Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

Substitute Teacher Supply List

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substitute teacher supply list folder

Since I couldn’t get a full-time teaching position in the fall, I signed up to substitute teach for the county I live in. I have been subbing pretty regularly since September now. Granted, there are some issues that occur because the students don’t know me and I’m there for only a day. However, I have found that being prepared with the right materials can definitely help. Plus, it also helps that I actually love my job. I thought I would share with you my substitute teacher supply list which is a list of stuff I keep ready to go.

* Tote Bag – I’m actually using the Vera Bradley Va Va Bloom Go Round Tote Bag that I reviewed last year. It’s pretty and it holds all of my stuff from this substitute teacher supply list nicely. A high school student even commented on it because she loves Vera Bradley.

* Notebook – I try to take copious notes throughout the day, just in case. At the high school, I write stuff down for each period (even if it’s just a simple “all present”) and for the elementary level, I try to write things as they happen. At end of the day/week, I combine my notes to write up a letter to the teacher I’m filling in for. I also keep a running list of the days I’ve worked (including place and teacher).

* Writing Utensils – I need pens/pencils to write my notes and letter. I’ve also found it useful to carry around some chalk and dry erase markers as I write down the assignments on the board (along with my name and the date) for the students. Occasionally, the teacher doesn’t have any out. So, I carry some, just in case. Also, some students may not come to class prepared with a pencil/eraser.

* Food – I always have a bottle of water in my bag along with a snack and some gum.

* Beauty supplies – This includes a pony tail holder, deodorant, lip balm, hand sanitizer/lotion, etc.

* Book – It can be boring to sit in a classroom without anything to do for 50 minutes (during planning period). So, I always carry around a book.

* Money – I always pack a lunch if I’m going to work all day. However, sometimes I’m scheduled to work the first half of day and get asked for the second. So, it’s nice to have some money for lunch.

Now you have my substitute teacher supply list. What do you think of it? Do you have any suggestions for me? What should I add to my substitute teacher supply list?

It Does Not Feel Like Christmas

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Merry Christmas! I sincerely hope you are spending time with family today (instead of reading my site). I hope all of my readers have a fabulous holiday season that is filled with love, laughter, good food, and perhaps a great gift or two. There won’t be any reviews or giveaways posted today as I’m taking today off. I hope you aren’t too disappointed. However, now that dad has passed away, I am all too aware of how important it is to spend time with family. You just never know when it will be the last time you see someone. So, be nice and joyful today.

It Does Not Feel Like Christmas

I am sure that today will be hard for me and my family. I am baking homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on Christmas Eve, because I used to bake peanut butter cookies with my mom back in the day. It’s been really hard these past few weeks. I miss dad. I think about him multiple times a day. I do better during the day because I can stay busy. However, it really hits me at night when the house is quiet and I feel like he should be walking down the hallway to go to the bathroom and check on me.

With dad (and my grandmother who passed away 9 years ago) being gone, it really doesn’t feel Christmas this year. It feels like something is missing to complete the Christmas festivities. I miss talking to dad. I am also sad because I went to visit dad in the hospital on Thanksgiving and I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. His response was “I want to come home for Christmas.” Obviously, that didn’t happen. So, it breaks my heart. I know he is better off now because he is no longer suffering. However, I want him here for selfish reasons.

Instead of snow, it’s raining here in Virginia for Christmas. That doesn’t help any with the spirit. Then, we put up our Christmas tree last week. It’s a pre-lit tree. As soon as mom plugged it in, a whole string of lights was out (right in the middle of the tree). Then, a couple of days later, another strand went out. Also, our tree topper that we’ve had for years wouldn’t work either.

Like I said, it doesn’t feel like Christmas this year… at all. I don’t know how hard today will be. Nonetheless, it is Christmas and I want to spend it with my family and loved ones. I haven’t been able to deal with being around many people lately. So, I’m hoping today goes well.

Merry Christmas!

My Dad Passed Away

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You may have noticed that I was Tweeting up a storm at Mixed Conference. However, before I even left the mountain, everything came to a screeching halt. That’s because my boyfriend came to pick me up from the conference and had to deliver the news that my dad passed away Sunday morning at around 2 am. I had sort of hinted at some issues at home in my posts recently and that was because dad was in the hospital. He never did like me to publicize his health. So, I never mentioned everything that was going on. I want to honor his requests by not going into detail about everything. I’ll just say that it was a very rough couple of weeks for me.

My Dad Passed Away

That being said, we thought he was going to come home in a few weeks. If I had known he was going die, I might not have attended the conference. Nonetheless, I went to it and virtually all of my family knew before me and then had to keep it a secret until I was notified. I logged on Monday night to put up a couple of quick posts but haven’t been online much at all since I found out. I also haven’t worked but 1 day so far this week. It’s been really hard.

In trying to honor my father’s requests, I am not going to post much more about his health or his last extremely difficult weeks of life. I simply wanted to let everyone know what is going on with me as I’ve been a bit out of touch recently. I promise I am trying to read the emails and will try to respond to them in due time. I’m also trying to keep up with my deadlines. Like I said though, it’s been hard. I still can’t believe he’s gone and I don’t know where to go from here in many aspects of my life. I’m just trying to maintain some sort of normalcy and continue on with life right now. So, if it takes me longer to respond to emails or something, please understand. I am trying and I am still here.

Green Giant Valley Update

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Green Giant Valley Visit

When I went on the Green Giant Valley Visit back in August, I learned about Green Giant and its growing process. It was so much fun and interesting. If you recall from my previous posts, they were harvesting corn when I visited the valley. However, it’s now December (OMG) and things look very different.

Green Giant Valley

Here is one of the pictures I took while there in August of all of the delicious corn.

Green Giant Corn Field

Well, now it looks very different. The corn fields in fall look less exciting and pretty. However, I definitely think it’s kind of neat to see pictures of it now and compare. You can view more photos of the Green Giant Fall Tillage on Flickr to compare the differences from August and now. In case you don’t know…

Fall marks the end of this growing season and the beginning of the next. Green Giant farmers are getting their fields ready to plant a new crop and tillage is one of the first steps to preparing for the next season. It breaks down the old vegetation and mixes it into the soil to become next year’s organic matter and nutrients, allowing for improved planting. In addition, this is the time of year that Green Giant evaluates their varieties, what was productive and what should be changed to improve the next growing season. Green Giant farmers are currently analyzing all of their research data, so they can make recommendations for the upcoming season. Although it is quiet outside, it is a busy time in the Green Giant offices, work areas, and seed vault.

I’d honestly never thought about what big vegetable companies did in between growing seasons. However, it’s really neat to know they are constantly evaluating things and looking for ways to improve their products for consumers.

Since I live at college, I don’t have a garden. However, do you have one? If so, what will you be growing in your gardens this year?

Disclosure: Green Giant paid for my trip to see the Valley. However, I was not required to post this. The opinions expressed are my own.

Starting

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Hello all! I’m starting this blog to write about everything and anything! I would eventually like to start writing reviews and hosting contests through this blog! I love baking, cosmetics, electronics, reading, fashion and listening to music. I’m a college student who loves to take surveys and enter contests!

If you would like to sponsor a contest you may comment on this post!