Pink Notebook Planning: Classroom Set-Up, Part 2 / Before and After

So any of you teachers out there (or friends and family members of a teacher) know how much planning, effort, and funds go into setting up a classroom. I wrote about some of the most important things I think go into planning a classroom in a previous post. Tonight I am sharing my before and after photos. I know this is really dorky, but I actually love looking at other classrooms to get ideas so I thought sharing mine might help others. Also, finishing my classroom has definitely gotten me into the right mindset. Honestly, even at the beginning of this week I was not feeling good about the upcoming school year. Thankfully, after finishing my room, finalizing plans for the first two weeks of school, and looking over the names on my class lists, I feel ready. Though it is sort of hard to explain, I feel much the same way I did at the start of my various school years when I was a kid. Pencils sharpened, new outfits picked out, butterflies swarming, excitement over what I was going to learn, curiosity about my new teachers, anticipating the new books I was going to be able to read. Now, as a teacher I feel a very similar blend of hope, nervousness, and excitement. I am especially hopeful for the school year as I read all of the names of my new students. I mean, let's face it- we teach because we love working with kids. I know virtually nothing about these kids except that they will expect LOTS from me over the course of a school year, as I will from them. Each year, I give myself a little pep talk. I need to be the best possible teacher, every day, every moment because my kids are counting on me. Moments count in classrooms and even the smallest decisions I make can have an impact on a child. And, though posters and bulletin boards may seem trivial, these visuals set the tone. A child can size up what their experience is going to be like as soon as they walk in a room.

Yup, I am definitely ready for them now.

Before- chaos