Gettin' Goin'

In the Midwest, we have a quirky (and cute) little habit of dropping the "g"s at the end of our words.  Thus the title:  Gettin' Goin'.  Translation:  I'm getting going on setting up my Montessori 3-6 classroom for this fall.  It's sort of a Midwestern way of saying getting started. My first day with students is Monday, August 24th, exactly three weeks from today.  And I honestly haven't been in my classroom all summer. The carpets were professionally cleaned several weeks ago and I went up at that time to move all the furniture onto the tiled area.  Tonight my goal was to get all the furniture back in place.  This is what my classroom looked like from the main entrance when I started tonight.

 

And this is what it looked like when I left.  Now that's more like it!!  Much betta!!

 

My classroom has a foyer area where the parents and children wait before class and where parents wait to pick up their children.  Here's what it looked like when I came tonight............the bulletin board border was rainbows and shamrocks.........left over from............March!  YIKES!!

 

And here's how it looked when I left........complete with an apple border that should get me through the end of September.  This is the only bulletin board I do and it looks just like this more or less all year with the only variation being that I change the border.....or recruit nice helpful moms to change it for me. :0)

 

 

After getting everything set up I was kind of ready to do a little more.  All the items on my shelves are exactly what was there on the last day of school in May...........so I have a lot to do with the various shelves...........dusting.......putting out new work............replenishing consumables, etc.  Tonight all I did was pull out my September bin and my August/September notebook and look at some of the things I had out last fall.

 

Below you can see the contents of my September bin.  These canvas bins (from Target) hold A TON OF STUFF.  After my first year back teaching Montessori last year, each bin was filled to the brim!!  I keep all my seasonal manipulative items, games, etc., in these bins.

 

I have one of these notebooks for each month.  (August and September are shared since we only have school for about 1 week in August.)  Inside are page protectors which hold ideas for each classroom area (i.e. practical life, language, math, etc.) as well as copies of art projects and reproducibles.  I added a lot to these last year as I found new things to do.  It was great tonight to just pull out this notebook and be able to easily find all the seasonal things I'll want to use right off the bat this fall.

 

Here you can see an apple alphabet activity I stashed in the front pocket.  On the right is a page of seasonal fingerplays and songs. 

 

I felt good about what I accomlished tonight.  It was good to get back into the classroom and get into that "school" mindset again.  I am now getting motivated to keep going.........I'm sure I'll be in the classroom a little bit each day from now until day one.  So expect lots more posts on this blog soon.

As I was driving home from school, I was overcome by a strong feeling of peace and joy.  I live only a few miles from the school I teach in and when I go home the "back way" I have a beautiful view of the rolling farmland that is prevalent where I live here in the Midwest.  I have wanted many times to post some photos of the views around my school but usually forget to take the pictures.  Tonight I stopped my van several times to shoot some pictures of my view on the way home.  I'll leave you with some images that I find to be very idyllic and bucolic...........I had to put some "big-girl" words in this post to offset the title words!  ha!

 

 

 

Comments

[Mary]

Thank you so much for sharing your ideas in this blog. As the beginning of the school year approaches, it is so nice to be able to see what another Montessori teachers are doing (especially as a new Montessori teacher!) and to add new ideas to my repertoire.

[Teaching My Little Bookworm]

yes we do drop them its a carolina thing too i think cuz my grandparents did to and they were born and raised in the carolinas!

[Toddler Crafts Julie]

Your classroom looks clean and attractive. It must be a good place to learn lots of things inside. Thanks for passing Montessori School on here. Toddler Crafts Julie.

[Sheena]

I wish we lived in your area so that my daughter could come to your school. :) Looks like a great learning environment.

[Lindart]

Where do your kids hang their coats, and how do you do it? We have a very small coat-room, very crowded when the children are changing. Looking for some ideas.

[Lindart]

Your room is so big! I love that first day when you're setting up the classroom. I never seem to have it the same way every year, even if things worked well the previous year! Funny! I love the bins and the books for each month. Great idea, everything is ready to go! I've spent my summer painting and painting - after 10 years we decided to spruce the place up, my two upstairs teachers painted their own room and foyer, and I did the kitchen, and now am working on the office. A lot of work, but the school is looking fresh and clean! Luckily my room is still good, and doesn't need painting, just a few touch-ups.

[Lisa,Ct.]

I'm so glad you're back!!

[Jessica]

I like your idea of monthly bins. I've never seen that before...pretty neat.

Have fun setting up your class!

[Tara]

OH, your post makes me miss teaching so much! I used to love getting my classroom set up. Just the anticipation of all of the energy and excitement that would soon be coming through the door. So much potential.

Thank you for this lovely reminder!

[Gigi]

As a future elementary teacher, I love how you detail every step because that is what I need. I get overwhelmed by the amount of materials and the concept of how to track/teach 3 age groups. I like how you organize everything from ideas to materials!

I wish I could find an elementary teachers blog with this kind of detail! Thank you!