NewOTNotes

Being an OT is a valuable step towards your career as a teacher. Be proud of how far you've come! #AppreciateTheJourney

Need some support as a new OT. Search on Facebook for some OT groups. There are a lot of people in your situation. Use your community to make your life easier. Teaching is a team effort, don't do things alone!

OT TIP: Prep your lunches the night before! Less stress in the morning sets the day up for success. Heres a link to some easy lunches for school -> peasinapodlessons.com/easy-yummy-hea…

Does your staff room have a "Wellness board" Take a peak. There is lots of information that may help clear your head. Boards support their teachers, and as an OT you are a vital part of their operation. They need you at your best!

I like to use my iPhone Reminders app to help me remember all the little things that need to get done!

Work life balance can be hard to maintain. What is the best way you find to stay sane in the work place?

Social Media can be fun and exciting, but keep your information private and professional. Anyone can find you online, and interpret your actions wrong. Take 3 minutes and Google yourself. Don't like what you see? Change your privacy settings and clean up your profiles!

Be informed. Here is the link to the Ontario College of Teachers Complaints and Discipline, and their commitment to improvement. -> oct.ca/members/compla…

Protect yourself as an OT, false accusations can happen to anyone. Never be alone with a child, and have documentation. It's better to be safe than sorry!

We don't just teach students, we teach PEOPLE. Education goes beyond the books. Let's create Kind people.

Primary respect FREE worksheets! teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charac…

September character trait is Respect! What respect activities do you use at the start of each year?

Hey WRDSB OT's. Do you know about Head Heart Hands? How do you work the guiding principals into your daily teaching?

As an OT you are protected under your boards Violence in the Workplace policy. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, you included.

Know your rights. Your collective agreement is always publicly available. View your collective agreement online today!

Need help understanding your collective agreement? That's what unions are for. There is always someone ready to help clear things up. Look at your boards website to find the contact information for your representative.

Mark your calendars, Administrative Assistants Appreciation day is April 24, 2019! These hard working employees help our days run smoothly as an OT. Show your appreciation.

Reflection at the end of the day is vital to growing as a teacher. A "bad day" has a silver lining; what can you learn from it? Reflect and move on, don't dwell. Tomorrow is another chance to push yourself.

Somedays as an OT I feel like Mary Poppins, always pulling things our my literal bag of tricks. I like to have a couple "bell work" assignments for each grade in my binder. What do you have in your supply teacher bag of tricks?

Classroom management is always important, but more so for OT's. I try to establish my presence in the classroom as soon as the first student walks in, to set up a successful day. You might not be their normal teacher, but today you ARE their teacher!