My Classroom, My Second Home

Some people work at home. Others in a retail setting. A few souls work in tiny, anonymous cubicles. Me? I work in a school. More specifically, a classroom. I have been doing so for 15 years. If you stepped into my classroom, here's what you'd see...

 

When you walk through the door, you'd be greeted by my photo gallery. It's full of pictures of the Missus, the Boy, and I having fun. Looking at their faces reminds me of why I go to work every day. It also reminds me, even during the BIG state test, that summer will come. Eventually. I look at them often.

 

Here are my two main bulletin boards right now. On the left, "Work I'm Proud Of" is a board I do in some form every year. My students pick which assignments they want to display and I dutifully staple them up. On the right, is a social studies & science board. Sometimes, it's a writing board. Or an art board. Depends on what's happening. There's always a lot going on in 4th grade.

For those of you that don't live in southern California (or in Florida) the wall pictured above may seem strange. Let me explain. We don't really have four distinct seasons here. We have long, hot, dry summers (typically from mid-June through September and often into October), and brief, cool winters when it might rain a bit. Sometimes. In between, "fall" and "spring" are warm and dry. So, that means I have to teach kids about leaves changing color. This is my attempt to do so. The leaves are made by the kiddos and before Thanksgiving they cut them out and write something they're thankful for on each one. We call them our "Thankful Trees". It is entertaining to see what the kids write. I always have a few that are thankful for little things that their parents do. Things I'm sure Moms and Dads would never think that their kiddo noticed let alone appreciated. I end up emailing a few parents with a "Your kid is thankful for you because..." message. Always worth a few brownie points. For myself and the kiddo.

 

I also have to teach the kids about winter. The kids complain that it's "cold" when it's 60 degrees outside. I know that's irritating for anyone who doesn't live here. It should come as no surprise then that I have to teach them about snow and correct them when they say they're "freezing" and it's 50 degrees. I even have a teacher friend from Nebraska come in and tell them what "winter", "cold", and "freezing" are really like. 



So, there you have it. A tour of my classroom!