The Destitute Teacher

Specifically, 10 things I wish I knew about setting up a classroom as a beginning teacher. 1. It will take far longer than you think. You may have it all mapped out in your head, but you will need a large amount of time to put it into action. If you can, get into the classroom at the end of the previous school year. Map it out in your head. Take the staples out of the wall if you can, and hang backing material. Trust me, it is far cooler (and easier) in December, rather than sweating it out late January. 2. Bring a bucket of hot, soapy water and cloths. Chances are those tote trays, maths equipment and book boxes are going to need a really good wash out. They are disgusting, and if you don't want to touch them, then neither will your students. 3. Bring needle nose pliers, music and something nice to drink. There is likely to be many, many staples in the walls. Even if you hang backing fabric, you will need to take them out so they don't ruin the effect of your display. 4. Don...

Here in NZ we tend to cover The Treaty of Waitangi each year as we work together to establish our classroom rules. Invariably, we end up coming to an agreement and each child 'signs' it to show that they will support and uphold what they have discussed. Each year, I inwardly groan at how boring my class treaty always ends up looking. That is, until I came across this .jpg on Pintrest. It got me thinking... perhaps we could create a set of 'golden' rules.... rules that are displayed around a sun... and the rays of the sun were our handprints... and our handprints were our pledge to uphold the rules. I pitched the idea to the kids and they LOVED it. Each day we painted large sheets of newsprint in a messy, Eric Carle kind of way. Just pour the paint straight on the paper and get the kids to go mad. Geez, it was fun! I have since learned a good lesson: don't use newsprint. It's too flimsy. Go for something a little thicker. With a little help I got the bac...