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...

"Show Us Your...Stuff" Linky!

Man I feel like I haven't posted in FOREVER.  I've wanted to do the Monday Made Its...and haven't...I've wanted to be able to post awesome "look what I've done so far this summer for my classroom!" posts...but can't...because I've been working solely on my Master's program (not how I imagined my summer...). Enter: Christina's Show Us Your Stuff Linky Party!

Now...you know you all have piles and piles of stuff that you either bought this summer or brought home this summer. My reason for all the piles:

1. I've already done back to school shopping....and container shopping...and well everything classroom shopping including hitting up Scholastics Book Warehouse Sale for a SECOND time this year!

2. I'm moving classrooms this year, and didn't know when I would get back in mine.  SO I brought almost ALL things personal home...plus I wanted to organize it all this summer...now that I have only 4-5 weeks left (including having to set up and organize an entire new classroom!!)...and after taking these pictures...I have realized I have got to get my BUTT in gear!! 

Alright...here goes nothing...don't go running and hiding from the scary mess!!! (Like I often want to lol)

Well those are my piles! Hopefully in 2 weeks I'll at least have "non-pile" pictures to share because it'll all be put together and organized! :-)

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??

Almost July Currently!

Linking up with Farley a day early for the July Currently! (Hey, Hey this month I'm not late with it!)

Listening: For some reason Elf is on TV right now; maybe they have the whole "Christmas in July" Theory, but it's okay because I love this movie! Also, my boyfriend has been dog sitting his sister's dogs for the the past 10 days and we're getting ready to take them back to his sister's now! They're too cute though :-(

Loving: For 2 months I was debating what gym to join! I finally decided to go back to Lifetime (for some reason I always end up back there-it's just amazing, and I can't wait to start! I have my health and  fitness assessment on Tuesday-that should be interesting!!

Thinking: I really need to get my butt in gear! I have so much that I want to organize for work and home! And definitely a lot more purging to be done! Especially so I can set up one of the spare rooms and an office and creation station for myself and then the other space I want as a nice, neat, organized storage area for all the stuff I don't need to unpack (i.e. kitchen stuff).  For work I have just bags and bags of stuff that I bought for my classroom and NOTHING is organized or set up with it! AND I still haven't sorted through everything I brought home to purge, organized any of it, created anything I wanted to for school, or feel like I'm any where near ready to go back in 6 weeks!! Hopefully they'll call soon saying my new classroom is ready; I feel like that'll get me motivated to get off my butt and get moving!!

Wanting: My master's to be done! It is driving me crazy! Okay not really crazy, but it's almost like I have super bad senioritis, making me procrastinate && not want to work on it! lol I have 4 weeks until my graduation ceremony, 5 weeks until all my internship stuff is due, and 7 weeks until I finish my final class! I have 1 week left of my class I'm in now, then 5 weeks of the other class (my last one), and I'm officially done with Master's #1! Just have to try and keep the half full attitude....and keep going to starbucks away from some distractions to get this work done!

Needing: Like I said before I need to get motivated to get all the purging, cleaning, organizing, and project making done for both my home life and my school life. I'm also needing to get working on my master's work right now...

Tips, Tricks, or Hints:  I only started a blog a few months ago, and only just recently really had time to start using it.  I'm still definitely learning as I go, and often get frustrated, but have definitely gotten better with that! Leading into my tip: Just go with it! It doesn't have to be perfect and it definitely won't be when you first start so just roll with it! I take any suggests and go with them because they will only help me become a better blogger! Am I where I want to be right now with blogging? No but I know I will get there with it!

Second Tip: Join Linky Parties!  I have learned so much from even just participating in the Currently linky. I do have about 4 more posts you'll be seeing after this because I found more to join!  Plus they are tons of fun to participate in and you get to meet new people in the blogging world!  Just make sure you follow the requirements! :-)