New Classroom [Before]

This is the view beside the road that leads to my new school. Yes. That is a field of sunflowers! I am so excited to begin and end my day with such a beautiful drive.

Now, let's look at the room as it was the day I signed my contract. The first thing that stands out to me is the yellow accent wall. Yellow is also painted on the air conditioning ducts. The second thing I notice are the big, wonderful windows! The final BIGGIE that won't leave me alone is just how much work I'm going to have to put into going through materials. Please don't view that as a complaint. The BEST way to figure out what we have to use as we learn is for me to go through it, all!

The school set-up is unlike any I've seen before. The rooms are set-up as "pods." This means, they connect... kind of. There are two doors in my classroom. One door goes into a hallway that leads to three other rooms and has restrooms. The other door leads to a small hallway that links with another classroom and also has a door to the outside. If this sounds confusing, it is. There is no way for me to possibly begin to explain how the building is structured, because I think it'll be until November before I understand it all myself!

Door to the pod hallway (bathrooms and three other classrooms are acessed through this door).

Door to the small hall (door leading outside and connection to the other first grade classroom). There are some hooks on the wall and storage cabinets up high for me to store a few things.

Wall between the two doors. The shelf on the far left has some math materials and word games. Based on the things in and around the desk, I think it belongs to the associate teacher.

 Next topic, the "focus wall." Can you tell that the Smartboard is located at an appropriate level for students to reach? Yay! This wall is both exciting and intimidating. I do not want to clutter it with stuff, but I want to make it function for daily procedures and instruction.

 

Central wall - notice the accent color?

This was the teacher's corner (from what I can tell). The teacher desk, a filing cabinet, and bookshelf with random things led me to this conclusion. Notice the little rolling table? That is for me to link my laptop with the Smartboard!

Wall on the far side of the classroom. Notice all of the built-in cabinets?!

Corner (I see lots of possibilities with those white shelves.)

Windows and computers. I haven't checked, but I think the location of the computers is predetermined based on cord-connection boxes in the wall. We will see.

Meet Lucky! She is a sweet Golden Retriever that comes to school with her owner every day. She just hangs out with the kids! I love it!

I am so excited about being able to start over with a blank slate! There is SO much to do, but I know it will all be worth it come August!

What ideas do you have for me? Where do you think I should begin? I'd LOVE some feedback!

Classroom Photos (Older)

My classroom when I first began teaching first grade was VERY different from the room that I moved out of last month. I was REALLY into trying to create a calm, simplistic room for my students to play, work, and grow in. Throughout my Master's degree program I was ObSsEsSeD with trying to implement a Reggio Emilia / Montessori feel into the regular public school structure. Over the course of the year I found that my idealistic philosophy and the school's traditional expectations didn't exactly mesh to my advantage, so I became more "traditional." Fitting the more traditional mold meant several things, including switching from tables to desks and putting more "stuff" on the walls. However, when I look back at these photos I cannot help but think, "Wow! What an inviting room!" I'm hoping to try to blend both types of rooms in my new classroom. I want to ensure at least one space in the new room has the same calm, simplicity as this.

The reading area (foreground) and my desk / storage cabinets (behind).

I did a LOT of art-integrated lessons, so the kidney table being on tile was perfect. I love the light wicker baskets on the shelf in the corner.

Original whole-group meeting area.

Original small group conferencing table.

Original whole-group meeting area (from another angle).

Oil-pastel dogwood tree on the door. (It was really sad taking that down after four years.)

A shot of the room from behind my desk. I ended up using one of the kidney tables as seating.

Whole-group meeting area after I moved it to the other side of the room. I later downsized this even more to accommodate how many students I had (more students = more tables, chairs, and general stuff).

Whole group meeting area from a different angle.

Looking back, there is so much more WHITE in this room compared to when I moved out! I also had very little furniture in the beginning. The room had been an ISS room, so I was working with a blank slate (teacher desk and chair). Over the next few years I brought in furniture from home (bookshelves mostly) and collected discarded tables from other teachers (for centers around the room and non-traditional seating option). In one photo you can see I was SO intent on being simple that I didn't even put fabric on the bulletin board!

Want to know something amazing?! I was able to have fake flowers/plants in this room for 3 1/2 years before the Fire Marshall told me to remove them. That's amazing! Yes, yes, they DO collect dust, but wiping them every few months resolves that. Plus, I believe it makes things feel softer in the space. I'm really excited to be able to place the hydrangeas around my room again!

Classroom Tour [Reflections Edition]

Today I'm going to do a virtual walk-through of how I set up the classroom I just moved out of. Let me begin by stating that I do not believe I set the room up "perfectly." One of my worst habits is organizing the spaces I love the most and avoiding the spaces I wish would go away... I'm not alone in this, am I?

Whole-group carpet area. At the beginning of the year (when this picture was taken) I only have two book baskets out. Over the course of the first few weeks I bring reading baskets out by topic as we've discussed procedures and expectations for using and returning books. I highly recommend this if you have room to store your books other than your shelves. In this case, I did, but I know it's not typical to have as much hidden storage as this room had.

Calendar wall in 2009

Calendar wall in 2011 - Can you tell I took out as much of the non-essentials as possible? Even just looking at the older picture bothers me... too much red I think.

Small white shelves were used to define the space as well as store individual math manipulative-containers (one of the best investments I've ever made!)

Bulletin board behind the small group table (2011 - used for rotational literacy centers and CAFE menu)

The Author Library! Each book box was labeled with the author's name and a picture of a character they are known for! (My students and I mutually loved this space.)

A picture of our word wall. My desk is conveniently hidden by the shelves of the Author Library, just the way I like it! (My desk was usually not photo-worthy.)

Another reading area tucked in the corner beside the Author Library. This spot had shelves on one side (shown) and two huge windows on the other. It is a wonderful spot to read rain or shine.

This shelf was originally a cubby unit I found in the "I don't want" pile at school. I turn it sideways, removed the hooks, and waa-laa! a functional shelf! Oh, and it was originally yellow, which didn't match my color scheme, so I slapped some "Spa Blue" on there to match the large shelves on the other side of the room.

 Okay, so I'm not super sure of formatting a blog, so I'll just start typing my thoughts.
When I look back at my room my eye goes to clutter. I purposely did not upload a few because of this problem. As I prepare to set up my new classroom I hope to intentionally prevent clutter opportunities. We will see. Looking at these pictures also helps me realize I  prefer spaces where the colors are similar and clean-lined.

Now where to begin?...

Hello! My name is Mrs. Hray! I love to teach first grade! My husband and I are in the process of moving to a new city, so I recently went through the process of applications and interviews. The best news is... I got a JOB! (And I'll be teaching first grade!) One of my favorite things to do is set up my classroom, and this summer I'll be starting fresh! I am so excited to get started working in my room NEXT WEEK! What advice would you have for where I should begin my process?
~ Jane