Fourth Year, Fourth Classroom

Well this is the fourth classroom for me in my short 4 year career. All of my classrooms have been very different in their layouts, but this one feels the most like a traditional classroom.

I know it is late into October, but everyone enjoys seeing classroom layout pictures. Please note that my room has changed even more since these pictures were taken. I also move my desks pretty frequently to accommodate the different activities we do, but they default back into groups.


A lot of my posters and decorations I got from Sarah on mathequalslove.blogspot.com If you haven't checked her out, you should! She comes up with some amazing graphic organizers and foldables for all levels of math!

BEFORE PICTURES:   The room looks so white and boring!

AFTER: (Note that it changes just a bit in some of the pictures because I moved the giant useless TV cabinet)

My desk

The back of the room. Each period has a bin to keep their journals in. The board to the left is my information station where I have the bell schedule in a pocket chart because we have 3 different bell schedules depending on Pep Rallys, intervention time, and regular Fridays. I can just switch the times depending on the event happeneng that day. The class calendar is laminated and I write on with wet erase markers. It has due dates and school events. I have my tutorial schedule on the clipboard and have my students sign up to ensure a teacher stays and that they have their work. I'll post about tutorials later.

My word wall above the student supply center. These are words that I had typed out and laminated from last year. The definitions are on the back and they are attached to some twine with clothes pins.

My changing mindset, anchor chart, and problem solving wall. We are required to build anchor charts with each unit and this space is where they are "retired" when the unit is done.

I moved the Promethean Board to the long wall and the TV cabinet by the bookshelf. We don't have cable at school and the announcements don't run on the TV's. The cabinets are locked on the shelf  and the keys have been lost so it is literally useless to me. I was told it couldn't be removed because  the district spent a lot of money on software to project my calculator on it years ago. I HAVE A PROMETHEAN BOARD THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET!!! haha Education doesn't make sense sometimes.

My corner of the room. I have important things posted on the little board by my desk of things students and staff have given me. It encourages me when I'm having a bad day.

I use this board to post my objectives and success criteria. I also used some of the class norms from mathequalslove.blogspot.com. On the table are the trays for students to turn in work. I also have all the handouts/supplies for the day on the table so students can pick them up as they come in. (**Update: I moved these to the counter in the back corner because that's where I store extra supplies and I got lazy moving them every day)

Outside my room. Some inspirational math posters and our tutorial calendar. 

Close up of my desk area.

I hope you enjoyed a sneak peak into my classroom. I'll post about some specific details in future posts.
Check back for an awesome update on my class schedule!

I got a new job!

I no longer teach at an alternative school! I am now at a regular 5A high school. My husband graduated from Texas A&M in December and we made the move from College Station in January. It was really hard leaving my old school behind and I still miss the staff and students dearly, but I actually think that this move has helped me grow tremendously as a teacher.

In the spring semester, I subbed in 2 of the area school districts waiting for a HS math position to open up. This was an interesting experience for me and I actually think that every teacher should have the opportunity to substitute teach a couple of times! I learned the importance of sub plans, classroom management, and discipline.

I applied for 15 different HS math jobs, went to 3 job fairs, and finally got 2 interviews (turns out about 8 of the jobs involved coaching). That was a stressful process. My first interview was the day before my birthday and as a birthday present they offered me a job! This ended up being the job that I took because it was closer to home and I felt that the school fit my calling as a teacher.

Once again, I am teaching at a Title 1 school. While my school is very different from my previous school, the student population is very similar.

Some differences include:

• The school size: I went from 150 total in school to 130 in my classes and nearly 2,000 total in school.
• The school colors: I was stocked up in purple and gold shirts and now the colors are green and black.
• No more credit recovery: I'm teaching students for the first time. I get them before they have sat through the class 2-3 times and they don't completely blow me off and claim they will never understand it (although I hear that quite often).
• The students are generally excited to me freshmen.
• The age of my students: the average age is closer to 15 than 18.
• Extracurricular activities- students are involved in sports, clubs, and actually attend tutorials!

Some similarities:

• I teach Algebra 1.
• Title 1 school: low income, but awesome grants that allow us to have Promethean Boards!
• My classroom is very cold and smells a little old,
• My administrators are very supportive and offer a lot of feedback.
• The students at the school aren't always known to have the best academic record, but we're working on changing that reputation!

I think the thing I am most excited about is that I can use my experiences from my old school to help prevent students from dropping out or getting behind. I know that Algebra 1 is one of THE most important classes in a student's high school career. It is usually the class that sets their mood for high school and so far I am loving giving my students an opportunity to make it fun.