My Classroom

I'm linking up to Blog Hoppin' again this morning. I've really enjoyed seeing some new teacher blogs! I'm super excited because today is Where It Happens Wednesday... aka classroom tours! I can't wait to see a bunch of cutie-patootie classrooms :) Here's a glimpse at my first grade classroom...

I'll start with my door. I'm not a big theme person... so, the fish are kind of random. But, I love them. They're fun and colorful, which is what I am usually aiming for. And, I totally stole that quote off Pinterest. Shhhh.

Here's the view from the classroom door. After three years in a row of moving classrooms, I've been blessed the last two years with a brand new room. I LOVE the fun orange walls and counter tops.

These are our Literacy Centers. I am obsessed with organization so I like to have everything in a neat little bucket that can be quickly picked up and put away.

Here's our classroom from the doorway. That big ole' empty yellow blob is our Word Wall. It won't look that empty much longer:)

This is the back wall. Those white posters on the cabinet doors are our "Character Hall of Fame." Kids get their names on the wall when I catch them having good character. I need to fill those things up!

This is our carpet/calendar area.

Here's my desk and book shelf.

This is the command central part of the board. I normally put their spelling words in the blue pocket chart. I put our new core standards up on the objective board. And, my kids use those CUPS posters daily!

This is our cozy little reading corner. I especially like the lanterns hanging above... so fun! And, that's our center chart hanging above the shelf.

Here's some work hanging up on the wall between the windows. When you have Open House the 2nd day of school, you have to be a little creative with what you hang in the room. The fun scrapbook paper behind their work made it look a little more completed... since half of it wasn't finished, ha!

This is our new Reading Strategies Wall. I made those mini-posters about 4 years ago. I'm glad I've gotten a lot of use out of them!

Here's a shot from the back of the room.

Check out the chair pouchs my mom and aunt helped me make!

Well, I hope you enjoyed looking around my classroom!

Go check out some more at Blog Hoppin'!

Teacher Talk Tuesday

This week, I'm going to be linking up to this blog for Teacher Week. This is a new blog where teachers can get together and share ideas. You should totally go check it out if you're a teacher! The topic for today is Advice for New Teachers. So, here's what I would tell any new teacher...


source

1. Buy band-aids. I mean, it sounds so simple. But, I forget them every year. And, for kids, nothing makes them feel better when they get a boo-boo (and believe me, they get lots of boo-boos) than to get a Toy Story band-aid to make it all better.

2. Don't beat yourself up. My first year, I got frustrated alot with myself because I wasn't able to do alot of the things my co-workers did. I just felt so frazzled and frantic all the time and I couldn't find the right words to explain things to my kids effectively. But, all that stuff comes with experience. Every year, it gets easier and easier. I promise.

3. Move those clips! Those little kids are so cute and so sweet. They will steal your heart so fast! But, you aren't doing them any favors if you let them get away with behaviors that aren't acceptable. And, honestly, it's so much easier to be firm in the beginning and eventually ease up a little than to be the "cool teacher" whose kids are running down the hallway. And here's the thing: the kids will still love you and hug you if you move their clips. They thrive on consistent and clear expectations.

4. Find a buddy to plan with. Let's face it. Making lesson plans is a huge job. And my first year, I was completely overwhelmed with it. I had no idea what kinds of things my first graders could and should do. I had no idea what a typical day in first grade even looked like! It's such a huge help to find a more experienced teacher to buddy-up with.  After a few weeks of experience, you'll be able to offer a lot of input as well. Planning together makes a tough task a lot less daunting and a lot more fun!

5. Use the internet to help you. There are so many good ideas out there. And there's no reason to re-invent the wheel. Get online and use the valuable resources available. Blogs, Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers are FABULOUS! It's silly not to use them.

6. If they tell you they have to use the restroom, they do. Just sayin.

7. Be creative. I used to feel like it was a waste of time if I had my kids create things and cut out a lot of stuff with construction paper. But, I've come to realize that stuff is really important. Especially for little kids. They need oppurtunities to make things and be creative. They need to learn to follow verbal directions and use scissors and glue correctly. And, having them create something and then write about it, is totally ok! Just don't do it every day :)

8. Have fun! I will be the first to admit that after my third year of teaching, I was totally miserable. I just wasn't feeling it. I had burnt myself out in three years. So, last year, I made a concious effort to enjoy the kids and enjoy my job. I decided to let the little things that were making me crazy go. Instead of making kids pay me with tickets to sharpen their pencil and never letting them do it themselves, I just let them get up and sharpen their pencils when they needed to. (After asking, of course. I didn't relax THAT much!) Instead of doing the same old activities, I decided to search for new activities on blogs that were more fun. Instead of handing out worksheets all day, I decided it was more fun to keep those kiddos at the carpet and teach them myself. And, guess what? I had the BEST year last year! You just have to make sure you're having fun. And if you aren't, take a good look at what you're doing and make changes. If you are spending your days with six year olds and you aren't laughing and enjoying them, something is wrong. Make it right. You'll feel so much better.

Okay, that's all I've got. Good luck on your school year!

Trunk Re-Do

I spent the day with my mom yesterday. You know what that means: trouble. She just talks me into doing crazy things... but, in a good way! We started off at the Parent Teacher Store and we somehow ended up at the Harpeth Antique Mall in Franklin. We were just strolling along, slightly gasping at the honestly outrageous prices in the store, when we happened across this little trunk.

