Classroom 2015-2016

Just finished the first few days of the school year. Last year I started with 35 kiddos...this year it's a perfectly reasonable feeling 28. The school I teach at was built in 1950....and it has not gotten many updates since then.  We have internet access, we boast whiteboards (haha no kidding it hasn't been THAT long), and just last year I moved up from an overhead projector to an elmo/projector combination.  The building classrooms were updated with central heating some years ago, but only the portable classrooms can claim a/c.  I teach in a portable for the last three years, since moving to second grade. Other perks (besides the a/c which is not trivial) are that all the walls are potential bulletin boards and we have a great relationship with the local fauna that nests in, on, and under our sweet classroom. Hello mice, squirrels, and bunnies!

A way too long look at this year's attempt to stay organized, functional, and charming. I used black sheets with colorful accents. I don't put anything on the bulletin boards to start the year....we always build it together.

 From inside the front door. Two small windows do not make my list of "pros"...I love natural light.

 Just to the right of the door is a small writing table and what I'm thinking of as a "work on writing"/language area.  I have since managed to cozy it up with a little rug and I did work those wires back behind the shelf. But I can't do anything about the fire alarm or the fire extinguisher just out of sight to the right. So I decorated it and explained to my Littles that it is not a toy and they should not touch it. They nodded carefully and never gave it another thought. I swear, kids can adapt to anything.

 Just past my filing cabinet (which is solely used for housing my mentor texts, in alphabetical order....BOOM) is my class library. And window number two. These books, after much back and forth angst, are mostly leveled for Guided Reading. I've really struggled the last few years with how to handle the class library. Up until this year, I've always had a section of leveled books, and then a bigger section by narrative genre, and another section on informational by genre, and a set of chapter books. But, after much soul searching, I just made the leap and leveled the majority of what I have. A to L.  M/N/O/P books are in the lower right, labeled not by level but as "LB" for "look books". I just found too many of my struggling readers staring at inappropriate books and not making much movement in their independent reading.  I modeled, reminded, coached, cajoled, begged....but they just have the hardest time getting into those "just right" books.  It's still my goal, but I had to just level for now.  We'll see how it goes. (They are not marked correctly on the boxes, but the books are labeled with dots...I need to make labels for the boxes. Adding it to my to-do-list as we speak.)

 Swinging around is the word work station. That was my grandma's antique desk. I don't have a teacher's desk, though this little treasure used to collect junk by the door to my classroom. It's better suited here. On the left in the color drawers are activities for the word wall.  Generic games that can be used with any set of words from the wall. On the right are the activities for the spelling/sound pattern of the week. (My students LOVE some books to DEATH every year...and I have to replace them. The bunting is made of pictures of a Knuffle Bunny Too book that fell to pieces last year.)

 I can't believe how toned down this area is compared to previous years, but looking at this picture it still feels so hectic. This is the listen to reading area. I've never successfully done it, I've never had an actual listening center. Now I do, the headphones are in the box and YES that's a little "boom box". I die. haha The books below all have CDs with them. I would love to have iPads or something where they could listen online. I guess I officially have access to chrome books now, thanks to a Google Grant we won last year, but...is it wrong that all I hear is WORK and CHAOS when I think of training these little squirrels on how to use them? :-/  The green framed board will have reading artifacts.  You might be able to see the clothespins at the top there, and in the next picture, too. They are hot glued right to the fabric and are perfect for holding our anchor charts.  I also decorated them with little rhinestone daisies in different colors because....sparkles.

The rolling cart is for student portfolios on one side and my emergency sub plans (5 days worth) on the other side.

 This is behind my small group table. There is a shelf here full of binders and resources I can't quite wrap my tiny addled brain around. My teaching friend and neighbor found those sparkly coils at the re-use place and she gifted me a few for the Science bulletin board. I am in love.

 Just past my small group table is a larger rainbow drawer set with puzzles and art/craft activities for "Fun Friday" type time. I haven't worked all that out yet, aside from collecting various things all in one place. Then a basket full of hundreds flats (as you do) and some math manipulatives. My beloved math trays are stacked on top of the tiny shelves, which have rulers on the top shelf and a basket of calculators under that.

