So long summer; Hello school days!

If you are a teacher or are friends with teachers, I'm sure you can understand why this post is a little late. I'm just now beginning to feel like things are slowing down a little. Because of some sad circumstances with a couple of our families, it was a tougher beginning to the year than usual. But we made it through, and hopefully it's all downhill from here...right?!

To back up to this summer, I started on my classroom much later than I usually do. We had our air conditioning worked on this summer, and after sweating it out for a few hours one day (it was hotter inside than outside...and keep in mind, this is Texas in August), I decided to wait until our air was back on before I returned to do more. When I came into my room, this is how I found it.

I had a lot to do. I moved my stuff into this room at the end of the year, and shoved more stuff than I thought was possible into my cabinets. Then I put all my books into big crates. I was starting from nothing. After lots of stressful days and backaches, I finally got it all ready to go. I finished it the day the kids came in (minus the stuff I had crammed into cabinets until I could figure out where to put it. I have to thank some great helpers who made the process a little easier and definitely more fun!

Here is what the room looked like the weekend before school started.

There's lots of blank space on the wall to add anchor charts, our birthday timeline, and other things. But this is basically what the room looks like. I'll update it as the year goes on, as well as include more close-ups of some of the things around our room. You may spy several Pinterest projects within my room. I am proud of them, and they really add to the room!

My closet runneth over...

The internet is a curse and a blessing. Pinterest is the same. There are nights I cannot sleep because I have too many ideas running through my head. I keep trying to remind myself that I still have a month and a half to do all the projects I'd like to do. I've been seeing lots of posts about bucket-fillers. I have tried this with my class before, assigning bucket buddies each week. The kids had to find ways to fill their assigned buddy's bucket during that week. But I've seen several teachers who have actual buckets in the room for their kids. I haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to do it yet, and before tonight wasn't even sure I wanted to do it. But, fate intervened. As I walked into Target and started perusing the $1 section, I found these adorable buckets for...you guessed it...$1. My favorite part is that the black part is chalkboard paint. So I can use these year after year! I'm so excited about my find!

I brought them home and realized I needed a place to put them. The only problem is that the closet in my office is starting to overflow with school stuff. Baskets, duct tape, buckets...it's all there. This is not to mention my super-cool duct tape quilt laying on the guest bed.

The sad part is that I'm sure it will get more full before it's time to head back to school. I am looking forward to the day when the carpets have been cleaned and the furniture returned to their normal spot so I can take some (I mean all!) of this up there. While the mess is a little frustrating, the idea of redoing my room is so exciting! The first few years I taught I bought SO much. And since then I haven't bought a whole lot. I just keep using the same stuff from year to year without giving the look of the classroom a whole lot of thought. Don't get me wrong...I try to make it cute, but I haven't necessarily thought about finding a central theme/color scheme to use. I'm looking forward to putting it all together! Only a month and a half...

Starting Over...Again

Just before the end of this school year, I joined Pinerest. Before I joined (and before I really knew what it was all about), I thought it was nothing but a huge waste of time. But then...oh, but then! I am a huge fan now! I can't get enough Pinterest. Even though it's summer and my mind and body should be resting, I find myself doing the opposite. Some nights when I turn out the light and close my eyes to go to sleep, I can't stop thinking about all the things I want to do in my classroom this year (and some at home, too)! I'll be starting my 9th year of teaching, and will be in my fifth new room. Well, technically it's my old room, but still. I can barely remember how I had things set up when it was mine, and look forward to creating new things anyway. My room also used to have two accordian walls, and they are being replaced with real walls as I write. I'm starting to think about what my "new" room will look like, and I realize that I haven't really changed all that much in the last few years. It's time for a fresh start, I think! As I prepare to move into that room and get it set up, I have realized that many of the terrific ideas on Pinterest come from teachers' blogs. Until this summer, it had never crossed my mind that teachers did blogs. It's surprising that any of us have the time! I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post, but I decided to start a blog where I could share some of my ideas, and pass along other great ideas that I find out there. Hope you enjoy it!