Another Look

From one side of the room to the other

The Stage

Yet another arrangement of desks:
individual work, but needed to pass writing around their group. 

The stage lights work and now need adjusting for future performances.
I think this is the first time they have ever been turned on.
I wasn't sure they even worked.
My room is pitch black without classroom lights on, so this will be perfect for small performances.
Lunch Box Theater?
Brown Bag Theater?
We have to come up with a name and the perfect first performance.

Room 502, signing out.

Room 502

This new school year in a different room with three new preps is kicking my buns. One week in, I feel like a forgetful new teacher. So far, I have forgotten to run off papers, post bell work, and take roll in more classes than I care to share. (I'm sure the secretaries love me!)

But...my room looks good. (I'm telling myself that so that there is something positive to say about my first full week.)

This is the ramp leading into my room. You can also see the lights above the stage and the awesome wall decoration my colleague left for me.

This room seems huge to me, though it is hard to tell that from the photos. Twenty foot ceilings will do that for you. Add the small stage and it is challenging to arrange desks. Except for the top left photo above, all the photos are of my north wall. This is where all of my cabinets and my desk are located. The top left photo is the student file section that they can access as soon as they enter the room. The green tile on the floor leads to the entry/exit ramp.

The top left photo is the bookshelf of my teacher books and resources. The next three photos are of my east wall. The bottom two are of my south wall. The double doors in the last picture lead into a big prop and costume closet.  You can also see the exit ramp.

Essentially, I have tried to divide the room in half.  One half is devoted to English with my little class library, book border, and English calendar on the board.  The other half is devoted to Speech, Drama, and Forensics with movie posters, NYC, and their class schedule for the week.

The pictures don't do the room justice. In fact, I'm not sure I do the room justice, but I'm working on it!

This is a fun room for a drama teacher.

Teacher, Reporting For Duty!

The 2015-2016 school year begins for teachers tomorrow. The theme for this year is Creativity.  By encouraging creativity in our teachers, they hope to cultivate the creativity of our students.

Creativity could almost be the theme song for my new classes: Speech, Forensics, and Drama. I am excited to see what we accomplish. My lesson plan/idea notebook is full of activities for each class. I think I am going to be operating outside my comfort zone for most of the year!

English II is undergoing changes also. My new creative young colleague (who is teaching the other half of the English II classes) will insure that a hefty dose of creativity will be part of English II this year, too. I love her take on things and her creativity provides just the spark I need.

All this being said, I am HAVING to get creative in some ways.  Namely, keeping track of student data so this scrambled brain of mine can remember how students performed on formatives and what interventions were used to re-teach. There isn't room for this data in the traditional grade book or the online grade book. I have an idea for tracking this data, and if it works I will share it in future posts.

I feel like I spent most of the summer decorating a non-traditional classroom. After all, not every classroom has a stage in the middle of it. That feature alone has my creative juices flowing already. Hopefully, I can post a video tour of my room tomorrow.

Here's to thinking outside the box and a wonderful 2015-2016.

August- Back-To-School Month

The calendar says August so that means time to...

...finish the schedule of Dr. appointments.

...sort through my closet, repairing, replacing, and making sure my teacher "wardrobe" (and I use that term loosely) is ready to go.

...schedule a haircut, manicure, and pedicure.  (These appointments become trickier to schedule once school starts.)

...locate my school lunch tote and personal crock pot, then stock the fridge and pantry with lunch-packing items.

...finish any cleaning jobs at home that I left to the last minute.  (Curtains, you know I'm talking about you!)

...shop for the composition notebooks that I'm sure several students will have to purchase from me during the first days of school.

...buy those command velcro dots that I love.  I am always out of them!

...store photos and files on my external hard drive.  (Such a time consuming job, but always good to have a backup.)

...purchase a new school mascot shirt to wear on game days.

I'm sure I've forgotten a few things on my list. (Unimportant things like lesson planning and making copies and...!)

August 1st always tells me it is time to get organized at home and at school. This year, I have nine days to pull it all together. Nine days!  Yikes!

