well...

here we are again. my classroom was finished about a month ago. but honestly, so was i. finished. done. dead. exhausteddd. with not even enough time in my week to catch a half hour television show, catch up on reading the blogs i follow, or even (gasp) check facebook. i was completely and utterly overwhelmed and therefore, cut off from the worlds i love.

ah, but wait. all papers are graded. the lessons are ready. the outfits ready for tomorrow. grad school work is done. top chef is on my tv. and, BONUS! ive showered. [sidenote: is it just me, or does it sound like im recreating the beginnings of the night before christmas...?] its time to disappear into a little bloggy. i promised a classroom reveal, for those of you still interested checking my blog. and i am quite proud of what ive accomplished. especially now that its september 26, and things are still remotely in order. tadaaaa!

after four years of it, im a teensy bit sick of sixty bajillion seventh graders asking to borrow my stapler/tape/tissues and everything else under the sun. this WHOLE AREA is theirs. add a little positive motivation via the incredible, still almost unbelievable to me deal i got from vistaprint/groupon and my bucket fillers - and this is probably my proudest spot.  i present my "student center"...

 this is my "teacher center" in the front of the room. the color-coded bins are by block, for collecting student papers.  the wire shelves hold looseleaf, composition books, and packets/worksheets for the week. its like my go-to area while im teaching, so i dont constantly have to run back and forth laps around the room to find my stuff. my OCD is kicking in, and the missing purple bucket is driving me insane (c'mon, you know you were wondering, too!). its there now! i had to MAKE IT - but thats a post for another day. anyway, they hold popsicle sticks with student names on them, also color-coded. in the steal of a deal bookshelf are workbooks, dictionaries, thesauruses, etc.

below are some "front of the room" bulletin board/white board shots.  loving the voice levels poster (another vistaprint) and wish i had a close-up because the descriptions make me giggle. i made everything else on the bulletin boards and the whiteboard labels. 

 my student teacher lives here. looks a little bland, but this was before he moved in. hey, i was kind enough to get him a comfy chair and add a little autumn ambiance. 

 this area is under construction. the pencil boxes are for my homeroom kiddies. little back to school gift. once they went byebyes, this area became the "time-out center" for unruly 7th graders who just need a, well... time out. we use this system to refrain from sending tons of students to our disciplinarian. its meant to be a chill spot (make sure to check out the closeup of another poster i love). ill have to post a true after shot now that this area is done. the bulletin board cant be finished yet, because im waiting for the first round of benchmark scores. will reveal when thats done, too! anddd my incredible storage closet is also back there.

and finally. where the magic happens. just kidding. but yes, this is my desk/area. although theres rarely a day when i spend much time back here, i like to smile while when i do. the wall next to my desk features important info, homemade magnet gifts, my horton poster (how fitting), and photos of old homeroom classes. my filing cabinet and personal bookshelf are also there. my desk is never ever again this clean until june25 is old and rusty, so i covered it with a cheapo plastic tablecloth and some border paper to make it a little less painful to look at. more pumpkin accents and all the stuff i use daily sit on top. add my super awesome calendar and the comfiest chair that ever existed and voila! heaven. or as close as it gets while im at work.

whew. just looking at all these pictures and remembering the blood sweat and tears that went into this setup is making me tired all over again! i have completed a few more cute classroom additions since i took all these pictures so those will be up soon.  for now, i think ill go to sleep...