After five years of researching, reflecting, observing, practicing, reflecting again, and so forth in the course of earning two degrees… it’s a little daunting to start with a blank slate. As a first-year teacher it seems the “to-do” list is a mile-long and kind of functions as laundry does: the longer you stare at it, the more it multiplies.
So where do I start? Well, like any good organizer, I am starting by going through the last five years of my life — in the form of manipulatives, Dollar Store finds, books, notebooks filled with research articles… and organizing it. De-cluttering, donating, and yes, even throwing some things out (do I really need to save the warped sheet protector when I literally have 1,000 others?).
After that is accomplished (and it will be no small feat, with some aspects — like cataloging our classroom library — on-going), the real work begins.
I sat down to think about what I want my students to feel when they walk into my classroom on the first day of school. What do I want to feel, as the teacher? What do I want my first classroom to feel like, look like, and function as?
Quite simply, I want it to be Oz.
The thing about Oz is that for as magical as it looks and feels, the real magic happens from within. As cheesy as it sounds (and I do realize it sounds beyond cheesy), the tin-man, scarecrow, and lion had the very attributes they were seeking all along and my students will, too. They’ll all be authors and scientists and mathematicians and historians and good citizens when they walk in the door… they just might not know it yet.
So, then, it becomes my job to create an environment in which they feel like they can learn and grow and take bigger risks than they ever have before.
At the top of my “to-do” list, right after “stop looking like an episode of Hoarders: New Teacher Edition” is this: CREATE OZ.
No problem, right? L. Frank Baum might’ve had his own imagination, but I’ve got Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, spray paint, Mod Podge, a laminator (I never leave home without it!), iced coffee, pacing guides, scope & sequence, and just about two months. All that’s missing is my very own pair of ruby slippers (don’t worry, I have a Google alert setup so if any size 11’s show up I’m good to go).
I think the deck is stacked in my favor! (But that’s not to say I wouldn’t like a leg-up. So, all of you veterans out there — what do you wish someone had told you to do first in the weeks leading up to your first first-day of school?)
For now, I tackle this (not pictured — nine million craft supplies, a trillion school supplies, and a dozen or so boxes of books):
What I wish someone would have told me is to plan the first week of school first, and always have rough plans sketched out to stay a week ahead. It's so incredibly helpful for remaining focused and not becoming overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done. Teaching and preparing to teach is a lot like getting organized, it's never really done. It's an ongoing process.
That's great advice, and something that is definitely on my list. I'm really lucky that my county has comprehensive pacing guides for each subject, so that I can get started even before in-service on planning the first nine weeks worth of units!
Wow! Congratulations! You are going to love teaching! I would go into my new room and pull EVERYTHING out of the cupboards to see what was already there. Then, you could also purge the items that are too old or just not your style. Put all those things in a pile, see if any other teachers want it or, just toss. Keep the things you're not sure about and then organize things they way you want them to be. Make it your room. I would do this at least a month before school starts. I did this a couple of years ago when I switched schools and it makes a huge difference. Now, I am slowing going back through the questionable items and tossing them away too. Good luck! Come visit me at 2ndgradesunshine.blogspot.com I am your newest follower.
That's definitely my plan — I'm hoping to get into my classroom sometime next week to check things out! (And thanks for the follow — I followed you back! I think our little guys are close in age, too!)
Aw, I LOVE The Wizard of Oz…. I would love to be in your class 🙂
My first classroom was a disaster and there was so much stuff/junk everywhere, I wasn't sure what I needed and what I didn't, so I organized it all and I wish I would have just thrown it out! I ended up making things I needed and all of the old stuff just looked bad and took up valuable space. I think it's teacher habit to not want to toss stuff, but after 8 years of teaching, I have gotten WAY better at purging and only keeping what I use 🙂
~Stephanie
3rd Grade Thoughts
I think I'm going to have to be really selective about what I keep because there is so much storage in my classroom that saving things could easily get out of hand!