I almost missed the party!!! Thanks Diana at My Day in K and Jayme at Teach Talk Inspire for hosting the Tell all Tuesday!! This week might end up being my favorite so far... My Dream Classroom! Uhh I totally get chills just thinking about it!!
Classroom decor is one of my passions! That being said...
Is my classroom perfect, uh NO!
Is it spotless? NO
Is it organized 100% of the time? That's a BIG FAT NO!!
My room is a place, that I am proud of and I like my students to LOVE our room. If you figure out the Math, then you know we all spend A LOT of time in our rooms. So why not make them cozy & fun!! I mean I teach first grade...it has to be FUN!!!!
Themes are big to me, I am a self proclaimed THEME girl. I have done Arthur, Clifford, Jungle, Beach, Surfing, and Nautical classrooms (not all at once). And yes, I am only entering my ninth year! I just love to change it up!! This year, I am going with a Sports Theme!!!
I am creating a wish list for My Dream Classroom:
I Pads for each student
Individual lockers (preferably outside the classroom)
Whiteboard tables & an assortment of seating (balls, pillows, chairs, stools)
Matching Storage Containers (for everything)
A loft
Air Conditioning
I have been learning a lot about 1:1 technology (huge shout out to Kirstin at Hip Hooray in K for letting me ask her all my questions), so I would love the opportunity to have I Pads for each student. The things that can be done are amazing!!!
We have closets, with hooks that aren't spaced out properly and can't fit nearly the amount of things a first grader needs particularly during Illinois winters! So individual lockers would be AWESOME!!! Plus it is something else to decorate:)
I love seeing rooms that don't have tables or assigned seating! I switched to tables last year and LOVE it!!! But I would love tables that had whiteboard capabilities. I would also like my kiddos to have a choice of what kind of seat they want to sit in that day. I mean a "bike" chair, HELLO...genius!!!
I am a bit of a freak when it comes to organizing, or at least planning organization!! I buy containers all the time, I mean what teacher doesn't. I just wish they were all matching and the right size!!!
A loft!!! An opportunity for my kiddos to have a loft to go read in and store our books!!! It could be transformed each year to follow my theme...uhh what a dream!!!
Air Conditioning! Now I know you are thinking...WHAT??? Yes, that is correct! I teach in a school where the classrooms are not air conditioned!!! ( I know I am not alone in this area) The office, teacher's lounge, cafeteria, and our computer labs are but not the classrooms!!! It is just hard to concentrate in August when the heat index in the room is like 90 degrees. We push through and eat lots of popsicles and drink water, but WOW...August could be a lot more effective if we had AC!!!
So there you have it...my wish list for my dream classroom! Do I need all these things..NO. Because come August 17th, I will have transformed my room into an awesome sports arena that my little firsties will love and I will call home for the next 10 months!!!
I will do a classroom tour once it is spectator ready!!!!
What's your dream classroom??? Go link up!!! I can't wait to read about it!!
No AC?? Oh my word! I would die!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on 1:1 iPads. Wouldn't that be wonderful??
Mrs. Christy’s Leaping Loopers
The no AC is horrible, but we survive!!! Thanks for commenting!!!
DeleteYes to have AC is a dream for sure!! Maybe someday!!!
ReplyDeleteNicole, I loved reading through your dream classroom. Sounds like a great room. 1:1 iPads would be a dream. I hope to one day do the same because I feel like there is so much you can do with them at this age. Love the idea of a loft. I love the classrooms that have tons of different spots for reading. I hope that you are able to get air conditioning one day soon. Thanks for taking the time to link up with us! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, so many options with 1:1!!!! I hope we get AC too!!!
DeleteNo AC?! Yuck! My school was originally built as an intermediate school, so we have lockers in the hallway and it is amazing! I can't imagine having to give them up! Active seating is amazing and I will preach to you that it is attainable! I did a $500 Donors Choose grant and got pretty much everything I needed to get it up and running. It's amazing and I'm never going back!! Also, I am 100% right there with you on matching containers! That would be glorious!!
ReplyDeleteShine on in First Grade
O'Sarah!!! AC, lockers, and active seating!!! You are my dream classroom!!!! I really want to work on a Donor's Choose grant!!! I might be hitting you up for some ideas!!!
DeleteI live in south Mississippi, so no AC is not an option! I have a donors choose grant up now for hokki stools, and it's about half way funded. I am so pumped about introducing them in our class, and I'm working on some other active seating options. Good luck with yours!
ReplyDeleteI think I have heard of hokki stools!!!! Congrats on getting it half funded!!!! Good Luck with the rest!!!
DeleteI LOVE having 1:1 iPads! They have seriously changed my teaching for the better!! Also, I have tables but I am going to try to have choice seating this year - no assigned seats. We will see how that goes! Great post!
ReplyDeleteSarah