Prayer to Blessed Virgin Mary

Composed by Aaron S. Robertson

In the morning:

Begin with Hail Mary prayer three times -

Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

My sweet, kind, gentle, beautiful, caring, understanding, merciful, nurturing, and compassionate spiritual mother and holy queen, Blessed Mary, ever virgin. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner in need of your love, your guidance, your support, and your prayers. Help bring me closer to yourself; to your beautiful son, our lord and savior Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the one true living God, who truly did die for me and for all, so that we may be freed from the bondage of sin and know Almighty God. Help bring me closer to your husband, your most chaste spouse, good St. Joseph, the ultimate male role model who answered God's call. Help bring me closer to Almighty God's army of angels, including my own guardian angel and good St. Michael. Help bring me closer to our communion of saints. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner, and help preserve me from mortal sin during this day. Amen.

In the evening, the same:

Begin with Hail Mary prayer three times -

Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

My sweet, kind, gentle, beautiful, caring, understanding, merciful, nurturing, and compassionate spiritual mother and holy queen, Blessed Mary, ever virgin. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner in need of your love, your guidance, your support, and your prayers. Help bring me closer to yourself; to your beautiful son, our lord and savior Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the one true living God, who truly did die for me and for all, so that we may be freed from the bondage of sin and know Almighty God. Help bring me closer to your husband, your most chaste spouse, good St. Joseph, the ultimate male role model who answered God's call. Help bring me closer to Almighty God's army of angels, including my own guardian angel and good St. Michael. Help bring me closer to our communion of saints. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner, and help preserve me from mortal sin during this night. Amen.

Going Up the Country Canned Heat

I realize I haven't done an "Exploring the world of music" post in quite a while. Here is a fun song I'm excited to share with you. Being the classic rock and blues fan that I am, I've loved this song since I was a kid. It's called "Going Up the Country". Now, we're going to hear three versions of the song in this post.

The first video here is what appears to be the original version. It was recorded in 1928 in Chicago by a bluesman and songster named Henry Thomas. Born in 1874 in Big Sandy, Texas, Henry Thomas was known by the nickname "Ragtime Texas". It's thought that he died around 1930. His version is known by the title, "Bull Doze Blues". The lyrics in this original version by Thomas are very different from what is perhaps the best-known and most popular version of the song recorded by the blues rock band Canned Heat some 40 years later in 1968. Canned Heat's version will be the second video here. Canned Heat's Alan Wilson, nicknamed "Blind Owl", rewrote the lyrics, but kept the same musical arrangement. Both versions are perhaps famously-loved for their pleasant, calming, cheerful, beautiful panpipe/flute arrangement.

The third video is a live version, based on Canned Heat's lyrics, performed by the Bud Spencer Band, a group I recently discovered for the first time. Instead of a panpipe or flute in this live version, a harmonica is used. I love how much fun they're having with this song on the stage!

Before we get to the first video featuring the original version of the song by Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas, here is a story shared in the comments section on the YouTube page for this video by a user named Gareth. As I write this, he shared this story about two years ago, and it has 6.4K thumbs-up likes. Thank you so much for sharing this story with the world, Gareth. I was truly touched by it. That's the power of music. Here's that story:

My great-grandfather fought in WW1 for Great Britain (he was Scottish), in 1918 he befriended an American soldier who offered him work on his family's cattle farm in Huntsville after the war. Great grandad was lost mentally and craved a sea change, so he accepted the offer. In the mid 1920s he wrote in his diary about seeing an amazing black musician called 'Rag Rhyme Texas'. His music reached him in ways no other white music had before, and it transformed his outlook forever.

He returned to Scotland in the Great Depression, and in 1968 his nephew played the Canned Heat version on his record player. Great grandad nearly had a heart attack and broke down in tears, that panpipe chorus was unforgettable he said. After much research my uncle found the record of Henry Thomas in the 70s, and we learned that his nickname was actually 'Ragtime Texas'.

This is a story our family passes down from generation to generation, and we owe Henry Thomas so much in helping our family out of a very dark place.

Finally, here are the lyrics to both versions. First up is the version by Henry Thomas, followed by Canned Heat.

Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas - "Bull Doze Blues", 1928

I'm going away, babe, and it won't be long.
I'm going away and it won't be long.
I'm going away and it won't be long.

Just as sure as that train leaves out of that Mobile yard.
Just as sure as that train leaves out of that Mobile yard.
Just as sure as that train leaves out of that Mobile yard.

Come shake your hand, tell your papa goodbye.
Come shake your hand, tell your papa goodbye.
Come shake your hand, tell your papa goodbye.

I'm going back to Tennessee. I'm going back to Memphis, Tennessee.
I'm going back to Memphis, Tennessee.

I'm going where I never get bull-dozed.
I'm going where I never get the bull-doze.
I'm going where I never get bull-dozed.

