9 to 5
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Starting to set up my classroom
I just went in to work tomorrow to start setting up my classroom (2nd grade). It's amazing how after a full days work you can feel like you got nothing done. Our contract days don't start till Aug. 29th but I was too excited to wait till then. Now I realize how much work I have to do in order to my classroom set up.
So far only bulletin boards an such finished. I am going to work on all of the paper work during in-service but I would like to get all of the physical and creative decorating out of the way before my contract days start.
Any seasoned teachers have creative ideas that they do for the beginning of the year to welcome their students?
Re: Starting to set up my classroom
2nd grade is the best! I'm going into my third year teaching it this fall. I would say don't waste too much time decorating.
Our school is really big on displaying student work. If the kids don't have a hand in what you're putting up, then it's really just wall paper.Things like word walls, math references, etc. can be put up as you study those things to make them meaningful.
I have a welcome sign on the door that I write all their names on. I think it's hard to know what set up work for you until you're actually teaching and see how things flow. Don't be afraid to move things after school starts.
Your warm welcoming attitude makes a huge difference and starting off with simple routines they are familiar with can help. Something like letting them do a coloring sheet as they first arrive. They know how to do that! Low risk games can be a good bonding activity as well.
Enjoy your first year. It's all about surviving.
I'm not even going to worry about making nametags. The children can do that as soon as they walk in on the first day of school. It will be their own work and they will take pride in it. From there we'll go directly to morning meeting to introduce everyone etc. Lots of practice doing routines and procedures the first weeks of school! Good luck!
Keep in mind, you can do what you can do! It might not all be perfect for that first day of school. You will probably continue to work on your room throughout the year, with the help of your students of course!
One other suggestion I'll throw out there is to see if your principal can give you a heads-up about any mandatory displays before the first day of inservices. I know we're required to have both word and data walls, and I always leave space for both from Day 1 since they're such a focus on my campus.
28/100
LittleL 8/10/07
Baby E 11/27/10
Check out my makeup and reading blog:
Books and Beauty
Thanks everyone for your helpful input. I know this first year will probably be the hardest. I did have the opportunity to do a long term sub at the school for three months last year, so at least I already know everyone pretty well and I can focus solely on my classroom for the first few weeks.
I have read "The First Day of School" by Harry Wong, its a little outdated but I also have a lot of other great teacher books that older teachers have handed down that I plan on reading.
As far as organizing my classroom, most of what I have has been handouts from other teachers so I have been putting things where I think they might go as they come. At least I know I can move things as the year progresses.
Thanks again for all your encouragement!
I don't do much to set up my room. My classroom is a computer lab, so no furniture moves. I hang up my posters and I'm good to go!
I used to go in an help my mother set up her room (she taught 1st grade for 30 years). I can remember being in there for days and feeling like we weren't accomplishing anything!
I never even take my posters off the cork board lol. I don't do much decorating, either. But, there isn't room in the band room for decoration, and the journalism/photo lab is more of a work space than a classroom. Eventually everything is taken over by article assignments, team schedules, and calendars so I don't do much.
I realize I am absolutely no help to the OP. I will say, though, that those who said to not go too crazy with it are right, because you will drive yourself nuts and be a frazzled mess at the beginning of the year. I know when I was a kid, I didn't pay much attention to the decorations in the room...
Dec '09 Laparotomy & laparoscopy for large cyst & HSG all clear
August '10-June '11 TTA for hip surgeries
Cycle #23...Dx: MFI, low p4
2 rounds of Clomid (50 mg) = BFNs...October SIS & 2nd HSG all clear
Plan after saving: repeat s/a + Clomid + Novarel + IUI
I have seven bulletin boards in my room. Three are huge and the other four are small. The four small ones display the following:
1. a birthday poster with the students' birthdays
2. a calendar with important dates on it
3. a riddle board (a riddle is posted every Mnday and whoever gets it right picks something from the treasure chest.
4. pictures that rotate every few weeks. I'll se a theme like a sacrament, a baby pic, a family pic, your hero, etc.
The three big ones are of student work. The walls in the hall are student work. The bullentin board in the hall is student work. My welcome bulletin board is going to be an ice cream theme.
Check out the blog in my siggy.
This is my 11th year teaching, and I learn more every year! Here are a few things I don't think I could live without.
This year, I wanted to switch my behavior system from an extrinsic motivation (tickets and prizes) to something more intrinsic. I use a clip chart like this:
http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/07/best-thing-ever.html
I swear, it's like magic. The kids LOVE it. I have a notoriously chatty group, and I can not believe how well this has worked. I use one bulletin board for the chart. I also have samples of all the clips the kids can earn (in addition to all the colors of the rainbow, I also do Bronze, Silver, Gold, Ruby, Emerald, and Diamond). The kids love to go up and see the different colored clips they can earn. On my chart, I changed "Reflecting" to "Lose 10 Minutes" (of recess) but kept the rest pretty much the same as on that website.
I highly recommend the book The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. The book has a story for each habit that makes it easy for the kids to understand. We have a habit that we discuss each week, and I read the story that goes with it, watch a short video about that habit, and we discuss the habit. I haven't done so yet, but am planning on making a bulletin board about the habits that the kids will contribute to each week.
If you want quotes, my opinion is that it's better to have one or two meaningful quotes that you refer to often rather than a bunch of posters of quotes. The quote I have is: "Leadership is doing the right thing even when no one is watching" above the 7 habits wall. My 4th graders are really stepping up to the challenge of being leaders, and it's helping them be better students. My co-worker's quote is: "QUALITY COUNTS." He really wants his 6th graders to focus on quality.
A few other things to consider.... when it comes to color, I am all about greens, blues, and purples. I try to limit fluorescent colors and anything that looks busy or cluttered. Covering the boards with black fabric can look good too and helps the eye to focus on the content. Alternative seating can be helpful as well (throw pillows that kids can take to different corners of the room to make a quiet spot, a desk at the window away from the tables, stuff like that). A poster that you make will probably be ignored, but if THEY make it, they'll remember what's on it.
Good luck!! The first year is really hard, but you'll get through it.
Love the Clip Chart! I am definitely going to try thins.
Love the Clip Chart! I am definitely going to try this.
Love the Clip Chart! I am definitely going to try this.