A brand new MacBook Pro!Yes, I too was shocked and amazed. The first week of orientation has come to a close and I continue to be impressed by the school administration as well as my fellow incoming teachers. We have sat through many informational sessions from a crash course in introductory Arabic to an overview of the curriculum development and evaluation process. Time and again I have noticed the little things that have been done to make us feel welcome and well informed. Returning teachers have volunteered to be our "buddies" and touch base with us regularly. Dinners have been arranged and paid for and every effort has been made to ensure that we have access to what we need in order to be effective in the classroom. The energy level on campus is ramping up as we get ready for the returning teachers and full staff orientation next week.
I am finding the task of setting up my room to be a bit daunting. This is the first time in 8 years working in education that I have had my own classroom. I look at my space and think, "8 years from now I will know exactly where to put that [insert classroom item here: book shelf, couch, table, filing cabinet etc]. For now I am focusing on what I am good at: purging junk, straightening shelves, cleaning surfaces and organizing materials. I am having a similar internal debate over posters and bulletin boards. I want them to have a purpose, not just cover the walls to look pretty, but am finding that a blank wall or bulletin board brings up the same anxiety that a blank journal book does: "What ever goes in/on it has got to be fantastic." I have no less than 3 blank journal books in my office that have been given to me as gifts over the years and I love them. They hold unlimited potential for captivating narratives or travel logs. While the journals stare blankly out from my shelves, it is getting close to the time when I need to put something up on my classroom walls, fabulous or not!
If you have any memories from your first days of school at any grade level I'd like to hear them, especially if they involve bulletin boards.
3 comments:
So you get the iPhone at the end of your first year?
WHOA! An APPLE laptop! I wish our school could afford to give all our teachers one because it truly is a MUST HAVE for teachers nowadays.
I loved doing bulletin boards when I worked in the school. Overhead projectors make everyone create like an artist along with die cuts.
Seriously so nice! Go Megaroomie!
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