Getting Ready

The air feels a little colder, even though I don't want to admit it. I also can't seem to ignore the oversize bags of orange and black wrapped treats that are appearing in all the drug and grocery stores now. Empty buses practice their routes. Fliers fill my mailbox with "back to school specials". I am finally allowed back into the school building where I work. The beginning of a new school year is upon us and I want to begin the work of setting up the environment.

The environment is crucial to a successful classroom. This year, I have decided to add a feelings corner/peace keeping area to the classroom. I went back and forth in my mind about this decision. On the one hand, students need to be able to express their feelings and demonstrate problem solving skills all over the classroom, the school building and their lives and not just in one tiny corner of a classroom. On the other hand, it seems as though the kids get overwhelmed by their emotions, especially at this young age. One small conflict can cause a major melt down. I wanted to create an area in the room where it was safe to talk about feelings and to work out conflicts with peers without the distraction of other materials or students. I want it to feel homey and comfortable. I found some great children's cushiony chairs on sale and covered a small crate to make a little table. As of yet, I haven't been able to decide on a name for this area. I have made some other tweaks to the environment as well but this feels like the major one for the year. Please send suggestions for names and other props for this area. Additionally, check back to see how the kids are using it.

One final thought about getting ready for school. I am amazed at how different people get ready. Some of us think about the classroom, use the summer to locate deals on necessary supplies not provided by our student and our truly ready to go back to school in mid August. Others of us have not yet made an appearance in the classrooms where we have to spend the next 180 days and school starts in less than a week. Still other people in the school building seem to be busying their days doling out supplies and others still are busy reapplying seemingly endless coats of paint and wax to the walls and floors. Finally, the people who are working on the parking lot for our building seem to be making good progress, so I am hopeful it will be ready for the first day as well.

Look for future posts about the attempted scam at my local office supply store, and various other thoughts about the first day of school.