If you don't believe I'm sinking.
Look what a hole I'm in.
If you don't believe I'm sinking.
Look what a hole I'm in.
If you don't believe I'm sinking.
Look what a fool I've been.

Oh, my babe, take me back.
How in the world...
Lord, take me back.

Canned Heat - "Going Up the Country", 1968

I'm going up the country, babe, don't you wanna go?
I'm going up the country, babe, don't you wanna go?
I'm going to some place where I've never been before.

I'm going, I'm going where the water tastes like wine.
I'm going where the water tastes like wine.
We can jump in the water, stay drunk all the time.

I'm gonna leave this city, got to get away. I'm gonna leave this city, got to get away. All this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure can't stay.

Now baby, pack your leaving trunk,
you know we've got to leave today.
Just exactly where we're going I cannot say, but we might even leave the USA.
'Cause there's a brand new game that I don't want to play.

No use of you running, or screaming and crying.
'Cause you've got a home as long as I've got mine.

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! I can't believe, and I'm sure you're with me on this one, how quickly summer went! I'm scratching my head here, still trying to figure it out. Perhaps even more perplexing for me is that we're in the year 2022, quickly headed into 2023. I'll be turning the big 4-0 later on this year. Time sure does fly. I remember the 1999-2000 school year like it was yesterday. I was a junior in high school, and I remember all the fear and anxiety across the globe about machines, ATMs, clocks, calendars, etc. possibly not working when we reached the year 2000. Now here we are, nearly 23 years later. Wow.

Oh, well. In any case, here we are. A new school year. A new start of sorts.

First day of school of 2022-2023 for me, September 1. Celebrating with my very first Yeti for hot, industrial-strength coffee all day! Who’s ready to learn and grow?! Let’s do this! Cheers, all!

 

My summer went well. Back in late June, I took a stroll through my church's cemetery for the very first time, and I was genuinely amazed at the centuries-old history and the scenic beauty that is present there.

In early August, I went on a trip to Door County, Wisconsin with my parents for a few days. I can't even remember the last time I was up there, it had been so long. We stayed at the Open Hearth Lodge in Sister Bay. A very nice place. We really enjoyed our stay there. For those of you not very familiar with Door County, it's that "left thumb" of Wisconsin on the map. It runs along Lake Michigan. It's about 2.5 hours or so from the Milwaukee area. Door County's economy is heavily dependent on tourism and the manufacturing and marketing of specialty foods and beverages. Beautiful state parks, county parks, beaches, shops, restaurants, wineries, farms, and other tourist attractions dot the county. While Door County is home to a diverse variety of farming and agricultural goods, it is perhaps most famous for its cherries. Door County's famous cherries are put into anything and everything from pies and other baked goods, to jams, salsas, wines, even coffees and liquors. We came home with bags of gourmet munchies and coffees.

Here's a picture of an alpaca I took at the Wisconsin State Fair, which takes place each year in early August. I love both alpacas and the Wisconsin State Fair. Usually, I'll go to the Fair multiple times per year. I'll usually buy advanced tickets at a discount, and I love to just walk the grounds, people watch, and check out some of the bands and vendor booths without any particular agenda. This year, however, I only made it to the Fair twice. You can check out more alpaca pictures at my Instagram page.

Also in August, I spent a good amount of time building out some new pages on this blog to offer even more personal finance resources for students and teachers. It was a fun project to work on, and it's a subject I'm particularly passionate about.

Near the end of August, I went up to Appleton with my mom for a cousin's wedding. We stayed at the Hilton Appleton Paper Valley hotel, located in the heart of downtown, for two nights. I can't remember the last time I was up to Appleton, either. What a happening college town. A lot to see and do at any given time. On Friday night, local car enthusiasts and car clubs cruised downtown in front of our hotel in their classic, muscle, hot rod, and modified cars. That was fun to see. On Saturday morning, we checked out a large farmers market taking place downtown in front of our hotel. It stretched for blocks, and they closed the streets for it. A lot of variety, anything from produce and baked goods to coffee and specialty foods. And then of course, there was the wedding, the very reason why we were up there! That was a lot of fun. I hadn't seen my cousins and other family in a number of years. It was a good time to reconnect and recommit, and we all vowed to keep in touch and see each other more often. On Sunday morning, I went to Mass at St. Joseph Parish, right next door to our hotel. A beautiful church, it was built in 1867. The church also has a prayer garden with a statue of Blessed Solanus Casey, and I appreciated the opportunity to pray there for a while, as well.

Throughout the summer, I spent a little time here and there building my baseball card collection. The sports card market is back on fire, and I'm feeling like a kid in a candy store after having visited some card shows and shops this summer. I'm having a blast reliving my days collecting as a kid!

Finally, I continued throughout the summer working on both my Ph.D. dissertation studies and my spiritual life since rediscovering my Roman Catholic faith back in December after nearly 20 years.

Before I forget, here are a couple silly breaking news headlines I created through a fun tool at ClassTools.net over the summer.

