festival

This morning at my school we had a Festival of Arts & Sciences that celebrates the work the children have done all year and is a chance for the parents to visit various grade levels to see what sort of work their child will do as they move through the school.

I wanted to post some pictures of my classroom since it has been such a happy place for me here in town. 

Room 211 is so special to me - and moving from my cushy, large second grade classroom to this very tiny third grade one was one of the best decisions I ever made.  It is in a little nook at the end of the hall and I smile to myself each morning when I open it.

I pride myself on how my classroom looks, but the reason this one has so much magic PROBABLY has to do with these 11 little souls who walk through it each morning.

 Regardless, it is the place I will miss the most when I leave.  Don't get me wrong, I am a homebody and could spend an entire weekend under the covers or lounging at my apartment, but there's something about this place.  I also spend more time here than I do where I live.  True story.  

Walking down the hallway...

gotta love the bilingual moments.

Did I mention that I LOVE to read?

We love to do puzzles as a team.  We have completed several this year, this is our largest one yet.

self portraits

packed full of awesome projects and reports!

They set up easels for each teacher to hang even MORE work. 
Let's just say it was a late night setting up. :)

 A staple gun is a girl's best friend.

a smattering of science project posters.

I found an essay that I wrote in graduate school about "the classroom." 

It is the center of the universe.  It is a refuge and a funhouse.  It spans across time, race, age and social class.  It is full, yet there is always room for one more.  It can be colorful and high tech or low-income and misshapen.  Each person makes it his or her own, but we all share it, in the end.  It does not frighten, is not cold and only loves.  We enter the space and we are different every time we leave.  It is a classroom.

I have come to realize the very necessity of such spaces.  To live, we must all learn, and there is a place to do so.  A place we can hang our handy-work, stare up at bright posters, study on computers or take turns in a group.  Everyone teaches, and everyone learns.  It is not difficult to go from a seat in a desk to standing in front of the class.

Just as “we are what we eat,” it can easily be said that “we are where we teach.”  The learning environment should be relaxed yet motivating, open and trustworthy, as well as consistent and warm.  Positive reinforcement, motivation and recognition start with pleasant surroundings.  With these contributions as a teacher, I plan to create such an inviting world for all of my students.  If a child can smile upon entering, they have already started their day off on the right foot.