suggestions By Catherine

If you are on a long term job I imagine you have some contact with the teacher. I would encourage you to call him/her and ask if she minds if you carefully wrap and box the knick-knacks for her. Explain that the children are handling them and you would feel awful if they were broken or misplaced. Also ask if you could clear a specific area (a shelf on the bookcase, a drawer in the desk and the desk top) to store and organize your supplies and belongings while you are there. Let her know you will box and lable it so nothing is misplaced. She will probably appreciate that you asked and be pleased that you are commited enough to take the time to settle in with her students.

I know that all that "stuff" is annoying as can be (I am speaking as one of those collectors of "stuff") but try to look past it. Even the half eaten bag of cookies. Evaluate what your needs are in the area of physical space and organization and talk with her or her team about adjusting the environment. If you speak of your needs and not "her stuff" I think you will have a positive response.

I also want to thank you all for the hard work that you do. Our district is in a rural area and we have a shortage of substitute teachers. Many days we have to cancel specials, reading group or ESL classes and have those teachers cover a classroom. Some days we can't do that and we have to divide the class among other classes and disrupt the day of multiple classrooms. A good substitute is a treasure. Thank you for being there!