Well, here's to another successful school year! Wishing you all the very best! Don't squander this precious opportunity, this precious time you have right now to truly learn, grow, and develop. Here's to you. Happy 2022-2023!

How was your summer? Did you go on any fun trips? Did you learn anything new? How is the new school year treating you so far? I'd love to hear all about it, so feel free to share in the comments section below!

How to be a substitute teacher or paraprofessional

By Aaron S. Robertson

Introduction

In this post, I offer advice, insights, general strategies, resources, and draw from my own experiences for those interested in serving as substitute teachers and/or substitute paraprofessionals. Back in mid-February (2022), I left my full-time, direct-hire position of 2.5 years as a special education paraprofessional at a middle/high school in a public school district to venture back into the world of subbing. I work as both a sub teacher and a sub paraprofessional covering the full gamut of K-12.

Throughout this post, for those of you who may not be familiar with all the vocabulary used in education, I have shortened the word paraprofessional to para, or aide. When I use the word permanent in an employment context, I am referring to full-time, direct-hire employees of a school or district.

My intended audience assumes that you, the reader, are interested in working as a substitute educator, but you have no prior experience working in education. For those of you who already have prior experience and full teaching licenses, some of the info presented here may not apply to you.

My credentials

The 2022-2023 school year will mark my fifth school year in K-12 education, after spending my working career in business and industry into 2018. In addition to working as a permanent special education paraprofessional and occasional substitute teacher during these past four years, my experience in K-12 education so far also includes proctoring one practice and one live ACT test; providing both general classroom support and 1:1 assistance during one summer school session and one summer STEM camp session; co-teaching a junior English class; tutoring middle and high school students in a variety of subjects, primarily in the social studies, ELA, and business realms; and chaperoning a prom and several other dances.

The competition for subs is really heating up

The 2021-2022 school year was a rough year across the board in K-12 education. I’ve been chatting with teachers, paras, and even administrators all over, and they’re saying the same thing about this past year.

It’s a strange climate in education right now, that’s for sure, and there are major staffing shortages on both fronts – permanent and substitutes. Many permanent staff are leaving their schools and even the profession altogether, and there simply aren’t enough subs and new grads to fill the voids out there. As a result, subs are treated like gold right now. It’s like we ride into town as heroes, treated like royalty. I kid you not. It’s a nice feeling, but it can be overwhelming at times, too. I’m simply trying to make a living like everyone else, and I genuinely want to be there for the kids. Many school districts are upping their daily pay rates for subs. Some are getting creative in other ways, like offering bonuses after so many shifts/days worked, or even free hot lunch.

After subbing for a while, I don’t know if I ever want to go back to working in a permanent capacity ever again

After spending the last four months or so of the 2021-2022 school year subbing, I really don’t know if I ever want to go back to working in a permanent status. I genuinely find myself on the fence regarding this question. I’ve already turned down a number of unsolicited job offers by school and district leaders. I’m loving the freedom and variety.

As I stated earlier, subs really are treated like gold right now in these strange times for K-12 education. Because of huge staffing shortages on both sides – substitutes and those directly hired by schools/districts – subs really do receive a hero’s welcome and have an upper hand in today’s climate. There’s no shortage of work, variety, and opportunity right now for those willing to serve multiple schools/districts and try out multiple roles. Pay, along with other perks, is really getting competitive between districts and schools. And subs generally don’t have to worry about taking any work – and other baggage – home with them.

Working as a permanent employee can expose the employee to the abuses of office and system politics and agendas. It’s my educated guess, based on what I’ve been hearing in the news, along with the personal conversations I’ve had with many in education, that this is the primary reason why so many are calling it quits. Subs are often shielded from a lot of this by the sheer nature of their employment status. For those who just want to be there for the kids, sharing their gifts and talents without the politics and agendas, subbing is an attractive, while increasingly lucrative, option.

Who is subbing for?

Subbing is ideal for a variety of people and for a variety of reasons, depending on factors like career goals, family and other commitments, your need for scheduling flexibility, and so on. For the most part, you can choose to work as often or as little as you’d like, depending on your needs and goals.

I know education majors (college students studying to become teachers) who work from time to time as sub paras around their class schedules. Because they don’t yet have their college degrees, they can’t serve as sub teachers, at least here in Wisconsin. But for them, it’s a wonderful opportunity to gain some initial exposure and practical experience working with students in a live school setting.

I know retired teachers that sub. I know education majors that recently graduated, but they haven’t landed a full-time teaching job yet. There are also plenty of folks that are transitioning into education as a second full-time career, and so subbing offers that initial exposure and practical experience that we just discussed. There are many working-age teachers that have left the full-time game for whatever reason, or they’re looking to land somewhere else eventually, so subbing helps them in this capacity.

Subbing is great for moms; for grandparents whose grandkids are in the schools they serve; for recent college grads of any major who haven’t landed anywhere else yet; and certainly, for anyone wanting to work with children and young adults as coaches, mentors, advisors, and so on.