 This is a little something I like to call HELL YEAH. The number one hateful thing about being in these portables is the lack of storage. No really. Have you seen ANY yet? The open shelves with my class library....that's it, and here we are in the back corner of the room. I mean....really.  Behind those curtains are a host of professional books. I have culled out many, but these have made the cut, currently. I don't want to see them and now I don't have to. The black boxes have math games, word work, language work, etc. by topic. And those colorful boxes are....wait for it....empty. Yep. If you truly want to declutter and organize an entire classroom, I highly recommend this little thing called "margin". You simply MUST have spaces that are not accounted for. 30 people, all the work and thinking and excitement....it generates STUFF. Leave some empty spaces to absorb that STUFF.  You will be so happy you did.  The trays stacked on our spare chair are the Day Two "math tool" (unifix cubes) that we explored this week.

 Turning now, the wall opposite the front door. We are skipping the sink, nothing special there, especially if you enjoy sparkling HOT water that is undrinkable. It may not even be legal, but there it is. The clipboards and whiteboards are always there, the pompoms and colorful bunting are just because. A few years ago, my class made the art by melting crayons.  Learn. Create. Laugh. I stand by that.  The boxes and blue tub are the math games and centers. Under the counter storage, four file boxes behind each curtain, for (you guessed it) more math, some social studies, and science. There is a box of rocks in here, and that's all you really need to know about how odd it is to be a teacher.

 All the way to the end of the room with our TWO whole cupboards and one DOUBLE WIDE CLOSET. I'd show you inside them, but it's not safe to look directly at them. Glue sponges and scrap buckets, another hanging plant...and the ugliest wall ever. In addition to a random fire alarm smack in the middle of a wall, they take up most of this wall with a thermostat box and a vent. Like, what? Our two rules, committed in wooden letters:  Be kind, work hard. Easy-peasy.

 Most of my whole group lessons happen here on the carpet. Teaching students in desks makes me grumpy. There are just too many of them, spread too far apart, with too many distractions. Get into your casita (little house) we are going to do some learnin'.  The book boxes are on the shelf behind my grandma's rocking chair. The beautiful hand made quilt was gifted to me by a dear friend when my brother was ill. The bulletin board behind here is impossible for me to maintain, or at least unappealing to update, so I will eventually hang the Daily 5 anchor charts here and call it a day. The bunting is a combination of cute red polka dots and a Clifford book that also bit the dust.

 On top of the book boxes is a small shrine I keep for my brother. He passed away in April, 2014 and it was devastating. This brings me great peace, these little pieces of him.

From the back corner, facing the front door. The math bags are hung under the white board from cup hooks. These will be full of a variety of tools the kids use with the trays during problem solving workshop.  Our very low key calendar is the brown thing hanging on the far side of the whiteboard. Above the white board is a birthday board. Every month is there, and I will add a group picture of that month's birthdays. The cubbies are full of writer's workshop folders and notebooks and stationary and office supplies, the board above it (with more clothespins) is for the writing anchor charts. And that little beauty next to the door is where their published writings will go. Yummy!

These pictures were all taken before school started...three days in, and it already feels so different! It may look quite decorated, but truly, every class comes in and makes it their own, in ways both subtle and overt. Our school is almost 70 years old...it's not well maintained, honestly. For years they were going to close it....they don't talk about that anymore, but it really is not pretty to look at. Chipped and pealing paint, power washed walls to remove graffiti, old playground equipment, scorched earth where there should be grass, even the asphalt on the playground is coming up in chunks. No, really, it is not cute. It means a lot to me that my students come through the door and know that in this room, they are cared about. The environment is pleasing and respected and THEIRS. There are very few things in this room off limits to them, actually, and that feels right to me.

32 Love Stories, Waiting to be Written

I moved classrooms (from building, to an outside portable) and grade levels (from 3rd to 2nd grade). I love all ages of children...I also can't stand all ages of children haha! not even kidding. They drive me to distraction and wreck my heart all at the same time. So moving grade levels is a non-issue for me, and I do it often and willingly.

But.

Moving classrooms? Nothing charming about that. Nothing at all. I feel like I used to have lots of storage and I was moving into a portable with very limited storage. I had culled out a lot of belongings LAST summer, but did it again this summer. I try to keep my work stuff at work, so if I couldn't find room for it in the portable, it had to go. I have about ONE INCH of available space at the moment. I mean, if I want to bring in a paper clip, something has to go. But it's (fairly) organized and (almost) clean, so #winning and I'm moving on.

