As the person running the classroom, you will need an organized space to do your work and easy access to the tools you need for tasks like grading papers, planning lessons, communicating with parents, etc. Not only is it important that you model good organization to your students, but it
The small group instruction area is where the magic happens. It is in those guided groups and 1:1 student lessons that those “lightbulb moments” happen. It is there that you will constantly be reminded of the reasons you love your job. You need to set up for success by designing
After you have your class meeting area, a small-group instruction area, your classroom library, any technology requiring outlets, and your teacher workspace in place, you can begin to determine where you will have your students sit. Typically, an elementary classroom comes furnished with all desks, all tables, or a combination
In education there will always be trends and Pinterest certainly fuels that. The latest obsession with teachers everywhere is “flexible seating in the classroom”. But, is an alternative seating classroom best for every student or teacher? Flexible seating success completely depends on a few things. First, it depends on how
Especially during the colder months, student backpacks, lunchboxes, coats, snow pants, gloves/mittens, hats, scarves, and winter boots are stuffed into the small space (lockers, cubbies, hooks, coat closets, etc.) you designated for their personal items. This space is an ideal location for germs, lice, and bedbugs. Yuck! Read below to
Because you are a classroom teacher, you know setting aside an area for student mail and parent communication is essential. You have lots of options on how to create this space. I know because I’ve tried them all. There are pros and cons to each. In this post, I’ll recommend
One of our goals as teachers is to help our students discover their love of writing. An effective tool to help us achieve this is a writing center. When creating a writing center, you want to designate a space that will allow you to make the tools needed for the
