The Beginning of the Year

Hey there friends! I know it's been awhile, but I'm still here! I started back at school on Monday, August 20th, immediately following a four day trip to California for one of my dearest friends' bachelorette party. My flight leaving LA was delayed, and I nearly missed my connection to Austin in Phoenix - I was the second to last person on the plane! If I hadn't sprinted through the airport I would have probably been stuck there overnight, as there were no more flights to Austin that night. Thank goodness that didn't happen, and I made it back to school on time along with my teacher friends.

The first day of school for students was August 27th, but we had a Meet the Teacher night the Thursday before school started, so I got to meet all of my new kiddos before the first day. I had every intention of sharing my room pics, back to school info, and first week plans with y'all before school started, but it seems I always forget just how overwhelming the first days back at school can be! I'm finally feeling more settled and on top of things, so for today, I want to share pictures of my classroom:

This is the view when you walk in the room. Two of the best decisions I made this summer were to get rid of my teacher desk and to move my teacher computer next to the student computer. I haven't missed my desk at all (I don't have nearly as many piles of papers now!) and I've been much less inclined to check my email during the day now that my computer is incorporated into a student area.

This is what you see to the right of the door - I love my new giant dry erase calendar (it's from PB Teen, and it's on sale right now!). Below the calendar are my emergency plans and sub folder. Those files are resting on top of a small bookshelf that is used to hold student lunch boxes. To the left of the monthly calendar is our daily class schedule, and underneath that is a student desk that holds Friday Folders and filing basket that holds all the papers accumulated throughout the week (those papers are what go home in the Friday Folders - things like lunch menus, PTA announcements, graded papers, etc.).

My classroom library is to the left of the door. The brown shelf on the left is where my math station supplies will go (in the black baskets); the bottom shelf holds dry erase boards, lap boards, and clipboards. The tall brown shelf now has text books on it, and the colored file bins now house my students' writing folders and journals. The green file boxes on top of the shelves are my students' book boxes (or browsing boxes). These boxes hold the books the kids are currently reading and their morning work journal, desk folder, and reading workshop folder. The bookshelf on the right shares a wall with our classroom bathroom, and above the shelf is my 7 Habits tree.    

The door to the classroom bathroom is to the left of the homework holder hanging file. I was inspired by this pin to make a sign to hang underneath the mirror that says "I can see the leader in me!" (source). The counterspace to the right of the sink is where students put their take home folders and agendas and the space underneath has two huge bins that hold student backpacks (one for boys, one for girls!).

This is the back wall of my classroom. I spent a good chunk of my summer organizing my math and science supplies, which are housed in the tall gray cabinet.  Last year, I stored a bunch of lord knows what underneath the counterspace - I just hid it with a polka dotted curtain like the one that's underneath my sink. I love how much more open my room looks because I'm no longer using that space as storage, and it's been a wonderful spot for the kids to write. I cut up an old writing process poster I had to make it eye level for the kids so they can see it as they sit back there and write! This is also where my word work/work on writing supplies are stored for Daily 5 (more info on those supplies to come in a follow up post).






This is my favorite space in my room - my teacher "desk" area (which is really the guided reading table). I spent a lot of time organizing and purging my teacher resources this summer - I'd collected a lot of duplicates and junk in five years of teaching, and it feels great to have less stuff! I'm really OCD about things matching and being organized - need proof? If you remember, the red bulletin board above my sink is for reading. Guess what kinds of books are in the red plastic bins on my shelf? Yup, my reading resource books. I also made my students' reader's workshop folders red. I love me some color coordination! I also spent way too much time creating binder covers for my teacher, sub, and student data binders (you can see them on the second shelf with the chevron spines), but having them all match makes my OCD heart happy! Also, I'm super in love with this space because of my handy dandy rotating desk apprentice from Staples. I love how all of my supplies are right there at my elbow, and the center section holds hanging files. 

I love this wall - it's behind my guided reading table, and it's full of memories from former students and pictures of my family. I made a section of the dry erase board to note student objectives for each subject for each week.

This is the view from my teacher area. The carpet to the left is where we gather for read alouds and syergy meetings. This view better shows where the bathroom is, and you can see the black plastic letter trays on the sink counter where the kids store their folders and agendas (the backpack bins underneath the counter are kind of hard to see, though). The computer station is underneath the yellow bulletin board.

These were all taken before the first day of school, so a few things have changed since then - for example, I now have 5 round student tables instead of 6. I have 20 students, and each round table seats 4, so 5 tables is perfect. If I happen to get another student at some point this year, then I'll have to get that table back, so although I know I'm running the risk of having to rearrange, there is so much more space without that sixth table so I think it's worth it!

I am in love with my classroom this year - it's by far the best set up I've ever had. I love how coordinated everything is, even down to the black border I used for each bulletin board. I just cut up strips of black construction paper to make it, and even though it took me several tries and many hours to get everything hung just right (each board is 12 inches from the ceiling - I told you I was OCD), I love how streamlined it makes my room look, so it was totally worth the time and effort.

I have loads more to share about the beginning of our year, so check back soon for another post about first week activities and ideas on how to begin teaching the 7 Habits to your class! Have a wonderful week, friends!