Tell all Tuesday: My Dream Classroom

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!!

Thinking Thursday: My Classroom

Is it funny that I haven't shared pictures of my classroom on my Classroom blog?  Ironic??  Odd? Or just a simple oversight?  Let's go with the latter.

I am currently in my 5th classroom (in the same building) and will be starting my ninth year of teaching in August!  This classroom is by far my favorite, it is HUGE!!!  I must say I am a lucky lady to have all the space and storage,that I do have!

So here is the ultimate question?  How do I use my space so I can maximize it?
That my dear friends, is the question I ask you!!!

This is what my room looked like when I left June 1st!!!

A few details about my room:

*six circle tables for the kids

* one (bigger) circle table for small group

*a kidney shaped table( I use as my table/small group)

*2 large bulletin boards (one used as a word wall, one used for calendar and a focus board)

*1 medium sized bulletin board on side wall

*5 tall skinny bulletin boards on the closets

*3 large doors for my storage closet

*1 mounted Smart board/projector

*1 large floor rug

*1 set of mailboxes

*3 random sized book shelves

*1 IKEA easel

*1 rectangular table for my 4 class computers

*1 bathroom door

*1 sink area

*2 cabinets in the sink area

*1 trapezoid table with my desktop computer (connected to Smart board)

*library area in the middle of the room

The things I did not like:

*my table (that was meant to work with students, and was constantly cluttered with my work, photocopies, laptop, lunch bag, etc...) 

*my class computers on the rectangular table

*my kidney table being away from my desktop computer

*my students sitting on the rug for Smart board time

*my word wall not in an area that it was used effectively

*location of the library area (and its organization but that is a WHOLE other post)

*bulletin boards that were wasted and not used effectively

This is what I have and what I do NOT like!!  

Now I need ideas!!!  

Please help a first grade teacher out!!!!