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My Classroom Tour
Whew! Week 1 is under my belt! I’m not going to lie, the last couple weeks have been incredibly stressful. I couldn’t get into my room until what seemed like way too late. Then, maintenance tore down my bulletin boards. I worked in there for 3.5 days the week before. Then, I had to put my dog down 🙁 and come to school the next day, and I thought I was going to lose it! There were some concessions that I needed to make, but for my first year and not being able to pay for everything I would have wanted, I don’t think it’s too bad.
This is the view of most of the room from the door.
This is a view of our meeting area. I used a border I had bought for a parade float and didn’t need and loved the 3d effect it has. That is a paper lantern lamp. I only turn on one set of lights in the room to keep things subdued and so I like having this light on. The rug I shared previously- it was an awesome find from IKEA.
Yes, that is an old school overhead projector. That’s my technology.
If I’m standing in the meeting spot, this is the view from the other side of the room. You can see my crazy messy desk in the right. The poms I blogged about before hang over my reading area.
Just under the chalkboard are these two stacking laundry baskets. The top one is dry erase boards, markers, and washcloths for erasers. The bottom one will hold clipboards once they come in. I love using these because they’re sturdy enough for these heavy items, are easy to carry because of the handles, and stack nicely.
Most of the reading area. I bought these Expedit shelves from IKEA. The bins are dish pans. The black are fiction and the white are non-fiction. The side tables are Lack from IKEA. They are supposed to have lamps on them, but there was a bit of an issue with the lamps and some light bulbs, and I won’t get into it all.
My reading area has spilled over a bit. This is generally for coats/backpacks and such. My classroom is right next to the stairwell so ours isn’t in the hall like the others. Well, we are a section smaller this year so I get to use the hooks for the room next door. I’m using the bench to store my lap desks, more book bins and their book boxes that I got from IKEA.
I shared this on my Instagram a while back.I bought a $3 mirror, spray painted it with chalkboard paint, then hung it above my computers. It will be where I post information on how students can spend their computer time each day.
This is my catch-all of sorts right when we walk in. The numbers are our bathroom system. Because of some issues with the bathroom last year before I was here, we have to monitor and track students bathroom use. If students need to have a bathroom break outside of the class breaks, they move their clip down and use the timer to track two minutes. We have, but haven’t started, Ladybugs Teacher Files’s pencil challenge.
The binders hold their morning work and some other various items we’ll use throughout the day. The black drawers hold dice, cards, whisper phones, and other items that students will access throughout the day.
This slot system was given to me by a family member but I hated that it was brown. I bought some black contact paper and covered the entire thing. I then used washi tape on the strips.
I used other washi tape and binder clips to label the slots as we use them.
Last, on my board is my class compliment reward system. I explained it in this post.
Well, that’s it for my class as of now! I can’t wait till it looks lived in and loved as we add things to the walls throughout the year. I know I’ll keep sharing it as we go.
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Hi! I’m Tessa!
I’ve spent the last 15 years teaching in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and working beside elementary classrooms as an instructional coach and resource support. I’m passionate about math, literacy, and finding ways to make teachers’ days easier. I share from my experiences both in and out of the elementary classroom. Read more About Me.
13 Comments
I LOVE your bathroom management system! I think I am going to have to create something similar for my second graders. Do you have a copy of the numbers you could send me??
I am working on the finishing touches of my classroom… I covered my bulletin boards in black, too! I love the simplicity of black!
Elizabeth
Seconds at the Beach
Unfortunately, I deleted the numbers. I'm sorry!
I am so sorry about your stressful first week! Putting our dog down was one of the hardest things:(
Your room looks amazing! I love the black and white accents!
Tammy
The Resourceful Apple
I was definitely tearful and exhausted when school started.
Thanks for commenting!
Tessa,
I think your rooms looks wonderful. It is very calming and looks fabulous. I hope you're enjoying 3rd Grade. This year, I'm moving to GT and it's just like being a new teacher all over again;) I like your idea for computer time.
Deniece
This Little Piggy Reads
It's been great so far! We're only 4 days in but I'm excited for the year!
Your room looks so awesome, Tessa! I'm loving the black and white polka dots…all that spending was WORTH it! 😉 I hope you have a fantabulous school year, chicklet!
Holly
Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade
Aw, thanks Holly!
I'm so very sorry to hear that you had to put your dog down. I know how incredibly devastating that is. My heart goes out to you. How brave you are to go into your classroom after that and work.
I love your new blog design! The colors are so cute together! Super adorable! Your classroom is looking great!
Ali
Teaching Powered by Caffeine
Thanks so much for the kind words!
So sorry about your doggie, Tessa! I'm sure that was hard 🙁 But good for you for getting your classroom all ready! I really like how you arranged and organized it all! You make me want to cover my student mailboxes with contact paper, too! It looks great!
Nicole
Teaching With Style
Hi Tessa,
I'd like to start by saying that your Blog looks great!!! My name is Martin and I'm a teacher from Canada. I just started a new website called Resources4teaching where educators can buy and sell lessons and educational resources. We are new and are looking for people to join and put up their materials for sale on our website. We are having an iPad draw for the first 100 Vendors who join and upload at least 1 lesson /resource for sale on our website. There are absolutely no fees to join and you get to keep 70% of the profit. You can visit us at: http://www.resources4teaching.com
If you know any other teachers who might be interested in this Website, please forward this to them and if you have any questions, feel free to message me.
Have a great day