mshansen107-blog

[mshansen107-blog]

2017 Classroom Reveal

You never quite realize the immense pressure a teacher is under before the beginning of a school year, until you become one yourself. As a child, I would skip into my classroom year after year, awed by decorations and thrilled to see my name written on my cubby and my desk, but I never stopped to wonder just how much work the beautification and organization of the class actually was for my teacher. Nor did I wonder if maybe my teacher wasn’t 100 percent satisfied with the way the reading nook looked, or guess that maybe she couldn’t afford colorful bins this year, or  marvel over the fact that she spent her own hard earned money to purchase those magnifying glasses in the science area. 

We often under appreciate teachers. We forget that work for them doesn’t end when the bell rings. We don’t realize that they spend HOURS looking up ways to spruce up their math centers. We choose to ignore the fact that teachers use their own money for supplies like copies, crayons, and even snacks so their students are never without. And while I have worked with kids since I was 17, from camp counselor to preschool director, I never really understood the stress that accompanied the days, weeks, and even months before school started. 

So here’s to you teachers! To the endless trips to the Dollar Store, Lakeshore, IKEA, Target, and the Container Store. To the hours spent agonizing over which color scheme or theme to use. To late nights pouring over curriculum maps, TpT, textbooks, or PD articles. To the moments of self-doubt over your possible performance in the new year. To the fear that your new students may not like you. To the feelings of jubilation when you find a sweet deal that is just perfect for your room. To the complete joy of hanging that last decoration and turning around to stare at your complete room with pride.

From one teacher to another, I salute you!

So here goes...

2017 Classroom Reveal

I use flexible seating in my classroom. They have 5 options: 2 tables with two different size chairs, a standing table with stools, a low table with pillows, two ottomans, and seating on the carpet with clipboards and pillows.

This year, I am ditching my traditional reading log for the Million Word Challenge. For more about this challenge check out this from TpT. Also, super exciting, I got two new tablets and brought an old Nook tablet in from home. My tech time during Daily 5 just went up a notch!

I completely reorganized my books to Guided Reading levels (thank you Book Wizard!) Have you picked up on my theme yet?

One of my splurges for the new school year. I found this awesome document camera on Amazon. This is going to make my presentations and lessons SO much easier! Snag yours here!

I have completely revamped my math curriculum with the help of The Core Inspiration’s Math Workshop. I am so stinking excited about this! Differentiation is the name of the game with her awesome, user-friendly system. Definitely check out her blog to learn more. Plus, I love my new stool from HomeGoods!

Here you can see one of my additional desks for kids who need distraction free learning/working space. Next to that is Furball, our Syrian Hamster, who is back from her vacation with me during the summer. Above her cage is our classroom friendship tree. Whenever I catch someone doing something for someone else out of the kindness of their heart, I may write that child a leaf to put on our tree. Students can nominate others for their good deeds too. The kids love it, and while at first they may do things thinking they will get a leaf, eventually it just becomes habit (But its important to only give a leaf for acts of kindness from their hearts). 

I teach at a character education school. We believe that social emotional learning is on par with academics. Each month we focus on a new virtue or character strength, and frame the curriculum around that idea. 

I started this Positive Break Space last year, mainly because I had a few anxiety prone kiddos and this helped them regulate. Let me tell you that it was a god send! I learned about these spaces after getting trained in Positive Discipline. In it are tools to help kids regulate and they control when they are ready to return to work. 

Another great tool for the students. A huge goal for my students is to build independence and resilience. Teaching them how to regulate is a huge part of that. I make sure to have the tools they need to stay focused along with directions. This poster was found on Pinterest, but I cannot for the life of me find the pin.

Second graders need to learn about money and solve word problems using it. The wonderful teacher behind Core Inspiration (who also did the Math Workshop listed above) has an awesome program to monetize the jobs in the classroom. Find it here. I am super excited to “pay” my kids for their jobs.

Well thanks for stopping by and checking my room out! Enjoy the new school year!