Here is what it looked like when I got it:

Here's how it looked when I left tonight, with 32 second graders showing up in the morning....

 I am standing in the doorway, taking this picture to the opposite corner. I have 16 double desks, in pods of 4 students, for a total of 32 desks. Right in front of us is the writing center table. It has buckets instead of chairs. The buckets are full of math pieces. The big blue bucket in the center under the table houses recess equipment.

Immediately to the right of the door is my desk. It's not much of a desk to speak of. There are two heinous file cabinets right next to the desk. One is full of my teaching picture books and mentor texts, the other is full of my professional books. Did I mention the lack of storage? Under the desk is a rolling file cart that has my emergency sub plans (one week's worth) and my regular sub folder.

Past the file cabinets are built in shelves and counter under one of two windows in the room. I am using the space for my class library. Straight ahead is where the listening center will be. The black shelves are reference and picture encyclopedias. The word wall has the first grade words already on. The second grade words will go up gradually in a lavendar color.

 The book boxes for Daily 5. I have no idea if I'm doing these right. But it said to have them ready for the first day of school, just with a variety of several books. Also included, a folder, a word work notebook, and a reading composition book. Whisper phones and pointers on top shelf.

Continuing along the back wall, the "CAFE" bulletin board. On the right side are 4 clips for holding reading anchor charts. PS I love my alphabet. I found them tucked away when I moved classrooms, and I think they are just about perfect.

 My happy place. The bulletin board above the math pieces has clips for anchor charts. Puffy rainbow pom poms? Swoon.

 Still to go...a small carpet area with pillows for reading and problem solving, and the green bulletin board is intended for samples of their math recordings.

Next to the reading area are two tall shelves that came with the room. They were added in by the teacher who was in this room. What we see here are a lot of manuals and teaching resources for the adopted materials of my district. Behind the shower curtain (you heard me) are binders and some extra folders/notebooks. If I ever get around to cleaning that shelf up, even as minimally as the one next to it, I will take down the curtain. I do not hold my breath. Nor should you.

 The other window in the room, directly across from the first window. Sink is in the corner, and it has hot water! I've never heard of anything so luxurious! I made the curtains (from sheets) and the kids made the melted crayon art last year. The three pieces say Learn, Create, Laugh.

Down the counter from the sink, these clear boxes will hold math and literacy activities for independent work, the black buckets will have word work activities for Daily 5, there's a pink basket for some independent science explorations, and way at the end there, right before the one and only closet, is a box for student files and the pencil sharpener. Under the counter are some open shelves (with file boxes of math (of course! haha! never enough!) and some science and social studies units) that I covered with curtains made from same sheets as the window curtains. I used small tension rods to keep them in place.

 The reading table. Instead of chairs, they will sit on these buckets. ($5 with lids at Big Box Home Improvement Store and full of....more math!) Behind the reading table is my Science bulletin board, a shelf that has my word work centers and activities, stored until it's time to put them into rotation in the black buckets. On top of the shelf are some jars of incentives. The wicker drawer set was a hand-me-down from Pottery Barn and has all my office/student supplies in it. On the left are the student cubbies and a portable cupboard I brought with me from my old room. It has a lot of paper products in it.

 Continuing back along the front of the classroom...my whole group carpet area. This room had no carpet, so my principal got me this brand new one. Thank you! <3

Almost back to the door around this side of the classroom (as seen by the blinding light) is my writing center (in the cubbies) with a space for anchor charts over the center and the very simple calendar space partially covering the whiteboard. Above the writing anchor charts is an "I Can Write..." display prepared to showcase all the ways kids can write. The first purple square is going to be "Lists", which we will introduce and begin writing on our first day of class.

To the left of the writing, and just before the door, is the homework station. Folders are in the wire basket, and on the under shelf are leveled books for practicing at home. Directly above this is a very big, very empty, Writer's Workshop bulletin board that will hold their published works.

And that's it! I don't hate the portable. I am not in love with the dearth of natural light (I think I turned my lights on in my old classroom twice in 3 years, what with the wall of windows and the transom windows at the top of the 20 foot ceilings on the other side). I am quite smitten, however, with the walls. I HATE putting up bulletin boards, and I really really REALLY hate putting them onto the odd shaped boards of my old class. In the portable, the walls are all bulletin board material, so I could just make them the shape of the paper.