I have been teaching in the same room in the corner of the second floor for the past 3 years. Before that, I spent 7 years in the room directly below on the first floor. So in a nut shell I have had 2 rooms in 10 years. What is interesting is that both of these rooms are huge, hot and are exactly. the. same. shape. Everything about these rooms was the same. The size, the windows, the walls, the doors, the storage and the cabinets. So when I moved from one room to another it was no big deal. The furniture all fit the same and lucky me...the new room had some primary colors painted on the trim. Cool! Easy peasy! Here is a picture of my primary colored, second floor, hot third grade room.
This past June lots changed. Teachers lost jobs, budget was kaput, blah blah blah...things were stressful. So, imagine my reaction when I read an email from the boss that said in a nut shell to pack your class like you are leaving the school. For good. GULP. I cried. My classroom was all I had known for 10 years. And I LOVED IT. It was simple. It was organized. It was my home away from home. Well after a good chat with "the man" I accepted it. This classroom was not going to be mine for much longer. I packed, I purged, I got excited. How fun! A fresh start and a clean slate to create in. During the summer my things were moved into my new room (still on the hot second floor) on the other end of the building. As soon as my stuff was moved I ventured upstairs (I was teaching summer program there anyway) to take a peek-a-roonie. Excitement turned to "omg" in a split second. This is what I walked into.
It is a little scary seeing all your stuff, that you organized so perfectly in your old room, and then packed up meticulously for the move, ALL OVER THE PLACE! Sigh. It stunk. SO MUCH. The walls were white, my curtains would no longer fit the windows and I had little storage compared to the last room. I was going to have to get creative! And that is where the camping classroom theme was born. Here is a quick peek-a-roonie at my new roomy!
Ta Da!!!! Welcome to Camp Anderson. This summer has been spent poured into this room. Out of 7 days I spent at least 4 of them per week at school organizing, beautifying, crafting and scheming so that everything was in its place for the kiddos. Organization is key to a classroom that runs smoothly. Now after 2 months of hard work it is finished. I love it so, so much and so does everyone that stops by. Stay tuned for more information on how I did it (and to see more photos of the best part...the inside!). Hasta la pasta my friends...for now.