Summers in the Education Family

I am a 4th generation educator in our state, and I've given birth to two 5th generation educators. They remember going back-to-school shopping with my mom before they were even in school. As she was shopping for her classroom, they would be treated to cute pencils and folders. (Part of the reason they became teachers? They played school almost every day of their childhood!)

When my daughters and I were all three classroom teachers, we had a system for back-to-school work. We would spend one day working in each of our classrooms.  Day #1 would be in my oldest daughter's high school room.  Day #2 would be spent in my high school English room, and Day #3 would be spent in my youngest daughter's 1st grade room. We'd work, go out for lunch, and laugh a lot.

They taught me to use fabric to cover my bulletin board.  (It doesn't fade like paper does.) At one time, all three of us had the same bulletin board: Starbooks Cafe, imitating a favorite coffee design. I even made a cafe curtain to go over the top of the bulletin board. (I just pitched my faded bulletin board last year. Sadness! It was a favorite.)

Working together this way, I figured out quickly that high school teachers have it made.  Elementary teachers spend hours working on their rooms.  High school teachers do quite a bit less. (My oldest daughter and I would be done with our rooms, and my youngest daughter would spend 5-7 more days working on her room.) The year after a tornado wiped out our schools, I spent hours working on my classroom trailer. For over a week I went to work before breakfast, and frequently my husband brought me supper and helped me work until well after dark.  Finally, I had some idea of what our elementary teachers do almost every year.

My oldest daughter is now my principal/boss. Decorating her office is not a group project. So now, I usually spend two days helping my youngest daughter with her elementary school classroom.  She lives several hours away so this is Mom-Daughter bonding time. Two full days in her classroom makes a small dent in her work, but she will still have quite a bit to do.

This summer I have spent quite a bit of time switching classrooms and decorating the new room.  My youngest daughter is switching schools and grade levels, so she has a new classroom to decorate and organize, too. Unfortunately, her new school had a land shift or sinkhole that postponed teachers getting into the school.  She is just now able to get into her school and is feeling several weeks behind.  Much of the time she would have worked during the first week of August will be spent at new teacher meetings in this new district. Fortunately, I started my room early and am pretty much done. Now as I'm working on her room, I won't be worrying about mine. (Oh, and both girls gave me fits about working at school too much.  I feel like a genius now!)

I will spend the next two days working on a first grade classroom, and getting to know my daughter's new school.  I love the creativity of elementary teachers. I frequently pick up new ideas.Their ingenious ideas inspire me.

You know those coffee mugs and t-shirts that say:  The three best reasons to be a teacher? June, July, and August.  I have always hated them.

Don't get me wrong, I love summer; however, education is a year-round job. Excellence in the classroom doesn't really allow for a three-month vacation. Who am I kidding?  Even "adequate" in the classroom doesn't allow for three months with no thought of our classrooms.  I take a few weeks off and some long weekends, but I've seen several colleagues and most of the coaches in school on a fairly regular basis this summer.  That is probably a pretty good indicator of a great 2015-2016.

This Summer Work

Working at school this summer has been different. I'm getting quite a bit done, but it has had a few distractions.

Yes, not every classroom comes equipped with a Pack 'N Play. This little bundle has been keeping me company some of the time.

Most of the time she is asleep, but when she isn't she spends quite a bit of time staring at posters of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. (Some day her  therapist will talk to her about the effects of early life. yikes!)

Yesterday, my niece brought the bundle's big sister up to see me. The Bug was pretty pleased with her Nana's new classroom.

And Nana's nice neat prop/costume closet?  Well, let's just say it got a work out. Signs of what my students will do to it in the fall??  Yes, probably. (Hopefully, their shoes will be on the right feet though!)

Someone wasn't all that impressed.

Pffff... you're an amateur kid!

Give me a year and I'll show you how it's done!

Kind of amazed I am getting anything done this year.  Photos to come.

Evidence of Summer Work

Before

After

This is/was the prop closet in my new classroom. 

Organization makes me happy. 

P.S. Three full days of work. *sigh