Classroom 2014 reveal!

Phew, it has been busy this past week! Teacher's institute week officially started Monday and am I glad that I finished most of the work for my classroom early. My other co-teachers are running around getting their classroom's set up and I remember what it was like to be in that position, so thank goodness I was lucky to come in early and get a head start on my room. I've actually been able to be a resource to my fellow teachers, especially the new ones, so I'm really happy that I can help in that way. It's officially finished and I thought I'd share some pictures!

My main teaching spot, which is the front of the room.

The news board is a little empty right now because I'm waiting on administration to pass out some beginning of the year forms/handouts. I have my newsletter up there so far.

View from the door: Here I have my library to the very right, which is the first thing you see when you look in from my door. Then there is my small group table with my instructional materials (since I got rid of my teacher desk, this is where I keep my materials),  a little reading nook to the left of my small group area (there's a rug you can't see) and then my technology center with four computers.

The back of my room: my technology center, my word wall, and my whole group rug area with my calendar to the left.

The left side as soon as you walk into the door: my storage cabinets, my supplies, listening center and cubbies.


A closer look at my library. Hanging in the front are these cute genre posters I got from the awesome Rachel Lamb. You can purchase them here. I totally recommend them. The green and blue bins are from Big Lots.

Hope everyone enjoys their long 3-day weekend! Happy resting, relaxing, and let's be real.. lesson planning ;)

Classroom setup rambles, a sneak peak, and number lines

I've been so busy setting up my classroom and it's slowly, but surely, coming together. But... I can't say I'm as pleased with it this year as I was last year. I had an ocean theme and it was beautiful, if I do say so; I loved being in my class because I had put in so much money and time into making it pleasing, but quite honestly, the decorations got in the way of putting up anchor charts and I regretted putting a third of the decorations up. So this year, I opted for a simple color scheme instead of a full out theme and while things generally match in my classroom, there's so much blank wall space that it bothers me. I keep trying to remind myself that I'll need that space later on, but I'm comparing my room from last year to this year and how much "less," for lack of better words, my room seems. Of course, this is all superficial rambles because everyone knows your classroom decorations do not determine how well students learn, but I already know that and because I've planned in advance for instruction, I can allow myself the energy to lament over these trivial things.

I'm such a visual person that things need to look a certain way for me or I tend to obsess over them and will spend hours drafting and tweaking little things here and there. I've been doing that for the past month or so, especially since being back in the classroom to set up because now I can actually see how things look. Perhaps I need to add more small decorations or something without taking away the wall space that I'll eventually need.. Sigh. On the other hand, I really do need to get over it and let it go just a little. After all, my classroom isn't quite done. It's still a work in progress, and I need to remind myself of that. Deep breaths, Hannah. It'll work out in the end. With that positive thought, here's a sneak peak at some of the highlights of my room.

The library/front area.

 Pom poms ready for hanging.

Fail of the day. (Actually, it's only one of the many fails of that day setting up, but it still makes me laugh).

On the topic of number posters, I spent some time creating a set of primary-colored star-themed number posters, available in my store for purchase. Just click on the picture below.

Hope everyone's set up is going smoothly, and remember: keep calm, breathe, you're amazing, and it'll work out in the end.

Classroom Set up & Freebie Friday??

Yesterday was my first day in the classroom to set up and I loved it. I missed being back in the neighborhood, the school, and my classroom. School doesn't technically start until the last week of August for us teachers and after Labor Day for my students, but I couldn't resist asking my principal if I could come in earlier to start setting up. I want to have most of my classroom decor and set up done before that first week of school for teachers so that I can spend that week lesson planning. So, I texted my principal and she let me come in today.

Here's what I walked into.

Sooo yeah, I had my work cut out for me. On the left side, which you can't see, was more furniture that needed to be moved and sorted. After 4.5 hours, I unboxed everything, organized all curriculum books, finished my word wall, configured and set up half of my library, put fabric on 2/3 of the bulletin boards, arranged the cubbies, sorted the supplies, laminated yards of posters, and cleaned out my cabinets. Oh! And the most exciting news is that I got rid of my teacher desk!! I had one last year but saw that some of my coworkers had so much more room without theirs and thus tried to get rid of mine but there was no space in the school. However, the custodian was awesome enough to find a space to stash mine away this year. Not bad, eh? I'm a little nervous about not having the extra storage space but ultimately excited about the space it opens up in the classroom and how it's going to force me to really keep things organized and neat. Super excited.

Now I can't go in tomorrow since they're rewaxing the floors (yay for shiny floors!), but on Monday I'm going to try to get the following done:

1. Arrange desks and chairs
2. Finish font bulletin boards 
3. Put up number line 
4. Organize the library with labels and bins
5. Make table pom poms

I think that should be enough... Anyways, onto some FREEBIES! So I don't know if freebie Friday is a thing, but I love freebies and love giving them even more, so I thought I'd share a small something to brighten your Friday. Here are 2 binder covers, one for close reading and one for a general teacher binder (it's editable!). I posted a picture on Instagram and a fellow teacher commented on how they should be made available so here they are. Click on the pictures below to download and enjoy!

It's an editable powerpoint file that you can customize with your school name, grade level, and name.

Is anyone else getting ready to or already setting up their classrooms? Isn't it both exhausting and exciting??