Looking back on it, knowing what I know now, I wish I would have discovered my current path of subbing/working as a permanent special ed para right away after college. I graduated in 2007, right around the beginning of the housing market crash/recession. As a result, the job market wasn’t the best, either, and for a while there after graduating, I found myself stringing together some odd jobs to make ends meet. It would have also been nice to begin working in K-12 education that early to gain some solid resume experience for getting into college-level teaching later down the road, which I’ll get into in more detail shortly.

So you’re interested in working as a substitute teacher and/or paraprofessional. Where to start?

I would recommend that you begin by calling the local schools in your area. Office staff should be able to provide you with some general information and get you headed in the right direction. You’ll need to secure licensing through your state’s department of education. Here in Wisconsin, our state department is called the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). While you’re on the phone with someone at your local school(s), find out if they hire their subs directly, or if they use a staffing service, like Teachers On Call (TOC) or Edustaff. This will be helpful to know for later down the road.

To work as a substitute teacher in Wisconsin, you’ll need at least an associate’s degree, along with a clean background check and the completion of a brief, state-approved substitute teacher training program to secure a three-year short-term substitute teaching license. This license allows you to serve in any K-12 sub teaching role through 45 consecutive days at a time. I recently learned that private schools can waive the 45-day consecutive day maximum. Additionally, this sub teaching license automatically allows you to work as a special education paraprofessional or other aide, with no limit on the number of consecutive days in the same role.

There is a standalone special education aide license issued by the Wisconsin DPI, as well. This license is good for five years and only allows you to work as a special ed para or other aide, so you can’t sub teach with this license. For this license, you’ll need a high school diploma, clean background check, and usually the endorsement of a hiring school district that is agreeing to sign off on the license application to the state certifying there is a need for you.

Looking for hidden gems

These days, substitute services like Teachers On Call (TOC) and Edustaff have made subbing simple and streamlined for both subs and districts/schools. Many districts and private/religious/charter schools contract with these services to ensure a stable, efficient pool of qualified, trained, and dependable substitute teachers, paras, and other aides. Yet, there are many schools and districts that aren’t currently filling their sub needs through one of these services, and that’s why I suggested earlier you may want to begin by reaching out to your area schools directly. Many Catholic, Lutheran, and other religious and private schools, as well as plenty of public school districts and charter schools still hire their subs directly, as opposed to contracting with a service like TOC and Edustaff. This makes these off-the-radar schools and districts hidden gems that you’ll have to seek out yourself.

Endless variety – finding your niche(s) as a substitute

Should I work with elementary students? Middle school? High school? Should I work in special ed or regular ed? If I’m qualified to work as either, should I just work as a sub teacher, or should I take work as a sub para/aide, as well? If I’m working with middle school and/or high school students, what subjects should I fill in for? Should I only work in public schools, the religious/private/charter realm, or both? These are all good, solid questions you may be asking yourself right now, and I’m willing to bet you have more. Let’s dive into a lot of these and hopefully ease your mind.

The short answer to all these questions is, “It’s really up to you.” Don’t be afraid to experiment here. Try working with different age groups and grade levels, subjects, special ed (we’ll discuss special ed more a little later), etc. for a while, and you’ll eventually begin to discover one or more niche areas that you’re passionate about and would like to specialize in.

I know this may sound somewhat vague and hence not very reassuring and comforting, so I’ll share with you my own background in more detail here, and how I came to find my niche areas that I’m very much passionate about. They’re quite diverse, and they all revolve around my unique interests, formal education, past work experiences, talents and skill sets, and even my faith.

To begin, when it comes to age groups/grade levels, I primarily work with middle and high school students. For me, I love the higher-level conversations I can have with these students because of their ages. With my business background, I really enjoy discussing, offering advice on, and researching with students, the college application process, college majors and career tracks, gaining practical and meaningful work experiences, networking opportunities, personal finance subjects, marketing and entrepreneurship, creating resumes and cover letters, and making real-world work and career connections to the subjects they are learning in school.

I also have a working background in journalism, local news reporting, and professional communications. Combined with my love for the social sciences (my bachelor’s degree is in political science with minors in sociology and philosophy, and my Ph.D. dissertation interests are in the political science and leadership realms with a focus on China), and I really enjoy, and feel knowledgeable and comfortable working in, both the ELA and social studies realms, as well. I love helping students craft essays and other writing assignments. I can discuss and help research history, political and economic theories, and so on. I can assist with reading and note-taking strategies.

Although I much prefer the middle and high school settings, lately, I’ve been taking more and more elementary school gigs to broaden my horizons and see what and how kids are learning at this level these days. I’m deeply concerned that elementary students are learning to read the wrong way these days, and this certainly affects them down the line as they grow older.

