When New Teacher Meets New Classroom!

Four days... FOUR DAYS... Ladies and gentleman, I have had accesses to my first-ever classroom for four days, and I feel like a HOT MESS!

Four days has really felt like four months. When I walked into my room for the first, time I was elated! I saw all of the bulletin board space and floor space and couldn't wait to develop my domain. However, I literally had NO idea where or how to begin...

My grandfather was nice enough to help me move all of my teacher supplies and furniture from my bedroom to my classroom. However, when we did, it took up a lot of space and was a scattered mess around the room. Then, he spent another whole day helping me take down the previous teachers bulletin boards, and then begin putting up my own (although I think I am going to change them again).

I had mounds of curriculum materials left for me to go through, some outdated and some current. I have arranged things in one area, only to rearrange them somewhere else, and then again 3 or 4 more times. I brought in my own computer desk, leaving the old one sitting in a corner. There's a file cabinet I don't want, as well as too many desks that I cannot use. (Custodians cannot pick these things up until after they are done waxing the hallway floors).

Needless to say, my room is quite cluttered at the moment....

Yesterday we painted part of my room. We also decided that we will need to build a book shelf for the reading corner. (There's an entire shelf that has been ripped out and they are not replacing it. So as of right now, I have nowhere to put my library book bins).

To the right of those blue counters was where the old book shelf USED to be...

Walking into an empty room and not having my other first grade team there to guide me has been a bit overwhelming. However, ladies and gents, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

My training on Readers/Writers Workshop has been going on this week, which has really helped me narrow my focus and visualize how I want things to work in my room. I have stepped back and taken a very long deep breath (more than once). A habit I have is wanting to do everything at one time as early and as fast as possible. NOT GONNA HAPPEN, JENN!

I decided to take the night off. I have been going to training from 8:30am-3:30pm, and then straight to work in my classroom until about 8:30pm (when the custodians kick me out). So I decided to just go home and breath. You really need that from time to time... Although, I am still sitting on my laptop working on stuff, or course.

You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you cant take the classroom out of the teacher!

I will post pictures of my room when it doesn't look like a post-apocalyptic-war-zone! I hope I am not the only one who has had a hard time getting her head around things within the first few days of being in her room! If you all have any advice on how to get it all together, or any stories of your disaster zones, please do share!

Classroom Crafts- Five for Friday

Alright ladies and gents... I have been a busy busy bee the past couple of weeks. I have been outrageously motivated and I have kind of started to feel the panic mode settling in. I had my first day of training on Wednesday, which means the first day of school is closer than I had thought! Aug. 12 is on its way!

Anyhow, I figured I would share some of the things I have checked off my to-do list with a good 'ol fashion Five For Friday!

Click this image to go to the link-up.

Pencil Bins!

I don't know about you, but the sound of the pencil sharpener drives me banana-sandwich. It's especially obnoxious when 22 students ask every day if they can sharpen their pencil. In my classroom, my answer will [almost] always be N-O-P-E!!!

I made these pencil bins to help prevent these situations. I mean I know banana-sandwich sounds good, I mean they ARE good, but no one wants to see Miss. Elliott driven banana-sandwich!

As the students feel that their pencils are too dull or they break, they will put them into the "Dull" bin. I will have one student each day (or possibly each week) assigned the job of sharpening pencils. This job will most likely take place in the morning time before we all dive into learning (plus, I think I can manage to tolerate the sound of the sharpener for just that little bit of time ONCE a day). They will then place the pencils in the "Sharp" bin where students can take from as their pencils break throughout the day.

Doggie-Dog Groups!

These are classroom decorations with a function! They will hang from the ceiling above each table/group as a group-identifier. The group name will be whatever color dog image is above their table. (Pink group, yellow group, blue group, orange group, and green group).

Each one has a different type of dog silhouette image. This is an idea I borrowed stole from the lovely School Girl Style website. Click here to see the whole classroom design she created that I will be stealing from quite a bit. ;-)

Scooby-Snacks!

This is something I got from Rachelle Rosenblit over at TPT! It's an adapted version of "Brownie Points", which you have probably seen all over Pinterest and other teacher blogs. This was a free item she had created and I was very excited to discover it. It will fit into my classroom theme SO well! Please go visit her store and her blog (her button is on the right). She's got some great stuff!

Now let me explain how this works. Each time the class as a whole receives a compliment or a good report from anyone in the building, they will receive a Scooby-Snack. This can be a compliment while traveling through the hallway, a good report from the specials teacher or the lunch monitor, or (my favorite) an overall good report from the substitute teacher!

After the whole class earns 12 Scooby-Snacks, we will have a party. At the moment, my hopes are to have a Pajama Party, but I need to check the school policy and discuss with the principal what my options are as far as class parties go.

I am very excited to utilize this in my classroom. I think it is really important for the kiddos to know that we are all a team and how important it is to support and work together towards a common goal.

Doggie Clip Chart

This one I am VERY excited about. However, I have to admit AGAIN that I did not dream up the idea nor create it on my own. This ADORABLE dog-themed clip chart is an item for sale at Katie Mense's TPT store! Isn't it just precious!?!?! I am so excited to use it. You guys should also go visit Katie's TPT store and her blog (the button is on the right).

My kiddos will each have a clip and start in the middle green section (Ready to Learn) and may move up and/or down all throughout the day. Some teachers choose to make it so that if a student makes it to a certain point on the negative side, they cannot move back up. I, personally, want to allow students the opportunity to correct their behavior and earn their way back up the chart. Otherwise they may shut down completely, and the last thing I want is for my kiddos to give up on themselves.

The top four sections of the chart will earn them a sticker on their behavior chart. The blue section will also award them a free mechanical pencil to use whenever they please (you would be surprised how darn exciting those little plastic pencils are to these first graders). The purple section will earn them the sticker and a visit to the treasure box! The pink section will earn them the sticker, a treasure box visit, and a brag tag!

The three sections toward the bottom are not-so-great. When bad choices are made, they will move down to these sections. The yellow section will result in a conversation with me about why they are there. The orange section will result in a conversation with me, some sort of consequence, and POSSIBLY a phone call home. The red section will result in a consequence and a definite call home. This section may also require a visit with the principal.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!

I mentioned in #4 that the students can earn stickers on their behavior chart. I do not have that chart made yet, but I DO have these coupons made!

The reward coupons will be awarded to students once they earn 20 stickers on their sticker charts. I have 3 sets of 8 different coupons. I only made three sets because for now, I anticipate there only being 3 (or less) at a time to earn them. I will have them look through the coupons, bring me the one they want to use, and then return it to the ring. That way they can be reused and I wont have to print and laminate any more of them.

The coupons that I have are...

1. Eat lunch with the teacher and 1 friends

2. Extra iPad/Computer time

3. Take you shoes off in the classroom

4. Wear your favorite hat to school for a day

5. Sit at the teachers desk for the day

6. Read your favorite book to the class

7. Choose the brain breaks all day

8. Pick an item from the Treasure Box

I still have plenty more to do, but I am excited for what I have done so far! If you all have any tips or ideas for adjusting anything I have shared here, please leave a comment and let me know. Also, please share any other classroom and/or behavior management strategies you plan to use! I love learning everyone's strategies and style!

Have a wonderful weekend, ladies and gents!