95% Done

I never thought I'd get my room nearly ready before the first week of school for the teachers. I had set a goal, well actually my mother set the goal, of getting my room completely ready to go before the week back for teachers. That week is busy enough as is with meetings and planning, copying, etc. that I didn't want to really deal with preparing my room. Sure things will still need to be done as the year goes along, but for now it's quite presentable for 'meet the teacher night'. My room, in my most humble opinion, but in others' opinions as well, looks very bright, cheery and inviting! All that's left to do is the welcome board in the hallway. I'm waiting on black bulletin board paper and the names of my students to add to stars and of course die cutting letters. Fun (note sarcasm).

I like my room so much more than last year. The size alone is enough to like it. I have so much room it's almost insane! haha! But also the decor is really nice and bright. The pictures do not do it justice. I have a few more things to do but other than that my room is 95% completed and ready for the students to come busting in. 

"Compliment popcorn" - as students receive compliments outside the classroom (or even in the classroom) they will receive a piece of popcorn to build the word and after they get the whole word built they will receive a popcorn party.

Cafe and Daily 3 Reading Center Pocket Chart board

This will be their work display board - I will add more black construction paper to frame their work. Cut a slit in the construction paper and staple it to the board. Put a paperclip in the slit and then slide work up under the paperclip.

Read-to-Self and Read-to-Someone center. Students will take their own book box full of their own choices of books and read to someone or to their self, sitting around the room.

Word Work center table

Work on Writing center. Students will use clip boards and sit around the room to work on writing. After taking this picture I added another crate filled with dry erase boards and a caddy with dry erase markers. Students can use the dry erase boards as well to write.

Subject magnets. Scholastic is the best! I got these for free with the points I had earned. Going to laminate sentence strips, magnetize them and add them next to the subject magnets to write the EQs on them.

Target's $1 section is wonderful! This year I'm going to try being bucket fillers.

I haven't put up the phrase yet, but it will say "We are bucket fillers!" with the picture of the bucket in place of the word "bucket".

My desk area, with the mail box for students, wire baskets for them to turn in their work on the small table. The small table will also act as a 'think table' for when students need a 'time out'.

Computer station with storage area behind it.

The view from the front door of my classroom. I love the U shape because it leaves a big enough area for students to use as they work in their reading/math centers. I might leave my room like this all  year.

Now I gotta get started with the real part of being a teacher - the planning! Blah!

Getting Organized!

Tomorrow I start back to work in 4 weeks. *sigh* Where did my first summer as a teacher go? Shoot! Where did my first year as a teacher go? 

As I stated before I not only moved grade levels but I moved rooms too. I basically threw stuff in boxes and moved them to my new room, threw the boxes in the very tiny closet in my room and left it all there for the month of June.

Last week I started waking up thinking of all I have to do in just over a month until I start back to work. I couldn't just allow myself to sit around the house. I'm usually not that type of person anyway. I get "mad" at my father when he can't just sit and relax, but yet I take after him in so many ways - one of them being that I can't just sit for too long of a time. 

So this week I have spent some time in my room. Monday I spent only 2 hours. Today I spent double that time at least!

I unpacked box after box. My desk area is all organized as are my closets. If I never see a staple in a bulletin board again it will be too soon! I must have pulled out 1000 staples from the 3 large and 1 small bulletin boards in my room. OK, so maybe not that many but it sure did seem like it. 

In a few weeks when I can get my key to the school and room and I can work after hours (when I have more man power in the way of my parents) all I will have to do is put up my bulletin boards, move a few book cases (that I just didn't have the strength to move myself and to ask the custodians to do more work than they already are doing this summer is not my style as I hate bothering people with things I have want to do), and organize my library books. 

Hopefully my brain will relax these next 4 weeks. Although I have some books to read such as the Daily 5 and Cafe books and Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop books between now and then. *sigh*

Attached are pictures of my room thus far. 

Counter top and cabinets with one of the large bulletin boards

Counter top and cabinets continued from above picture

Closet in the classroom at the end of the counter space from above picture

Small bulletin board at the front of the room to the right of the closet from above

This is facing my desk area and the other 2 large bulletin boards

2 large bulletin boards continued from picture above

Facing my desk area - however my desk is facing differently than this and that short bookcase is not there

Entrance to room with kidney table for small group

Back Pack racks

Computer station for students

What my desk area looks like minus all my personal stuff in the area. On top of that short bookcase will be my students' mail box

The closet I share with my "partner in crime". I can barely fit through there width-wise!

The bathroom entrance, which also connects to my co-worker's room

The closet and bathroom side by side

 More pics to come, of course!