making progress.

thank god for summer school. and pinterest. because without those two things, i would have been much less productive this summer. barring any unforseen disasters, i plan to teach summer school again next year. it really kept me in "school-mode" and had me working on new ideas throughout june/july.  and once summer school let out, i started quite a few pinterest-inspired projects for the new school year. all instead of spending my usual spare time eating chips and watching reality tv. on to the progress. . .

when i left my classroom in june, every thing to my name was packed up and stored in closets. our rooms are thoroughly cleaned over the summer and everything has to be away. nothing on the walls or boards, in the desks and bookshelves, or on the floors/windows. all furniture is stacked and placed in the hallways.  once the closets are locked up, it looks like no one has ever lived there.

and of course, the room had to be labeled with this:

a few weeks ago, i received a very special letter from my superintendent. congratulating me on my TENURE! ive also been trying out some projects. i followed a pinterest tutorial to try making those adorable tissue paper poms that everyone uses for classrooms and parties. not bad, but i need some practice (its a littleeee lopsided):

and i made a classroom setup chart. ive done this in the past and you wouldn't believe the amount of time it cuts down when i make my way into my room for the first time at the end of summer. this year, i photocopied the chart so i can draw arrows, jot notes in pencil, etc. without ruining or smudging the entire thing.  the basic set-up stays the same for the entire year (most of the outside walls are immovable objects). the student desk arrangement changes almost monthly, but by photocopying the chart, i can just draw the new setup and photocopy it on top of the old.  

AND this year... i took it a step further. for those of you without my level of ocd, i apologize for this picture. i used mini post-it notes to label and organize the entire classroom. im sure its incredibly hard to read and a little dark but its ev-ery-thing. from what goes on or in all available furniture to where specific posters hang on the walls.

yesterday, i took the chart with me to my classroom. and as i accomplished each area, i ripped off the post-it and threw it in the trash. it was like crossing items off a to-do list (and you know how i feel about that!!!). and it also was a super easy way to keep track of what i had or hadn't finished yet.  bear with me, but it worked so well - i would contemplate making one for packing back up, cleaning the house, running errands, ahhhh the possibilities are endless!

last week, i was feeling a little more than anxious. my relationship had hit a little rough patch with both of us stressed about work and what little "us" time we were managing to enjoy. we were at odds about seemingly everything. i was also overwhelmed with the amount of directions ill be dragged in starting in approximately two weeks. it all started to sink in. and i was nervous about the many things that still needed to be done. one of the major stress relievers for me is organization. when i can look at something and it just looks polished and makes organizational sense - and may even go so far as to save me time/energy/stress in the future - i start to feel myself calm down immediately. so i completed a few mini-projects, compliments of the target dollar section and a little creativity, for my classroom.

my classes are color-coded. each student has a colored folder that matches all drop boxes and materials for their class. these are my master versions :)

for absent students. they check the file box when they return. 

i have a few more projects in the works but plan on only showing those off in my classroom reveal.  so, you'll have to wait a week or so.  but i may be posting again today [gasp] because i just finished a fab book that needs reviewing. toodles.