 

I know what you're thinking. It's country. There's floral fabric on top. And, the handles are the exact same ones my grandparents had in their kitchen in the 70's. BUT, it was only $45. And it had potential. So it came home with us...

After running to Home Depot and Hobby Lobby to pick up a few things, we got busy. The first thing we did was pull the padded top off the trunk and unscrew all the handles.

We decided not to paint it because I actually thought the color would work in my room. But, I prefer the "it fell off the back of a truck" look. Which basically means I like stuff to look old. So we used some furniture wax we already had and distressed it up nicely!

For new handles, I really was envisioning something like this... only a lot darker. Well, Home Depot only had these silver ones. And, since I'm lazy, I decided to just get them and spray paint them when I got home.

Much better!

Next, we pulled off the floral fabric and found this gross fabric underneath. Needless to say, it all went in the trash.

We used spray adhesive glue to attach some clean new foam to the board that lays on top of the trunk.

Then, we staple gunned (my new favorite thing!) a layer of quilt batting around the board and foam to give it smooth edges. I decided to put burlap on the top of the trunk because it's super cheap, super cute and super easy to match in multiple rooms. I didn't want to be tied down with this piece because of the fabric. I want to be able to move it from room to room if I feel like it.

This is what it looked like when I left my parents' house yesterday. We had some issues with the handles. The screws they sold with the handles didn't fit the wood properly and wouldn't hold them up. We even tried to hot glue the handles on since they are a facade (the trunk only opens from the top.) But, the slickness of the wax and the handles made it impossible to glue them. So, my mom told me she'd get some more screws and bring it to my house this afternoon.

Well, she just left... and here's what she brought me....

I LOVE IT!

And, it's such good storage in my room. I can't wait to fill it with blankets and stuff that I don't really have room to store in my closet.

Lastly, in honor of my mom, who has been my personal decorating guru the last few weeks, I have to show you her lastest project for her house.

Here's the before:

A $7 Goodwill mirror.

And, here's the after:

A beautiful, French-inspired mirror.

She's pretty amazing, huh?

Thanks for all your help, Mom!

 I had fun "getting in trouble" with you yesterday.

HOPE

School starts tomorrow.

 I can't believe it.

 I guess with all the moving and shopping and pool days, summer just slipped away from me. But, I'm ready. I'm so excited to get back on a schedule and get back to "real life." And, most especially, I'm excited to meet 20 sweet babies in the morning.

I hope they're as excited as I am.

I hope they're funny and like to laugh.

I hope I can be the teacher they absolutely deserve.

I hope I have enough lockers.

I hope I can find patience in times of stress.

I hope they like hugs.

I hope they are eager to learn.

I hope I can be enthusiastic and excited for them at all times.

I hope everybody makes it home on the correct school bus.

I hope I can be firm and tough when I need to be, even if I don't like it.

I hope I can be tender and loving when I need to be, even if I'm not feeling it. 

I hope their parents trust me to take care of their most prized possessions.

I hope I don't let my own personal inconvenience effect how I teach them.

I hope they support each other and become a community.

As you can see, the room is all ready for them.

I HOPE IT'S A GREAT YEAR!

 

I'm Not Getting Off the Couch Today...

I'm totally not getting off the couch today! I am so excited to have some den furniture that I'm just going to sit and enjoy it (and a few episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras and Teen Mom) all day. My roomie Claire moved in yesterday and brought with her a couch and some chairs and a table... all for the den. Woo Hoo! I love how all her stuff and my stuff blend together and I think it's off to a good start. Here are some pictures of the "new and improved" den...

Here's the couch side of the room.

The TV cabinet and a sofa table. Ignore the two random vases on top of the TV.

 I'm trying to start a little collection :)

And, here's the straight-ahead shot of the TV cabinet with the two brown chairs and my new ETSY pillows.

I'm really excited with how it has turned out so far.

Now, I'm off to enjoy it!!!

Pretty Pins

Ya'll, I can't stay off Pinterest.

 There are so many cute ideas out there and for some reason, I feel like I NEED to create every single last one of them. And as quickly as possible.

Here are some things I'm loving right now.

How adorable are these DIY ruffle pillows made from old sweaters? I might be making a trip to Goodwill soon...

I just can't get over these walls with old frames! They are so pretty to me. I might have to do something like this in my bedroom since there's a vaulted ceiling and I don't quite know what to do with all that space...

I really like the fun colors in this space. And, I totally didn't know you can use ikat, chevron and floral fabric all in the same room! But, it looks so fresh and fun to me. And orange, navy and yellow?

LOVE THEM.

Such a pretty space! I love the colors mixed in with a lot of white.

You can never have too much yellow.

I don't even really know what all that stuff is. But, I WANT this room. It's so pretty!

I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about this idea. This girl painted ceiling rosettes. I don't know if I would ever hang up a bunch of them (maybe?), but one hanging over a bed or something would be so cool! A great pop of color...

I am  loving the bright yellow chair and the gallery wall. How easy would it be to just frame fun scrapbook paper and hang it up like that? Hmmmm....

Okay, I think that's enough daydreaming for one night ;)

(All sources can be found on my Pinterest homepage, which you can find over there on the right -------->)