Setting Up the Classroom

I still love my classroom. It just takes me more than 1 day for me to set it up. I usually need 3 different occasions to tackle it, since each time has a different mental outlook. 

First Day:

It's moving all the furniture.  

All the desks, tables, carts, chairs, bookshelves, bench find their home. I check spacing. 

**Brand new teachers - please pull out the chairs as if a kid is sitting there, make sure they can easily sit in their desk and see the board.  

I have had different arrangements over the years.  With this space, there is a lot more walking room if I can put them into 3 table groups.  I hope I can. This is my starting off place for the year.  Pods of 5 or 6 work well too. If I have to change to rows I'll do that, but it's hard since all walking space is gone.

First days are always more of the physical effort.

Second Day:

It's about unloading the cabinets, fixing the walls, and prepping the white board.

This is when I think it starts to hit me that the classroom comes to life.  When personality goes back in.

This is the day that I get easily distracted and start puttering around the classroom - placing items as if I don't remember what I did last year, or what I've learned from the past. I know this bulletin board is always better at this spot, why did I want to change it? 

I bring a Swifter duster to tackle the walls, and check to make sure the bulletin boards have another year of life in them.  

Third Day:

This is when I'm making sure that everything is ready for the first day of school.  Any copies that need to be made? Everything on the desks that should be on their desks? Things written on the board. Lesson plans ready to go, read alouds pulled out... Class list finalized? Time to write names on name tags and participation sticks, and go through my first day plans to make sure I've pulled everything.  I try to think of everything I'll need and get it in easy reach.  

Today I'm in the classroom, day 3, prepping for Monday.  Final push... The kids are coming!!! 

I hope this helps,