Back from Being MIA: Classroom Under Construction - 1st Full Day in the Room

Well I've been MIA for a few weeks for a good reason...I was wrapping up my Master's in Educational Leadership including finishing my Internship Portfolio! I am proudly a Graduate!

So now that my Master's is completely finished, I finally had time to get into my classroom for more than 2 hours this summer...I logged 7 hours today (with distractions of catching up with other teachers) and now my classroom is officially under construction! I moved rooms this year (as pictures in previous posts have definitely showed lol), and have to get my room done by Wednesday because that's when the kiddos arrive! The time crunch is definitely there because Monday and Tuesday we have in-service meetings until 1 PM each day (However, I refuse to go in over the weekend - it is my LAST free weekend!) Here are the construction pictures as I like to call them!

 This is part of the area behind my desk...all the books and binders on the 2nd shelf will be moving (along with all the non-green binders) because I feel like they are just sticking out like a sore thumb!

 Another angle of behind my desk...I LOVE my tissue paper pom-poms!

This is the front - I have a cute idea to make my desk look "pretty" - can't wait to share it with you!

 I'm working on covering this BEAUTIFUL brown closet in my room (but my ADHD was in overdrive today while working so it didn't get finished lol).  It already looks better even with just one door done!  Wrapping paper is magical!

 This is what is done so far with the classroom library area...the basket labels are going to get changed out and I have to bring in the rest of the baskets that I spray painted still for the other levels.

This is my create-a-bulletin board to cover up this boring blank wall.  It's going to be my Word Wall. (Fabric and Borders do WONDERS!)

And this is the one bulletin board that I got completely finished today - others got fabric put on, but mainly today I worked on trying to unpack things and find space for them!

Definitely still a long way to go, but still not going in this weekend - instead I brought things home to do!  Can't wait to show you the finished room! How is your room coming along?

Well I Did It...Disclaimer: This is a Mess!

Well I did it...I went into my classroom today for the first time since the week of Memorial Day...they moved my room and that last week I did the frantic pack...you know what I am talking about...the one where you start out packing nicely, labeling everything with what is exactly in the box and then BAM! You start to just shovel things into boxes and say you'll deal with it when it's time to unpack...well I forgot what I had done/left until I walked into the my classroom today...boy do I have a LOT of work to do in the next 3 weeks! (Along with a LOT of purging!)

Don't be afraid to close your eyes....that's what I wanted to do too!

 Yup! Those are chairs laying on my kidney table...I have NO IDEA HOW I WANT TO SET UP THE ROOM THIS YEAR...HELP!!! lol (p.s. the shelves, and the bookcases can't move...and the computers could move somewhat if I get the tech guy to come back in after I told him just to leave them because I have no idea how else I should put them...)

 And the piles just kept growing (all the stuff that was left on the shelves was from the teacher before me...I boxes up 95% of it today to give to the new special education teacher since I already have all my own things)

 The bookshelf in the back there is now empty with the exception of some files that will be put into that stylish brown filing cabinet...I still need to ask our custodial staff if I can at least have it spray painted...

I only stayed for 2 hours today, so I only got to box up things for the new teacher (12 boxes worth of things!) and get some laminating done...I have a feeling I'll have to find another day to go back in this week maybe...and a whoooooole bunch next week, but my super sweet teacher's assistance asked if I wanted her to come in and help next week so of course I took her up on it! (Little does she know what she is walking in to...she may not come back after day one lol)

This is what I call the pile of fun laminating to cut! (insert groans here...)  But I'm one lucky girl because my dad is cutting all of it out for me!! He really is the best!!

Have any of you gone into your classrooms yet? Don't be ashamed to share your photos too! We all know what it looks like at the beginning...

My 1st Monday Made It! ...Part 1...

I FINALLY have something made for a Monday to participate in 4th Grade Frolics's Monday Made It! Well sort of...it's a 2 part-er due to weather.

I inherited these Book Bins from a teacher that was retiring...but they needed a face lift (plus the colors didn't match my theme of my classroom!)

SO I've begun the face lifting process! (those are some other containers I want to spray paint to match too - not the laundry basket thought :-) )

 The things spray painted green are letters that spell out my name that I am going to string together with ribbon to hang above my desk!

 I used spray paint specifically for plastic and that is glossy so it'll have a nice finish.  It took about 3 and 1/2 cans (give or take on the 1/2) for the outside of the Book Bins and the two little tubs from the Dollar Tree.

I only have the outside done since the spray paint won't stick or try properly if it's over 90 degrees and/or more than 65% humidity...I'm hoping that if I wake up early enough tomorrow that it'll be cool enough in the morning to finish the insides (and touch up the outsides from the fantastic wind that blew the corners of the newspaper up, making it stick to the boxes!)  I can't wait to finish them and see how they look!

I also finished creating my classroom decor, but don't know how everyone always has picture collages on their blogs of things they made via the computer so that'll have to wait until I figure that out, or it gets hung up in my classroom, which ever comes first! Happy Monday!

Where did summer go??

Time to buckle down. 6 weeks left to get my master's work completed, my home life organized, school stuff organized and ready to start the beginning of the year, and get my new classroom unpacked, organized, and set up. Where did summer go??

How long until you go back?? What do you have left to get done??