classroom tour + first days of school

School (and my career) has officially begun! I can hardly believe it; I think it is still sinking in.

Quick recap of my life as of late:

-the last couple days of August were spent in PD (2 days for new teachers, 2 days in the school as a staff, and 1 day of teacher convention with the whole division – who all came to our school to see the new building)

-the first two days of September marked the beginning of the 2016-17 school year and, boy, were they a whirlwind!

-in the Pre-K program, we do home visits with all of the students and their families before they actually start school, so I have met just over half of my Pre-K students; their first official day of school all together as a class is this Thursday (September 8th). I can hardly wait to have them all in my class!

-the first days of school for everyone else didn’t quite feel like that for me, as my main group of students (Pre-K) have not been at school yet. In a way, I kind of get 2 first days of school (as if 1 isn’t exciting enough!): the first first day we had on September 1st (and with my afternoon students in Grades 6, 5, and Kindergarten) and the first day of Pre-K coming up this week

-all of my Pre-K students are so sweet (and obviously adorable)! I am so excited to get to know them all and grow and learn with them this year. Send me good vibes for the first few days when they come to school – I am just hoping for minimal tears and separation anxiety!

-I have met and taught my Grade 6 Social Studies, my Grade 5 Music, and my Kindergarten Art, and I have to say, as a new teacher, I have really hit the jackpot. All of these classes are good groups of kids and I look forward to spending my afternoons with my mixed bunch of learners. I think that being in Grade 5 and 6 will be my biggest area of adjustment and growth this year; having never taught students higher than Grade 3, it feels like a whole new world. Luckily, I get to start and end my days with my little ones, where I definitely feel more at home.

Now… The moment you’ve all been waiting for (haha)… My classroom!

First, I have to preface the pictures by saying that I am unbelievable lucky and spoiled to have been placed in this program; NESD has been putting a lot of effort and resources into their early learning programs in previous years, and it definitely shows! All of my numerous cupboards are bursting with toys, manipulatives, and activities (in fact, I didn’t really have much room to put my own things that I brought). Also, all of the furniture was supplied and it is beautiful! The Reggio approach is very evidently displayed.

I will admit, when I first heart about this neutral and natural colours thing (back in university), I thought it was a load of hooey (also, I was reluctant to give up my vision of primary colours for my primary classroom). Every time I walk into my room, though, I can see the difference that it makes. It is so calming and warm. Having pops of colour here and there keeps things interesting and aesthetically pleasing, but the base of natural colours prevents things from becoming too overwhelming and visually distracting. In short, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my room and feel blessed to call it my learning space.

This is my Morning Meeting/carpet area. To the left is the VIP (Very Important Pre-K of the Day) chair. I also have a SMART whiteboard, which was new to me and very cool!

This is my lovely little bookshelf. It is at the right side of my carpet. The back side of it doubles as display space for invitations and storage (see picture below).

Here is the back view of the bookshelf. This area will be primarily used as a centre focusing on pre-reading, writing, and mathematics skills. Right now I’ve got it set up as numbers and patterns with the rocks. 

 

This space is right beside the previous station. This will house rotating invitations. Right now, I have it set up as colours (left) and puzzles (right). I love the pop of colour this centre gives to the room. 

This, right here, is the money shot! This is my amazing loft/fort area. Underneath, I have a calming/cozy area. Up top, I have puppets, beanbag chairs, and cushions. 

A peek under the loft. I have set up comfy furniture, a beanbag chair, cushions, sensory bottles, noisemaking tubes, and books about feelings/self regulation. I hope this area will be used by students who need a break from the busyness of the room or quiet time to themselves. 

 

Top of the loft

Block centre

There is a large stretch of rug to build on. You can also catch a glimpse at our family tree (soon to be filled up with students’ family pictures). 

This is what I have in my sensory bin/sand table at the moment. 

This is the far wall of my classroom. It features a full span of windows that look out onto our Pre-K only playground (and means that we get tons of natural light). This picture also shows the art studio. 

 

 

Bird’s eye view 🙂

 

Advertisement