Are you decorating your first classroom?

I always loved setting up my room. A good classroom becomes a bit battered by year’s end, as student work goes up and down, school events are posted, and poster paper inside shiny, paper borders gets nicked or ripped in the process. No doubt some teachers replace that poster paper. I usually just covered the holes with yet more original student creations. My planning periods were always sucked up by meetings and other demands. Poster paper replacement never had a chance to make it onto the to-do list. Every August, though, I got my chance to set the world right again.

Classrooms are highly personal so I don’t intend to offer much advice.

♦ If you are short of money, ask Facebook friends, as well as teachers around you, if they have any extra posters or classroom décor.
♦ Buy those bright, shiny borders. In terms of bang for your buck, store-bought borders add pizzazz that construction paper simply cannot match.

♦ Do you like superheroes? Some interests are natural connection points with kids. An Ironman motivational poster is a win. Minions may be on the way out, but I have gotten a lot of mileage from little yellow creatures with masks and goggles.
♦ Students were intrigued by my Black Jack Pershing poster when I taught social studies. A few quirks never hurt.

For more tips, see my June 15, 2015 post.

Last eduhonesty observation: When administration walks in, they will be looking for student work on the walls. Don’t neglect this step. Your evaluation will consist of a series of snapshots taken over far too short a time period. Student work can help prejudice that process in your favor.