My first year came and went in the blink of an eye. Fun fact (not really fun): New teachers won't get their first check until halfway through September (at some places), that's something they don't tell you in college. So for all my future educators following this, SAVE your money to help cover the expenses that first month of teaching. Also, look through all the information on insurance, union, etc. carefully. You want to do what's best for you and do not let all the paperwork make you feel overwhelmed. It's just a lot of information to process, take your time.
Now to this post! I had spent almost everyday in the school since the beginning of August trying to visualize how, where, and what to do with my classroom. I wanted the classroom to be welcoming, inspiring, and artsy for all of the ages that I have. I had incorporated color throughout the room to really emphasis the importance of color and what you can do with simple construction paper. For the rainbow wall, this is one thing that they will see immediately upon entering the room. I wanted them to see how fun this class will be by making it colorful. It felt like I could never finish the room with everything that I wanted to complete, but by the grace of God I made it.
The students fed off of all the positive energy that they received upon entering the room. Even down to the placemats at the paint splattered tables. I wanted the students to grow in color communication with their social emotional skills. The placemats were labeled with words that the color provoked. Some examples: yellow=happy, orange=creative, or blue=loyal. The students traveled all around the classroom to figure out what the different colors represented. I created the placemats by dicuting all of the letters and gluing the letters to construction paper. After that was done, I have the placemats laminated.
Now to the last picture that I have saved (I had more but somehow they were deleted). I created a bulletin board with a superhero that was connected to the schools motto and theme for the year. The theme was superheros and the motto that the students learn is be safe, be responsible, and be respectful. I even threw in some math and had the symbol on the character be C^2. The students didn't really understand it (the other teachers loved it) but I was able to spark conversation with how math is relatable outside of the classroom then.
Now to this post! I had spent almost everyday in the school since the beginning of August trying to visualize how, where, and what to do with my classroom. I wanted the classroom to be welcoming, inspiring, and artsy for all of the ages that I have. I had incorporated color throughout the room to really emphasis the importance of color and what you can do with simple construction paper. For the rainbow wall, this is one thing that they will see immediately upon entering the room. I wanted them to see how fun this class will be by making it colorful. It felt like I could never finish the room with everything that I wanted to complete, but by the grace of God I made it.
The students fed off of all the positive energy that they received upon entering the room. Even down to the placemats at the paint splattered tables. I wanted the students to grow in color communication with their social emotional skills. The placemats were labeled with words that the color provoked. Some examples: yellow=happy, orange=creative, or blue=loyal. The students traveled all around the classroom to figure out what the different colors represented. I created the placemats by dicuting all of the letters and gluing the letters to construction paper. After that was done, I have the placemats laminated.
Your students are lucky to have you!
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