My Classroom

In June 2015, I moved out of a room I had been in for 5 years. I am lucky that I have not had to move rooms very often in my 18 years of teaching. I know some people have had to move many times. I am so sorry if you have had to move many times, especially if it was not your choice. I asked to change grade levels so I knew I would have to move to the 2nd grade hallway. I am going from the newest building in our school, complete with an office, to the oldest building in the school which doesn't even have a closet.

I'm still so excited! I have taken it as a challenge to make this small, old room inviting, and most of all, efficiently functional. I have always had lots of Center areas in my class, and it took me a while to figure out where the Centers were going to be in this room so that everyone won't be squished together. I have been up to school several times this Summer. Due to physical issues (mostly the fibromyalgia) I can only work on my room for about 2 hours at a time or I won't be able to move for the next couple of days. So, it takes me a while to get things done. But, I enjoy the planning of the space and decorating. This part is so fun and I get to use my crafting skills.

For my "theme" this year, I found a set on Schoolgirlstyle.com that I love. It is the Paisley, Turquoise, Blue and Green set. You can see it here. Last year, I had redone my classroom (from a jungle theme I had for 4 years) in the colors turquoise and lime green. When I saw the Schoolgirl Style collection, it was perfect since it would allow me to use the turquoise and lime baskets and other items I already bought. Using this set, I have been printing out about a thousand labels, pennant bunting for the bulletin boards and using the papers and designs for accessories around the room and on the wreath for my door.

While my room is not yet finished, here are some current pictures.

This is my hallway door on the far left. As you walk in, you see this long bookshelf on the left. My husband made this shelf for me 5 years ago and it holds all of my Math manipulatives. I need to finish labeling and put the rest of the items in bins on the shelves.I made the "bulletin board" on the wall. It is from a black twin sheet I bough for $4 at Walmart. I like to use cloth since it doesn't fade and I can use it for many years.

On the left, I will hang student work. I am still deciding on a name for this section.On the right is a small Math area. I will put our Focus Wall information here such as the Essential Question and Standards we are working on. The Vocabulary words will go on the Word Wall.

This is a huge set of dark brown cabinets along the wall next to the hallway door. It has a lot of storage. I made the "DREAM" word from cardboard letters I got from JoAnn Fabrics. I painted them to match. On the "D" and the "M", I printed out paisley designs from the Schoolgirl Style set I bought and added them to the corners in a flower shape. I used a large blue button for the center of the flower.

The striped fabric is from my previous room. I used it here to cover up all of my Teacher Notebooks and Guides. On the bottom open shelf, I have a picture of my last class and pictures of my children's weddings. On the counter in front of the pictures is the pencil sharpener.

Here is a close-up picture of the cabinet area. I mod podged 4 quotes on 8 x 10 inch canvas and attached them to the cabinets with Command picture hanging strips. I found the thick cardboard arrow at Hobby Lobby. I hung it so it would point to the basket where I want the children to turn in there classwork.

This area has the things I will use regularly. The file crate on the left will keep my teaching things organized by day (copies, books to read, etc). The file crate on the right will have a folder for each child with their papers to go home (our Mail Crate). I use a lot of glue sticks and dry erase markers in my class, so the 2 cans (covered in papers from the set I bought) will hold these items so they are easily accessible to me.

These pocket charts will list which Math Centers the children will go to each week. I will only teach Math, Science and Social Studies, so I will have 2 different Math groups each day. I will use one pocket chart for each group. I got the pocket charts at Target for $1. I love the size and they perfectly match my room.

The bulletin board on the left is the Word Wall. The board on the right will be for Science. Behind that board is another set of shelves. There is actually a lot of storage in this room. The teacher before me had her husband make the board to cover up the shelves. It swings open in the center and hides a bunch of my Science and Art supplies.

 This is the front of my room. I painted the small bookshelf. It was dark brown and really stuck out. These are the same Book Bins I used last year. Even though I am not specifically teaching Reading, my class will still have a Book Area and Book Bin. Reading is so important. I have white Book Bins for my 2nd Math group. I am excited about having one of our new Smart Boards! In my old room, I had a different brand and it was hard to use.

I will post more pictures later as I finish up the areas. My Book Area still needs to be organized. I am in the process of labeling the bins for each group of tables. I still need to decide where the Social Studies info will be and finish hanging up all the elements of my Calendar area. I have the big things done, but I feel like there is still a lot to do. Luckily, I have time.