When it comes to subjects, I serve at all grade levels as both a special ed teacher and special ed para when I’m subbing. At the high school level, specifically, as I already alluded to, I like to fill in for business, English, and social studies teachers. In the elementary realm, I’ll occasionally fill in as a lead regular ed classroom teacher in addition to special ed roles. When it comes to the middle school setting, I’ve primarily stuck to special ed, but I’ll venture out into content-specific areas from time to time. I’ve done math, social studies, foreign languages, and physical education.

Finally, I love serving as a sub in Catholic schools, as well. I rediscovered my Roman Catholic faith back in December 2021 after nearly 20 years in the dark wilderness. That’s another, standalone, epic story/blog post for another time. But in short here, I love contributing to the faith life of Catholic youngsters whenever I can. This has also led me to inquire with my parish about teaching Sunday catechism, which I will soon be doing. As a sub teacher, I’ve taught K-8 faith formation lessons, and I’ve led elementary classrooms to Mass and even a Stations of the Cross prayer session during this past Lenten season.

The point I’m trying to make here with all this background info about myself is that it’s my background that has largely shaped and informed my interests and strengths when it comes to subbing. What is your background? What’s your story? What are your own unique experiences, talents and skillsets, etc. that you can bring to the table to benefit students in ways that are meaningful and impactful for both the students and you? Really reflect on these questions, because the answers to them will help you figure out what you’re truly called to teach.

The special education setting – Easing your fears; a world offering plenty of variety and opportunity for the substitute teacher and/or paraprofessional

How I got into special education is, admittedly, a boring and uninspiring story. Being quite honest here, I didn’t feel some sort of special calling. There was no person, situation, incident, etc. in my life that particularly compelled me to dive into this realm. I merely saw it as an inroad to break into the realm of education. Back in 2018, as I was working on my Ph.D. (I’m still working on that…), I was interested in the idea of teaching college students someday, or at least having that option available to me. I was finding it difficult at the time to get hired at the college level with my master’s degree (in management) but with no formal teaching experience, so I began exploring the K-12 realm to hopefully lay some groundwork and proven experience on my resume. That’s why I mentioned earlier that, looking back on it, knowing what I know now, I wish I would have gotten into K-12 education right away after earning my bachelor’s degree in 2007 to lay that foundation.

Long story short, I investigated several possible pathways beginning in 2018 to earning full teaching certification in subjects I enjoyed and had some sort of background in, but they all required me to either go back to school taking undergrad courses, participating in a night school -type program, and/or going through the traditional, unpaid, student teaching route for a semester. None of this was practical or appealing to me, so I decided to pursue work as a permanent special ed para and occasional sub teacher. I would need a high school diploma for the former (check), and at least an associate’s degree for the latter here in Wisconsin (check), along with passing a background check (check), so this became my path.

Even though I didn’t feel some sort of special calling; even though there was no person, situation, incident, etc. in my life that particularly compelled me to dive into this realm, I’m so very thankful that this did indeed become my path. It’s been truly rewarding on many levels, and I hope you’ll discover the same for you. Getting in the door as a permanent special ed para also led to opportunities for me that I actively sought out in the regular ed environment, as well, like administering tests, tutoring, chaperoning, leading small group discussions and lessons, co-teaching, and so on.

Here’s the general gist about working in special education, either as a sub teacher or sub para: If you have fears, like whether you’re qualified, ready to take on the challenges, afraid of possible physical and other behavioral outbursts, push them out of your mind.

I’ve found when filling in as a substitute para that the permanent staff will almost always change their own schedules for the day to prevent you from working with the most challenging cases. This includes behavioral outbursts, toileting, lifting, etc. Permanent staff usually doesn’t expect you to have to work with these types of cases. They’re grateful you’re there to help, and they want you to return! And often, it’s in the best interests of the students, as well. They may be more prone to acting out and taking advantage of you because they know you don’t usually work with them, and/or it may be aggravating to them that their usual routine has been interrupted.

Similarly, I’ve found when filling in as a sub teacher in special ed, the permanent paras and other staff will often take care of everything for you. Trust them. Let them lead. They know and understand each student inside and out because they work with them every day.

Now, as a former permanent special ed para myself, I come into each special ed substitute gig, whether teaching or working as a para, mentally prepared and open for anything. I’ve done plenty of toileting, lifting, feeding, and so on in my time. I’m well-versed in Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs). I’m familiar and comfortable working with most assistive technologies, etc. So, I tell the permanent staff right away at the beginning of the day, “I’m one of you. I’m here to help in whatever way I can. I’m here to work.” But that’s me. That’s my comfort level. That’s my experience. Even though I offer that invite at the beginning of the day, though, permanent staff will still often decline it for the reasons just mentioned – the most challenging students may simply try to take advantage of the fact that I’m new, and/or it could genuinely aggravate them that they’re working with an unfamiliar face who is interrupting their routine.

