Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition

This is, indeed, old news BUT I was lucky enough to be hired (last-minute, as is the only respectable way to be hired when you're a new teacher) by a charter school near Minneapolis.  I am, people, an official fourth grade teacher!

I was hired on a Friday, teacher's prep began the following Monday, and school began a week later.  A month after the first day of school (that would be today), I feel like I can finally breathe.  A little.

Getting the classroom ready was, really, the hardest part.  I walked into my classroom on the first day and saw this:

I thought the garbage can in the center of the room made a nice touch.

The previous teacher had used some adhesive to add a white board to the blackboard.  It took  hours to fully clean it off and I still find some sticky spots to this day.

You might say, "Oh, look at the all the materials you have to work with!"  Most of this belonged to the previous teacher and was carted away shortly after.

It's hard to know where to begin when you have never done this before.  It didn't help that most of the other teachers in the school (most of whom had been there for at least 2-3 years) were busy creating cute little themed rooms like frogs and zoo animals and fish, etc.

A week later and things gradually fell into place, just in time for Meet the Teacher night.  Things look more or less the same now, albeit slightly more disheveled and the bulletin boards are more full.

I started with 23 students, but only 19 showed up on the first day. (The rest are going to different schools, I guess.)  I can live with this.

Stool purchased at Goodwill for $2.99

The students are filling up this board with "Book Boosts."

The "Wall of Awesome-ness" has collages on it right now.  I figure it will be reserved for art projects or whatever else we do in class.

I wish my desk still looked this neat!

The birthday cupcake wall!  It's full of names and candles now.  (On the day the photo was taken, mine was the only candle to be seen.)

Lightning McQueen CD player with Clifford in the window.

Some of my kids have learned the hard way the my toys are off limits.  Nobody plays with Pippi Longstocking but me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My castle, my rules.  Got it?  Get it?  Good.

 

At Meet the Teacher Night.  It sort of made me popular. 

I hope to share more experiences later.  As for now, I may go back to bed!