts. So there lies the issue-how do I get it all to work?

I have started to look at my schedule as a quest, a game, a challenge-making magic happen on paper.

Once Upon a Time

I used to schedule my students in a very different way. I would run around and collect all the kids/teachers/bell schedules. Go home, lay them out on my dining room table and CRY. Depending on the year I would have at least half a dozen different schedules. I know all teachers have their struggles, but only an itinerant teacher will understand why this mess of schedules might cause tears.

Is it the schedules? The students? The teachers?

No it is the immense pressure I put on myself to make sure it is perfect, it is right for each student, it works for the classroom teachers & therapists and it all fits with safe travel time. So, with all of these factors swimming around in my head I would sit there and pencil my heart out. Multiple schedules were probably made because some email or factor to consider would pop up and I would adjust, readjust and adjust once more. This was very stressful and not the way I wanted to start my year, so this planning princess needed to change her September story. Battle Plan

Possibilities & Priorities

When I receive my caseload sheet I try to remind myself that all of these students will fit in my day and I will try my best to give them the best time possible for them-not me. I am the grown up and I can suck it up. It will all work out even if I can not see it from a list of names and locations…it will all fall into place.

• How many students do I have/session times/consults?
• How many buildings/locations- can I put students back to back in locations?
• Grade levels-I find high school and middle school are more difficult to schedule.
• Is this student new to me OR a former student?
• Do I know the building? Teachers? Guidance Counselors?

After I answer these questions I arm myself with tools to make this process quick, efficient, and as painless as possible.

Scheduling Toolbox

These are the things I bring to make this quest for paper perfection lighter and easier.

• Folder-to hold all of the information I get from teachers
• Pencil-nothing is permanent yet
• Eraser- this is self explanatory
• Highlighter- I highlight blocks that are more difficult to move or accommodate
• Legal Pad- I have found this is my favorite type of paper to create my initial schedule. Size matters here.
• Sticky notes-to write comments and leave information with teachers
• Schedules- Some years I reach out to guidance counselors and get older students schedules in advance. This way I can see or start to place them in the schedule first. I put my littles around these times.

With all of these things in my bag, I set forth with a smile and a positive attitude.

Setting the Stage for Success

If I have a sense of where I am going and who I am working with I can start to mentally lay out how to see my students. I try to think about personalities, ages, levels/abilities, frequency, and programming. If everything is new to me I feel as if I am going in blind, but I keep that smile and pep in my step. Everyone is stressed out in the first week of school. No one wants a negative, drama queen at their door demanding times.

• Never PROMISE a teacher a time -too soon
• Be as flexible as you can
• Remember they are possibly struggling too
• Ask about block schedules, specials, other therapies and just terrible times that won’t work for them.
• Consider travel

If I can I will pencil a student into a square (putting travel in above and below the student session time). I will tell the teacher that the time seems OK for now, but once I start scheduling other students I might need to adjust-so I always ask for a back up time that could work….maybe not be the first choice, but can happen.

After I am done in each building I go out to my car and look at what I just received or was told. I look at how this new information can fit into the legal size puzzle I am generating. I will write in times/students that seem to have tighter schedules, so when I travel to the next teacher I can present less times. I find most teachers look at my folder and legal pad with shock and horror. They often piety me running around like the gingerbread girl, trying to make magic happen, and they will work with me on fitting a kiddo in. I want to be clear about this…I allow a teacher to see the “schedule”, but I do not let them have power of the pencil and tell me where I am putting our student. One year it seemed as if all my elementary teachers wanted the same time. It’s just not possible. I have a whole day to fill, so this is where the highlighter comes in….I start to block out times. They pop off the page.

Making Magic Happen

After I have all the schedules, comments and information needed, I sit down in a comfortable place-typically the couch and with wand (pencil) in one hand and coffee in the other I start to make magic.

• Make sure you have all the students accounted for
• Travel Time
• Lunch
• Planning/prep
• Log Notes/Data Time
• Consults

I find that writing out my students in a list and noting their frequency is very helpful. I will tally up or count them in my rough schedule. Nothing worse than thinking Sally is seen 2 times a week and really she is 3 times a week….been there!

Make sure the travel time is safe and realistic. You need to pack up, put on a coat, talk to a teacher and maybe….just maybe use the bathroom. Don’t schedule the times so tight you can’t breathe. I have done this for various reasons over the years and it never is good. By June I am beat up and cursing myself.

Eat lunch. I say this because it is important. So many of us eat on the run and this is not healthy. I am not suggesting where you eat, but just eat. All of the classroom teachers get a lunch and they typically take it. I find that itinerants sacrifice this very basic need to make everyone else’s life better. Self care my friends….EAT! You deserve that 30 minutes.

Abracadabra

Once I have this draft schedule completed I typically feel good. I know that it could have changes. Sometimes a teacher forgets, has their schedule change or I made a mistake in my planning. I tell myself that this is still fluid and I will try my best to accommodate possible changes. I also tell myself I can tell a teacher no. As itinerants we are running all over and sometimes a change can not work. Other students and people are counting on us to stick to the plan. I am a people pleaser, so this is hard for me, but I can not change multiple schedules around to accommodate one, especially if it is due to a preference not a real scheduling issue.

After a week of running this rough schedule I will make adjustments if needed and then put PEN to paper….well really fingers to a key board. I type up my final schedule and send it to my supervisor. I love this moment. After 2 weeks of stressing and smiling I can take a breath. I realize that students can drop and add throughout the year and what looks magical in September may be different in June, but in that moment I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Being an itinerant teacher takes a special type of person. We some how make it work-year after year. I think if we remain flexible, positive, realistic and passionate magic can happen.

Leave a comment, share your scheduling ideas….I would love to hear from you.