As both a sub teacher and sub para in special ed, I’ve enjoyed so much variety and so many meaningful and impactful moments, with both students and staff. On a longer-term assignment I was on, working as a sub para at a high school, I had the opportunity to help a student make a how-to video in his automotive repair class, in which he performed several basic maintenance checks on a vehicle. In this same longer-term role, I worked 1:1 supporting a student in a personal finance class, which was a lot of fun for me, given my business background. I’ve assisted students in math, English, social studies, gym, music, and science classes. I’ve led small group reading lesson sessions. I've done skills testing. I helped a high school student develop a marketing plan for a food truck business he created for his marketing class. Again, a lot of fun for me. Working in special ed offers a lot of variety and opportunity, along with being intrinsically rewarding by its very nature. I’m about to begin the 2022-2023 school year in a long-term sub teaching role in special ed at the elementary level, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Different strategies you can use for subbing

There are several strategies you can employ for managing your work and overall experience as a substitute.

To book gigs in advance, or take it day-by-day?

I struggle with this one, often going back and forth debating in my mind. There are benefits and drawbacks to both. However, I usually fall on the side of booking in advance. I work in multiple school districts, and I need to work consistently for financial reasons. It’s comforting to know, then, that my calendar is booked solid far in advance. The downside to this, though, is that, by having gigs booked in advance, the booking system will not allow me to see what other opportunities might be available on any given day. Perhaps a higher-paying gig, and/or one closer to home, and/or a school I already know and like is available, but I won’t know this if I’m already booked in advance. This is where taking the day-by-day approach has its perks. The downside to taking one day at a time, however, is that you may not have an available gig to go to on any given day. If you need to work for the income, this can deliver a blow to your finances. You’ll also need to be up by 5:30am-6am every day to start checking the system and your phone. Only you can decide on the strategy that makes the most sense to you.

Many districts, or narrow it down to one or two?

This is another decision that only you can make, based on what you feel is best for you. Casting a wider net ensures that there is virtually no shortage of available work opportunities. On the other hand, if you’ve discovered a couple schools/districts that you really enjoy, then you may miss out on seeing gigs at those schools/in those districts. Narrowing the scope (the number of districts you’re open to) can help with this, but on the other hand, the pickings may become slim and dry spells (streaks with no available work) may occur.

When I started subbing again back in mid-February, I began with a wide net approach. I was opened to working in five or six districts. I soon began to realize, however, that I had discovered my “favorites” when it came to schools and districts, so I decided to cut that number in half by the end of April. I realized that there were schools and districts I wasn’t visiting at all. No offense to them. I just found some favorites I really enjoy working at. We’re creatures of habit, and it’s easy to stick to something that you already know is working for you and that you enjoy. I’m sure you will discover your own, too.

Finding your favorites and narrowing your focus also helps with building rapport and establishing networking connections if your goal is to eventually get hired directly by a school/district you enjoy. If you want to remain a sub, rather than getting hired by a school/district directly, then this relationship-building and familiarity with the school/district in question can help you secure preferred sub status – this is where teachers, paraprofessionals, and the school office may reach out to you first because they’ve gotten to know and trust you! I’ve been very blessed to find this happening more and more for me. I receive a lot of inquiries about my availability directly from teachers, paras, and school offices now.

Conclusion and helpful resources

These are indeed unusual times for K-12 education across the country right now. It’s a strange climate. There are major staffing shortages in both schools and among the substitute ranks, and so working subs currently have quite an advantage. This is a high-in-demand field to be in right now, one in which pay and other incentives among districts and schools are really starting to get competitive.

If you’re interested in learning more about subbing, start by contacting schools in your area to see what their hiring process is and to get some general direction on next steps, like the state licensing process. Look into whatever substitute staffing services, if any, service the schools in your area, like TOC and Edustaff. They can help you begin looking into the state licensing process and give you general direction on where to go next, as well. While you’re beginning to investigate all of this, begin reflecting on these key questions in mind that we raised earlier:

What is your background? What’s your story? What are your own unique experiences, talents and skillsets, etc. that you can bring to the table to benefit students in ways that are meaningful and impactful for both the students and you?

As for training and other learning opportunities, there are plenty of wonderful resources out there that can help you build new or strengthen existing skills. You can buy affordable courses on a variety of K-12 education subjects, including special education topics, on Udemy.com. I love Udemy, and you can read my review of this awesome learning platform here. I fulfilled my substitute teacher training course requirement as part of my state license application through STEDI.org. You can come across many different resources with a few simple YouTube and/or Google searches, like this article on ThoughtCo.com, “Ideas for Substitute Teachers With No Lesson Plans,” or this piece on WeAreTeachers.com, “50 Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for Substitute Teachers.” The substitute staffing agencies, if you end up working for them, offer a rich variety of both required and voluntary training videos, webinars, in-person workshops, and so on. But perhaps the best advice I can leave you with here when it comes to training, is that you simply need to dive in. Learn by doing. Ask questions, try out different grade levels, try out both reg ed and special ed, etc. Best of luck to you and thank you for wanting to serve our children, families, communities, and country in this very special way!

