Classroom pics

Admit it. You love to snoop in other teacher's classrooms and steal ideas. You also enjoy sharing some of your own great ideas. So, post some pictures and add comments--collaborate! (That sounds a lot better than "stealing ideas" anyway!)
I can't wait to SEE some of your rooms! :-)

Tags: classroom, pictures

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Permalink Reply by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on July 31, 2008 at 12:54pm

Here's one SMALL area of my room that's ready to go for this fall. :-)
Chair and rug from Walmart, Lamp from thrift store, and magazine rack from Going-Out-of-Business Sale.

Permalink Reply by Sandra Stringham on August 1, 2008 at 3:57pm

Love it! I spent a few hours yesterday and a few hours today setting up my room. I'll start taking pictures.

What does this say about me? While I was putting books away this morning, I was thinking, OH, I should take pictures of my room and share them. Right after my 15 year old daughter said I need to update her picture (from 6th grade) and my other daugters senior picuture. (She's 20 now). Nah....room first!

Sandi

Permalink Reply by Linda Davenport on August 1, 2008 at 5:13pm

SOO CUTE! It looks very comfy- and I'm sooo jealous of the magazine rack! When do you go back?

Permalink Reply by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 4, 2008 at 1:03pm

Next area "done" (at least for now) is my whole group lesson/meeting area and the TOP of my tall filing cabinet (don't ask about the INSIDE!!). Here are some pics.

Permalink Reply by Linda Davenport on August 4, 2008 at 3:49pm

Looks great- I am having a VERY hard time this year. We are fortunately in the process of getting a new building, unfortunately- I am currently in the basement- Yes, imagine 2 support poles in the middle of your room.-
I LOVE your whole group meeting area- what did your admin say about the couches (or chairs? I can't tell if they are couches or chairs!)
I'd love to have some in my room, but right now no way to get them downstairs- and then in the new building supposedly the rule is going to be that we are not allowed to bring ANYTHING in- hmmmmm wonder how long that will last!

Permalink Reply by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 4, 2008 at 4:51pm

Yes, that's a couch in the photo. A teacher in our building found some "flame-retardant" spray stuff and all of our couches were treated with it, so we were allowed to keep them.

I'd say that if you're not allowed to bring anything in when your new building is done, I'd make a STRONG plea for the SCHOOL to include couches, comfy chairs, and lamps. Seriously, there has GOT to be some research out there supporting how room environment affects learning. Check out http://www.bigcozybooks.com/ for CUTE furniture.

Good luck!!
-Michelle
BTW, teachers officially begin Aug.14 and kids Aug.20 in our district.

Permalink Reply by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 8, 2008 at 8:46pm

I've always thought that was a good idea--getting paid for coming in early! Good for you!

Permalink Reply by Maureen Ericikson on August 4, 2008 at 9:06pm

ok, i don't have any lamps in my room, hmmmmm. love the look.
do you use over head lights too?
also what do you do in the group instruc. corner (dumb quest.) do they sit on the floor? fight over couch, ( i pick numbers for my couch)
i haven't gone back yet, not even gotten in my room yet.
teachers go back 22nd for cpr 25th officially. kids go back sept. 2!!!!!

Permalink Reply by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 4, 2008 at 11:40pm

The lamps go on first thing each morning (my son's job usually to turn on the lamps when we arrive) and stay on all day. Then I toggle back and forth between having my overhead flourescents on at 1/2 strength--that helps with viewing the projector--and full strength. SOMETIMES, for story time, if it's really hot (trying to reduce heat from any source), or I'm just feeling the need to create a "cozy" atmosphere, we'll totally turn off the flourescents and JUST leave the lamps on--really fun on a snowy day. Mainly though, they just look and FEEL "homey." I got the idea originally from our building's Reading Recovery teacher and then also saw it in Debbie Miller's work and then "The Sisters" in their DVD called "Classroom Beautiful."

Note: I know extension cords tend to be a "no-no", so I don't use them with my lamps. They all plug directly into an outlet. I (yes, me, all by myself) even rewired one lamp to make it a 10 foot cord so it would reach all the way across my desk w/out an extension cord. I just followed the directions on the paper that came with the cord. Not that hard, really.

And, yes, I too have a schedule for who get's to sit on the couch and who gets the round brown chair each day. And when we have whole group instruction/meeting time, the other kids sit on the floor.

I am grateful for a fairly large room, but would still love to have about four more feet all the way around! I wonder if then I'd want four more...? Ya think!

I'm in school this early for two reasons. The one I tell everyone is that I just need a LOT of time to clean out and organize because, by default, I'm highly unorganized (which is totally true) and need the time to purge and put things away. But honestly, the main reason I begin this early is just that I love the FREEDOM of early August. I can go in ANY time I want and go home ANY time I want. Love that. I feel a blog topic coming on...

Oh my! I've done it AGAIN! Written an entire BOOK as a reply! Sorry!!!

Permalink Reply by Linda Davenport on August 5, 2008 at 2:05pm

I totally agree with you on the research of making your classroom feel "homey" we really pushed for it a few years ago- and made some GREAT headway- I used to have a couch in my room when I taught 5th- when I moved to 1st (in the dark dingy basement) I couldn't get the couch down there as it was too big- and heavy- I had my hubby and my bil and my nephews- they just couldn't get it so it would fit down the steps : (
My girlfriend has a couch in her room- but was told she couldn't bring it to the new building- It REALLY irritates me.
I love to go in early and get ready too- but unfortunately we have to be out by 2:30 when the janitors are done- I am soooo unorganized as well- I need a good 3 to 4 working days in my classroom before we go back in for our teacher inservice days! We don't start til the 21st- so I still have some time (right? lol)
Isn't it funny how sometimes things are done in a public school to work around everyone else but the students and teachers needs???
Oh well= room looks great! I'll try to post pics when I'm done as well!

Permalink Reply by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 8, 2008 at 10:01am

I'm just about done, just have to get names on desks, lockers, and files. Open House is the Monday night (Aug. 18) before school begins on Wednesday (Aug. 20). I've got a LOT of meetings next week so it's good to have my room about ready! :-)

Here's how I have my student desks. I call it an "open square" b/c I leave a pathway at every corner so we can easily move around the desks.

And here's a picture of my new podium. There's an older farmer at our church that's beginning to do some carpentry work. I asked him to build me a podium with shelves and THIS is what I got! Wow! He even added a built in pencil cup and sticky-note holder!

Can't wait to see some of YOUR rooms! :-)

Permalink Reply by Sandra Stringham on August 13, 2008 at 1:39pm

I just taught a class on combination classrooms. One of the topics was setting up your room for differentiation. You can view the video if you want on our wiki: combinationclass.wetpaint.com

Click on the links on the leftside. Click on Technology as it's a subpage called "Setting Up Your Room"

Unfortunately, I'm still not done, but had to get it going for the class. When I finish, I'll update the video with the finished "look."