Back-2-School!

...been working all week on my LWHS classroom and I am excited about all tasks I was able to complete, both large and small, that I really feel are going to make this school year even better.  Last year I was overwhelmed with all the new-hire stuff...new district...new school...on top of cleaning and trying to organize my room...and figure out what I wanted to do with my students during the first days, of course! All I could do last year was organize my front storage closet and then make the main part of the classroom look presentable...meanwhile the whole back of the room, the kiln room and the back storage really didn't get much TLC until the LAST days of school.  

But this year...I had already did so much of the major cleaning and organization jobs that I could focus on smaller projects...labeling and sorting and revamping.  And after being without a classroom for a year when I was down south...I am grateful for having my own space, and I take pride and joy in making it a better place for my students.

Before I post some pics...just for fun, I looked back and found some of my 'Back to School-themed' posts from back when I was teaching at Indiantown Middle School, when I first started the blog.  

So anyway, I digress...welcome to THUNDERBIRD country;

IMS Classroom Studio Tour, April 2012
IMS addition, 'The Drawing Room, August 2012
IMS addition, 'The Resource Room', August 2013

A little note about IMS...this was also an older, 'work with what ya got' school (...story of my life!), but I love to create beauty and order in places folks might not have known it could exist.  (I was like this as a kid, too- ask my momma.  We didn't have much money growing up, stayed in older homes, even a single wide trailer or two.  No matter where we were I always did my best to re-decorate and organize to create a better space, and always on a budget. Kinda my thing, and I take pride in that.)

And now...for a look at my 'Trojan den' for the 2015-2016 school year!

Front of room, view as soon as you walk in. I do a seating chart...kinda. I stand at the door and greet each student, and direct them to find a seat at a certain numbered table. This way I can still establish some order but they still get some choice. I make changes as needed, but once we're settled I wrote 'em down and that is where they sit. With 38-41 high school students...I need some sanity to help me learn names...and also helps the sub with such large classes.

To the right of the door is my front storage closet, I have shown this in previous blogs. It was so crazy this time last year, and for the most part I did the work on this already- the major work anyway. This year I could just rearrange, label...I did however have one minor nervous breakdown when I realized my Scholastics weren't alphabetized correctly...but I did it myself and now I can find any artist I need. (yay, me!)

This is a view from the back corner of the front half of the room, behind my desk. My goal was to declutter as much as possible. With so many students I felt like this was a must.

This is the back half of the room. I busted my bootie at the end of the year cleaning this area. I still need to work on the kiln room and the very back storage area, but if you open any drawer, everything is organized. I want to find some same-size boxes for the items on top of the cabinet, that's all kinds of recycled materials and various scraps, etc...but I would like that to look a little more organized. (Here's a link to a blog post about that end of school organization project; http://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/blog/schools-out)

And that's if for now.  Wait- no.  One more thing.


I used to toy with the idea of a separate teaching blog, and I did...and then took it off the main menu 'cause I decided to integrate posts about my teaching in with my art ('cause I'm a TEACHING ARTIST...and 'cause it's just easier for me)  Here is a link to view that ol' blog...it's not up to date, and there aren't a ton of things posts... but still has some fun pics and good info;

Link to Studio 'G'