Personal finance resources for students and teachers

Personal finance simulation games

The following links provide detailed descriptions and reviews of, along with discussion questions for, personal finance simulation games.

"Build Your Stax" personal finance game - You have 20 years to make as much money as you can through seven different types of investments. As the game goes on, you'll be confronted with unexpected expenses that pop up in real, everyday life, costs like home repairs, family emergencies, and speeding tickets. Sometimes, you might gain money unexpectedly, too, like winning a prize or contest, or finding money on the ground.

"Time for Payback" personal finance game - Your ultimate goal is to survive to the end of the game, meaning you graduated college, managed to juggle all your priorities, and found employment with a starting salary that adequately covers all the debt you accumulated during your college years through your various choices and decisions. Will you make it?

"PlaySpent.org" personal finance game - Can you survive financially for one month? This is a very eye-opening, thought-provoking simulation. The decisions you'll have to make, and the situations you'll encounter, mirror everyday real life for a lot of people. You'll learn a lot about yourself, including your spending habits, your goals and ambitions, how you reason through decisions, and what you're willing, or not willing, to sacrifice.

"Monopoly" as a personal finance game - On the surface, it may appear that Monopoly is an awesome game when it comes to teaching entrepreneurship, and it is, right? But Monopoly is also wonderful at teaching us some things about personal finance, if we dig a little deeper.

Essays and reflections on the benefits of living simply, saving, and strategizing

The Minimalists - Meet The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who present a compelling case that getting rid of all the clutter in your life - the clothes you never wear; all the stuff in your basement, closets, and/or storage unit you're not using; the long hours you're working and mounds of debt you're taking on in order to keep up appearances and look "successful" to all your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and perhaps even family members ("Keeping up with the Joneses"), etc., etc. - can help you live a more meaningful, purposeful life. Learn a little bit about their personal journeys and how they, in turn, learned these valuable lessons in some pretty hard ways.

Dave Ramsey and The Minimalists - Learn how personal finance guru the legendary Dave Ramsey approaches the subject of money in comparison to The Minimalists. We'll discover that they arrive at the same conclusions, but perhaps just take slightly different perspectives to get there.

Building your own personal economy - Written in May 2020. If the coronavirus pandemic can teach us anything from a financial standpoint, it's that we each need to focus on building our own personal economies. We can't trust, or rely on, other people, politicians, or broken-down systems to do that for us.

Strategies for saving money

The envelope budgeting system - a timeless, classic strategy for easily paying the bills while paying yourself - if you're willing to cultivate and maintain a little discipline.

Browse our "Shopping" category - a collection of previous blog posts offering all sorts of tips and strategies on how to save money on groceries, dining out, car insurance, cell phone expenses, Christmas gifts, and a lot more!

30 Easy Ways to Save Up to $1,000 - presented by Dave Ramsey and his team

How to Save Money: 22 Simple Tips - presented by Dave Ramsey and his team

How to Save Money Fast - presented by Dave Ramsey and his team

Complete personal finance curriculum for your classroom

Next Gen Personal Finance

Practical Money Skills - sponsored by Visa

Practical Money Skills curriculum for students with special needs

Personal finance vocabulary

Personal finance vocabulary list - a good starter list for high school students of common vocabulary terms, along with brief definitions and practical examples for each word.

Difference between stocks and bonds - a great blog post with easy-to-understand explanations about these two different forms of investments.

Living on your own, paying taxes, credit cards, understanding your paycheck, more

Getting Started Teaching Personal Finance - an awesome article written for Edutopia by Kailen Stover, a family and consumer sciences teacher in Colorado. From the article: "Lessons on credit and credit cards, taxes, and how to find an apartment and make the rent are invaluable for high school students. Here is a beginner’s guide to building hands-on and real-world opportunities into personal finance education."

Anatomy of a paycheck - a great video lesson, only a little over five minutes long, given by Sal Khan over at Khan Academy. In this video, Sal breaks down all the expenses and deductions that come with your paycheck. You may have heard of, or have already used, Khan Academy before. Launched by Sal himself, a Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) –educated former hedge fund analyst, the Khan Academy is a free online education platform. The Web site features an extensive variety of courses and tutorials in areas like math, science and engineering, computer programming, arts and humanities, economics and finance, test prep, career exploration, the college admissions process, and a lot more. Within the economics and finance course offerings, Khan has a subcategory devoted to entrepreneurship, featuring exclusive interviews and conversations he conducts with top entrepreneurs and business leaders.

