Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Classroom Photos

So I went to school yesterday to start putting my classroom back together. It isn't 100% ready yet, nor am I, but it is coming along ;)

Here are some pics I took  before I left...

I tend to keep a cluttered desk. I just love school supplies and can't resist buying more every year. I especially love my snail tape dispenser and alligator stapler (I found both at Big Lots).


This is the bookshelf I keep much of my art supplies on. I HATE the color of it and wish I could paint it, but it is school property. I may try to put a border or something on it though if I can find the time.


The next two pics are the view from my desk. I have really large class sizes this year and will have students all the way to the back row! I feel terrible they have to be so far away! I may have to try a new table set-up, but I'm limited with these desks.


I have lots of fans in my classroom. We have no air-conditioning and my classroom doesn't have any windows! It was a pretty mild day yesterday and my classroom was 77 just with me working in there! For the first few weeks of school as well as end of the year, when the students are there, it always jumps to above 80 degrees and is pretty miserable.


This is my FAVORITE new addition to my classroom- a holder for all of my calculators! Last year I used magnetic bins and the students would always knock them down on accident. I'm hoping this will be more sturdy and I already love how cute it looks! Anyone know where I can get a super strong magnetic hook though so I don't have to use up all of my magnetic clips?


Here is the view from the back of the room. Like I said, I have larger class sizes this year and I feel terrible for whoever ends up having to sit way back here! :(


Here is just the end of my counter by the door. There isn't anything in the fish tank yet, but I wanted to set it up to let the water meet room temperature. I'll post again when I take my classroom pets into school :)


I also got my final teaching schedule yesterday, here it is:


I am not excited to have a first period study hall. They assigned me about 50 students, way too many to fit in my classroom, so I have to hold study hall in the cafeteria. This means I don't be able to get work done to set up for the day = huge bummer! Also, I will have to take daily attendance and lunch counts for A LOT of students = also not fun and likely time-consuming. Last reason I don't like 1st period study hall is that it encourages kids to procrastinate and not do their homework at home. I would have hated 1st  period study hall if I were a student! I'm hoping a few will get their schedules changed for that reason.

Well, today I need to finish my Forensic Science Syllabus and work on some other things for school. I can't believe we start on Monday already! Summer flew by!


Sunday, August 3, 2014

TeachersPayTeachers (SALE) and Medina County Fair

So I finally finished two more PowerPoint Presentations for my Forensic Science class and posted them on TeachersPayTeachers. I have two more to finish and the series of 12 will be complete! You can find them all in my TPT Store here. Just in time too since I hear there will be a SALE Monday and Tuesday! :) Use the promo code "BTS14" at checkout to receive an additional 10% off all purchases.


I took a break from school work this weekend to go camping. My mom was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease so my family is going to sell our camper. We decided to make the most of these last few times we'll be there. It was a lot of fun. We went kayaking, had a campfire, and set off a sky lantern for the first time. I was terrified we'd set a wildfire but luckily did not!

We also took some time to go to the Medina County Fair. There was a great little animal show and I was able to interact with  a lot of the critters. I LOVE animals so this was a dream come true.




This is going to be another busy week. Tomorrow I need to buckle back down and get some school work done! Tuesday I have meeting at the zoo, Wednesday I am headed to Cleveland to see friends and family, Thursday I am going paddle boarding on Lake Erie, and Friday I leave for a family reunion in PA.

The following week is my last week of summer so I'm going to be VERY BUSY with schoolwork and setting up my classroom. Crazy how fast summer always flies by!