Yesterday I completed my classroom makeover that began Memorial Day weekend! If you've ever stepped foot in my classroom, you'll notice some major changes! I guess I was eager to get started, because I didn't take "before" pictures. Oops!
Near the end of last school year, I felt like I needed a change of scenery, so my husband and my mom helped me put a fresh coat of paint on the walls! It is amazing what a huge difference paint makes in a room! That lead to (almost) all new decor to match my new color scheme. I searched this summer for the perfect fabric for my cabinet curtains (which my MIL helped me make!) and scoured all of the local Dollar Tree stores for specific storage bins for my games and manipulatives.
In the past, a large portion of my room was dedicated to my students' storage cubbies. While necessary, they took up a lot of space and made my classroom feel cramped! This year my school is installing hallway lockers for all K-5 students, so I'm finally able to get rid of the cubbies! With them gone, my classroom feels more spacious and functional!
The bulletin boards at the front of the room will be home to student awards (charm bracelets), word wall, morning meeting, and vocabulary words. The other large bulletin board will showcase our Great Expectations Magic Triad.
Right now I have my tables set up for Meet the Teacher night. There are 8 stations for the families to rotate through: sign in/parent info, transportation, social media contract, all about me poster homework, parent-teacher conference sign up, sorting supplies (my favorite station!), a parent survey, and ways to help. This method has streamlined Meet the Teacher night and helps ensure that everyone gets all the important info they need (including me!)
There were changes in the hallway outside my classroom too. The good news: My bulletin board had to be moved to make room for the lockers (yay!). The bad news: The hallway has been painted since they were hung, leaving a *lovely* two-toned rectangle in the middle of my wall (ahh!). The bulletin board was horizontal and now it is hung vertical, which will take some getting used to. Student work will be displayed for all to see, because our class is "One in a Minion!"
I still have a few more minion items to use outside on my makeshift bulletin board (aka: the butcher paper I'll be using to cover the outline of the old bulletin board), but for now, it is presentable for Meet the Teacher night on Tuesday!