If your school/district or home/family has a BrainPOP subscription, look these subjects up on BrainPOP for great video lessons, quizzes, games, and other learning activities:

• Credit Cards
• Taxes
• Budgets
• Comparing Prices
• Mortgages
• Debt
• Banking
• Interest

Lyndhurst STEM Club for Girls

Back in July, I received this very thoughtful e-mail from a Ms. Stacey Martin over at the Lyndhurst STEM Club for Girls. I replied to her a couple days later. This note from Ms. Martin and her students is just one reason why I started, and continue to keep going, this blog. This project has truly become a labor of love for me. It really means a lot to me when I hear from others about how my writing and research has helped them in some way. Of course, I happily fulfilled the request of adding the link they sent me. Check out the Lyndhurst STEM Club for Girls website when you find a few moments. The site features a lot of great information, ideas, statistics, and STEM resources for students, families, and educators. It's very well-organized and easy to navigate.

All the Best,

Aaron


Good afternoon Mr. Robertson!

I have a quick thank-you for you, from the girls in my Summer STEM club! We got some awesome resources thanks to the 'Fun Links & Learning Resources' you have on your website MrRobertsonscorner.com. Everyone was having a lot of fun with the science activities we found and I think it's going to be an excellent tool... They thought you might appreciate hearing how helpful your page was for our group =) So thank you!

One of the girls in our club (her names Kristie!) found this really good resource for Educational Science Games she wanted to share with you -- www.uscareerinstitute.edu/library/educational-science-games .

Kristie suggested we could include this in our note as a way of saying "thank you!" She was thinking it could be a good addition to your Fun links and Learning Resources, so I was wondering if you'd be able to add it? She would be so proud to see that her suggestion was useful, and it could help other people out there using your site this summer, like us...

Thanks again for your help, Mr. Robertson even if you didn't know LOL.. If you're able to use Kristie's science game link I can have her check out your page next week ! She'd be so proud to see it... Have a good weekend and enjoy the rest of the summer!

Sincerely,
Miss Martin (and Kristie L.)

Fight to save gifted and talented programs in schools

Aaron S. Robertson

Recently, I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal, "The Unclear Future for Gifted-and-Talented Education."

From the article:

"Controversy has ramped up around the longtime practice of providing accelerated classes for selected students. Racial-justice movements highlighted inequalities, prompting changes in districts across the nation. Lawsuits related to these programs are pending in states including Virginia, Missouri and New York.

Critics say gifted-and-talented classes lead to racial segregation and take resources away from other students who need them. Even some proponents say changes may be needed in methods for selecting students and in the names of these programs, which many brand as elitist."

I don't often editorialize here at this blog, but I must say this article troubled me. It's my sincere hope that we as a nation and as individual communities and school districts will choose to fall on the side of finding meaningful ways to sustain and expand these programs to include more students, rather than simply choosing to eliminate them altogether in the name of racial and income equality. Because it unfairly punishes each and every individual student either already deemed gifted and talented, or possessing as-of-yet unrecognized potential, following the latter approach will only continue to weaken us as a country and society on the collective level. It is unjust, therefore - indeed, it is immoral - on multiple levels, to pursue the latter path and intentionally hold back the education and development of young minds with these levels of talent and potential.

Now, there's no doubt that the state of American education, as a whole, is in a state of serious turmoil, and these gifted and talented programs are just one slice of the big pie that makes up K-12 education. I understand that. I primarily work in special education, and I'm as equally passionate about ensuring students with IEPs and 504s are receiving all the services and resources they need for success, too. The same with all the kids in the "middle" that are right on grade level and moving through the regular education environment. It's a big pie, no doubt, and there are always internal and external fights and competitions for funding and other valuable resources taking place between each slice.

But I'm particularly concerned and bothered by the arguments made by some educators, administrators, and others quoted or cited in this article. There seems to be a prevailing sense among many that gifted and talented programs should be eliminated outright because, again, they contend, there currently are not enough minorities and poorer kids represented in them. I think it's a weak argument for elimination, one that punishes these students specifically, and broader society and our country generally, by seeking to hold back their proven gifts and potential.

I have an interest in international relations (IR), and I'm a China observer. When we combine the elimination of these programs with the broader problem of 300,000 teacher and support staff vacancies across the U.S. right now, China, along with other countries around the world, really has to be laughing at - and learning from - us. Global competition and threats are real.

Let's focus on finding more ways to bring more students into the fold, rather than lowering standards of excellence across the board over perceived privilege. It's a very poor, and even dangerous, solution to the problem. Again, I state with clear conviction, that it is immoral to intentionally hold back the education and development of young minds with these levels of talent and potential. We need to educate them, nurture their gifts, and simultaneously help them develop virtue and character so that they truly come to understand and appreciate their gifts - and the responsibilities to themselves and to others that come with them.

No matter who you are - whether you're a student, parent, fellow educator, or simply a concerned citizen reading this - I invite and encourage you to get more involved if you're worried about the future of these gifted and talented programs in our country. Do further research and write letters to the editor for your local and state newspapers. Talk with your elected state and federal representatives. Talk with your school board members. Talk with teachers and administrators. If you have your own blog or website, use it to make your voice heard and contribute to the debate. Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, research, and experiences right here at my blog, in the Comments section below.