My first two years of teaching were at Beechwood Elementary in a Grade 4 Classroom where I was replacing a teacher on a leave of absence. Because it was not my classroom, I did not feel comfortable making changes to the physical setup or the decor. However, I always enjoyed visiting other teacher’s classrooms and taking note of things I loved or things I may eventually want to use when I had my own classroom. My other favourite place to go for inspiration was Pinterest!
The next year, I was lucky to get a tenured track post at Westpark Elementary. I was so incredibly excited! I had heard that it would take YEARS to get an open tenured track post and was beyond thrilled to not only get my first choice, but to also get a TENURED POST my first year on the priority list.
Needless to say, when I got the post I couldn’t wait to take a look at my room. And boy was I in for a surprise… I had an empty room! No furniture, no books, no manipulatives… nothing! I was told it was originally a meeting room and that I would need to make a list of things I would be needing.
Of all the pins I saved, there was one classroom that truly inspired me. Jamie, author of 2nd Grade Stuff, had a beautifully colour coordinated and organized classroom. I still love looking through the photos.
