Happy Tell All Tuesday everyone! Diana at My Day in K and I can’t explain to you how much we have loved getting to know all of you over these last few weeks! This linky party has allowed us to connect with so many fabulous bloggers from all over and we can’t believe the summer is coming to a close! We hope you’ll continue to join us as we share our last few Tell All Tuesday themes before the summer ends!
This week we’re taking our Pinterest boards, secret and open to the world to see, and sharing our dreams for our classroom with all of you. In my case, this post could also be titled, Reagun Tunstall’s 2014-2015 classroom! Her classroom pretty much IS my dream! I can’t wait to dream big with you and show you all my wishes for my classroom’s future!
Before I share with you some things I would love to have in my own classroom, I thought I would share some images of what my classroom looked like at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.
For the last few years I had rolled with a Boho birds theme and kept my room colorful and decorated with light pastels. I wanted to create a happy and calm environment for my firsties and I worked really hard to do that. But, as all teachers are completely aware of, our classrooms are our second (often first) homes and we spend countless hours in it for 10 months. Having this same theme and color scheme for too long, this year I am making some BIG changes. Some of them have been inspired by the images you’ll see in this post. I’m not allowed back into my classroom until mid-August so I will not have real pictures of my own room to share with you until the beginning of September but I’ve finally decided on a theme: soft brights with a black background!
Here are a few of my ABSOLUTE favorite classroom images and some things I would LOVE to have in my home away from home. I would love for you to share your opinions in the comments if you’re a lucky teacher who has some of these things!
1. Tables NOT Desks
Ohhhh what I would do to have tables in my classroom and NOT individual student desks! I love this image from Schoolgirl Style and how this teacher set up her tables into groups of four. My firsties are stuck with big clunky desks that are too large for my classroom and make setting up cooperative groups very challenging. One day I would love to have tables of any kind in my classroom. If you have tables, I’d love to know your thoughts!
2. A Lamp
Okay, this may seem peculiar to you and I completely get it. But, I used to have the cutest little lamp in my classroom library area. Due to fire codes and school policy, I had to get rid of it. I loved the soft glow and cozy feel it helped create. I would love to be able to have a larger one by my reading area like here in Reagan Tunstall’s classroom!
3. Large bookshelves
Using the same image above, I would love to have large bookshelves to hold my guided reading and math center materials. I have beautiful windows that line the entire one side of my classroom that lets in beautiful light. But, that doesn’t lend itself to much space to have tall items in the classroom.
4. A Student Computer Center
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| Image from Tunstall’s Teaching Times |
Doesn’t this computer center make your teacher heart sing?! Oh Reagan Tunstall, show me your ways of classroom decorating! This computer center is just gorgeous. Easily accessible to students, several computers for multiple students to use, and clean and organized. Yes please!
5. A Book Closet and Wall Library
To have this many books on display, like this wall library from Project Nursery is just unreal. I would love a place for my students to go to and read quietly while choosing books right at their fingertips.
6. A Large Organized Closet with Book Organization
This closet is everything from First Grade Glitter and Giggles. I love the organized sterilite tubs, the book big organization, and huge tubs on the top shelf. My classroom has two small closets and no overhead space. It’s getting more organized but this is my closet goal for the 2015-2016 school year.!
Can I get a collective, Aaaahhh when looking at this image?! Yes, that image on the left is what my closet looked like before the end of the year! We’re making slight progress but I have my work cut out for me! Send some positive thoughts my way, will you please?
7. Cozy Chairs
Doesn’t this table and chairs from A Traveled Teacher just make you want to curl up with a good book and relax for hours? That’s exactly what I think my students would feel if this were in my classroom. Sigh, I don’t think it’s in the cards for this year but maybe in the future!
What else do I hope to have in my dream classroom?
This image from Growing Firsties really says it all. Despite all the “things” we have, what really matters is how we create a warm, inviting, and loving classroom environment for our students. That is definitely a HUGE part of my dream classroom!
Well, I hope you all had fun getting a closer look at my classroom hopes and dreams! This has been great to share some of my favorite images that have been sitting in my Pinterest boards staring at me saying “Jaymeeee use me!” Maybe this year, just maybe!
What are your classroom hopes and dreams? We’d love for you to share your picks with us! Don’t have a blog? No worries, leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
8 Comments
I love all of the parts of your dream classroom! Wouldn't it be so awesome to have closets full of storage space?? I would LOVE huge bookshelves for all my literature, too! We have tables in my kindergarten room, but only three of them. We spend most of our time on the floor.
Thank you so much for sharing your dream classroom with us, I had a great time reading about it! Thanks so much for hosting such a fun linky, too!
Erin
Kindergarten Dragons
Your dream classroom looks amazing! I found an image from Reagan Tunstalls too! I wish I could decorate half as well as some of the pictures I see every year. This was so fun! Thanks again for letting me link up! You are amazing!!!!
So funny that Reagan's classroom keeps popping up! I've drooled over her classroom photos for the last few years, too. That book closet and wall library is amazing! Why did I not know I needed that before! Thanks for sharing your dream classroom ideas. So awesome!
Andrea
Always Kindergarten
I looooved Reagan's design, too! That book closet NEEDS to happen! I am in awe of it.
I did a long-term sub assignment in a 3rd grade classroom a few years ago, and the teacher used tables, having come from kindergarten and loving table work. Let me just say, THE BEST IDEA. Since we are moving to a more "collaborative conversation" era (thank God!), tables are a great way to incorporate this!! Let us know if you end up with tables! Thanks for sharing the cuteness and great ideas!
Erin
Very Perry Classroom
I love all of your classroom decor dreams and it's no denying that Reagan's classroom photos are dreamy.
Brittany
Lovely Literacy and More
I have never heard of a book closet/wall library!!! I love it!!! Thanks for sharing!!! And for hosting this fun linky!!
We share the same dream classroom! Hahah! I told my husband, if I ever win the lottery- I'm keeping my job but getting everything I ever hoped and dreamed for in my classroom and for my students. Love Reagan Tunstall, too!
Real Life in First Grade
Man! I'm bummed I've just now came across this linky party. Reagan Tunstall has the best classroom set up ever! I envy classrooms with real walls and windows.
KaSandra
MemoriesMadeinFirst