A peek into my classroom

It's Thursday. Which is almost as good as Friday. Is there a special verse to say about Thursdays, you know, like we say about Fridays (TGIF)?

I like Thursdays. All last week's hard work preparing for this week has come to fruition, and now I am planning for next week. I've met with most of the teachers I work with to make sure I know what they are doing in their classrooms. This helps me coordinate, reinforce, and supplement in my classroom what the kids are learning in their regular classroom when I pull them out. Also, in the event they are pulled out and will miss a language arts or math lesson, I can make sure they get it from me instead. Only in a smaller group setting, more conducive to learning for many kids.

It's quite the balancing act, and though I feel like I am walking from one end of the state to the other in order to deliver my services, I know that this is how it has to be for now.

For now, I have my own classroom in a mobile unit, and I love it. I haven't posted pictures for the same reason people don't want to invite folks to the new house until they have it all fixed up. It's like I'm planning an Open House for my classroom here at AOL journals. I want you to see what I have done with the classroom, but not until it is in better shape.

                                          But here's a peek, anyway.

                                  

This is how my classroom looked two weeks ago after I moved all my stuff inside. If you recall, I had to wait until the former occupant moved into her new classroom, and she had to wait until the new wing had passed inspections before she could move. It was a week after school started before the third and fourth grade teachers could move into their new classrooms.

                                 

And this is how it looked a little over a week ago after I unloaded the boxes and before I moved the desks into their current arrangements.

                                  

Last week, it looked more like this. You can see the boxes of things not yet put away to the left as well as another unfinished bulletin board.

                                   

I was able to clean up one corner... still have three boxes of books to put away. That's an old drawing board I brought to school to use as a reward for students who get their work done (or even their homework done). The TV and radio/cd player are pretty much standard classroom equipment these days. The little rug was given to me by my friend (remember the basket someone left on my deck over the summer for my birthday? The rug was one of the items with the basket). Thank you, Alyson. It looks great in this reading area.

                                  

My desk area looked like this two weeks ago. One of the computers had to follow its owner to her new classroom, so now I have the one with internet access. I love the wheeley chair. The printer is broke, so I'm sending a request to get it repaired. Yeah, the blinds are crooked... I keep forgetting to even them up.

                                   

This is going to be a listening/reading center. The shelves to the right were built by my husband last year to fit exactly on top of the desk I had in my former classroom. The desk there was longer than the desk I have now, so I improvised. Hated to not use the shelves, so I set them on top of two student desks. Yeah, I know, the bulletin boards need something. Haven't had time to do that yet.

Since then, I have put up a few posters, a few maps on the wall, and arranged the desks into three areas. I have most of my boxes emptied, and some of my files are actually in the file cabinet.

The posters and maps are adding some needed color, and breaking up the dingy yellow walls. I'm going to change the curtains, and I have great plans for the bulletin boards. I really would like to paint the walls, though.

It's on my list of things to do before Christmas.