Do you still teach here?

That's the question a coworker asked me on the last day of school. Why?

Because I pack up my room like I'm never coming back and that's what I try to do all summer. Not come back! However I've slowly started to come back to school to tidy things up.

I am having a student teacher this year. Which is sort of like having company over, I'm trying to clean everything up so that it looks like I'm super organized! Ha ha ha! So some things I'm working on for my classroom and will be featured here in the next few weeks:

• Putting up fabric instead of paper on 2 bulletin boards. (done)
• Getting rid of huge filing cabinet/shelf unit. (done, just waiting for Mr. Bob to take it to it's new home)
• Setting up area for student teacher.
• Passing out supplies for my whole team.
• Revamping my morning calendar activity on the Smartboard with some new items. (Done, post coming soon!)

(Picture Above)

These are my before (midway through clean up) pictures.

Here's the view when you come in the door to the left. You can see my four computers. My giant brown filing cabinet that is on it's way out the door :)

At the very left is my job bulletin board which I "fabric-ed" and will use a magnet system for jobs. In the Right corner you can see the door we use for recess and my library which I paper, because the amount of dust in our building makes a saw mill look perfectly clean.

The view to the right when you come in. My word wall and 2 round tables are in this area.

One of my teaching methods with many lessons is Stars and Wishes (that is a kid way to say pluses and minuses). One day last year a student asked me Miss Triebel what are your stars and wishes for your room?

The stars (+): The Smartboard, relatively new computes, a nice view of the playground, a good amount of floor space, and some nice shelf space.

The wishes (-): Heres the big one...the wall your looking at ISN'T REALLY! It's a "1960s Oh we might want to convert this classroom into a bigger classroom with its neighboring classroom". The wall is 3 INCHES THICK!

It's sort of like being in college, Gail my neighbor on the other side of the "fake wall" as the kids come to call it, can yell for me or me for her whenever we need it.

I can hear all of her lessons, and her mine or when we watch Polar Express on the Smartboard or when she does Brainpop on her Smartboard or when Señora plays her Spanish music the list goes on and on and on....and the BEST part is the motor that opens up the wall was discounted more than 10 years ago.

No teacher in my building has ever seen the wall opened...it's just a joke the whole thing... but we are getting new windows next year (original to the building hello 1960 drafty windows and I was promised then, they will box in the wall! YIPPPEEE!!!!!

One other wish would be more plugs. There is one plug but the door but thats for all the computers and 1 plug by the Smartboard and that's it folks.... I lovingly call it Green Acres (especially before we had phones).

Here's the view from my desk/reading table. I don't have a "desk" I got rid of that Cadillac sized thing years ago thanks Debbie Diller!

Here again you can see my lovely fake wall (the two wood pieces are board that had to added, when they hung Gail's Smartboard last year). Across the hall is my 2nd grade buddy Marlene. One closet (that is only half usable due to the wall motor that isn't hooked up :o/ )

The blue thing in the corner are the kids mailboxes (an old tv entertainment center) that my Dad and I built. If your reading this Dad, yes I helped! The pink 3 draw unit in the center of the photo is my desk...I keep it next to my rainbow table with all my goodies in it (chocolate and excedrin!)

I am missing one corner here to the right, not pictured are my kids closets with some over head storage and one more closet behind my laptop desk. So here it is in pieces almost ready for the big day!