My Home Away From Home

Classrooms are special places to teachers. They begin as a place to work and become a second home - at least that's how I view my room. At the end of the year, I moved to a nicer room (one that actually has windows!), and Jeff helped me with some preliminary fix ups. We painted, moved books and furniture, arranged desks - all the heavy labor. As I've been at school this week working on curriculum, I've stolen a few minutes to decorate the space I live in about 9 hours a day. There is still more to do - put up some fabric and posters on the back wall - but the rest of the room is shaping up. Take a look:

I like to begin my decor at the door! The lettering is from a botanical alphabet coloring book while the little sayings are stickers I picked up at Dollar Tree. (They're great because they come off easily if they need to be re-positioned or removed.

Here's a better look at all my little sayings. "In a world where you can be anything - be yourself." "The best things in life aren't things." "Friends are the flowers in life's garden." and "Oh, the places you'll go!" There are actually more of these scattered around the room with quotes from Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and others.

A white board hangs on the left upon entering the room. I've hung jazz themed art above the board to give the place a homey feel. (These are actually pictures that used to hang in our house, but they didn't match the new decor!)

Next comes the "brag wall." This began when Jeff and I taught in Safford, Arizona. Our principal at the time asked everyone to create a wall with awards, photos, all kinds of artifacts that represent who we are, where we come from, and our unique qualifications. This has become standard in every classroom I've had since.

While a shelf full of stuffed animals may seem incongruous with a high school English class, the kids and I have a  good deal of fun with these. They get passed around, tossed across the room, used as props, and "talk" to students about specific topics (i.e. the Emily Dickinson doll sings her poetry to the tune of Gilligan's Island while the three little kittens (Byron, Keats, and Shelley) discuss romantic poetry.

The side of the room away from the door needs some art, too. Once again, posters that used to adorn the walls or our house now liven up the walls of my classroom.

This little display by my desk is new and serves as fair warning to the kids about my caffeine addiction.

This also hangs near my desk. It is the first "teacher" item I ever owned - a gift from my mom - and has hung in every classroom I've had.

So, that's the grand tour. The back walls (behind the book shelves) have light green bulletin board areas which will be covered with some kind of funky fabric before school begins. (I have a rather extensive stash, but I'm leaning toward the furry stuff!) Thanks for visiting my home away from home!