On the Road Again

I teach in a PreK-2nd grade building that uses a co-teaching model to offer full inclusion of all of our students with IEPs.  That is, we have no self-contained special education classrooms in our building.  All of our kiddos are together in regular education classrooms all day-every day, and the special education teacher pushes in to co-teach with my teaching partner and I (and ALL the other inclusion teachers in my school).  There are A LOT of benefits to this (I'm sure you'll hear me talk about it a lot this school year), but this post is really about why (and how) I moved my classroom.

In an effort to make life easier for our poor, harried special education teacher, and to deliver the best, most targeted instruction we could, my teaching partner and I decided to go "all in" and embrace a true co-teaching model.  In other words...Your kids are my kids, and my kids are your kids!  In order to do this, however, we needed to be "geographically" closer to each other in the building so we could experiment with grouping kids strategically for Daily Five and Math. When the classroom next to my teaching partner became available, I asked to move. I was SO excited...until I realized just how much work was ahead of me.

Do you want to know something about 99.9% of teachers?  WE ARE PACK RATS! All of us!  Don't even try to deny it.  Sure, you might not be one of those "I have a collection of 300 toilet paper tubes-I just rented my third storage unit-I buy 25 of everything because you just never know" kind of pack rats, but chances are you're at the very least a stuffer- an "I'll keep that just in case" kind of pack rat.  I prefer to call myself an "Organized and Purposeful Pack Rat", but I digress.  I moved into a classroom formerly inhabited by a teacher who got hired a week (seriously, a WEEK) before school started a few years ago.  Do you want to know what happens when a brand new teacher (as in FRESH out of college) has to get an entire classroom ready the week before school starts?  You guessed it...Every teacher in the building gives this poor soul a little of this and a little of that, and you end up having junk, I mean treasured hand-me-downs from 15 different [well-intentioned] teachers.  

The joy I had upon entering the room for the first time was quickly replaced by terror as I slowly started opening cupboard upon cupboard of [insert your preferred word for clutter here]!  To quote my favorite lil animated fish from "Finding Nemo", "Good feelings gone!"  Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of great stuff as well; it was just overshadowed by copious amounts of...well, you know.  Long story short, I pulled up my sleeves, came up with an action plan, and went on a hunt for the nearest flatbed or cart. Well, as many of you know, a school in midsummer closely resembles a ghost town.  And while I didn't actually see any tumbleweeds, I couldn't find a flatbed or cart either.  Those that know me understand that once I make up my mind to do something, I'll get it done somehow.  I once made a late night decision to move our treadmill from the basement to our bedroom.  You know, so I would use it more often.  Sigh...  I wasn't going to let the fact that I was home alone stop me, so I dragged that sucker up the basement stairs, through my kitchen, and into my bedroom ALL BY MYSELF!  Needless to say, I did NOT work out that night.  When my husband came home he said I was nuts.  He says I'm stubborn- I say I'm determined! The point is, I don't let obstacles get in my way...unless I'm out of coffee creamer, and then I cry like a baby.

Think, Jen, think!  I quickly came up with an idea...THE LOST AND FOUND CART! This all-purpose, I'll do whatever you need me to do, friend on wheels quickly became my lifeline over the next several days.  I moved my entire room by myself with my new BFF...this guy right here...

"Though she be but little, she is fierce."  -William Shakespeare

After a few days of hard word, a little bit of cursing under my breath, and one [still] bruised knee, I moved into my new home.  I'm ready to rock.  My teaching partner and and I, along with our co-teacher are going to have one amazing year. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

A panoramic view of my new room.  It's not really this big, but panorama is the only way I could fit it all in!  I love how everything has come together so far.  Close-ups coming soon!

One more thing, I couldn't have done it without this little cutie.  This is our youngest son, who we've affectionately dubbed Dizzy.  This guy helped me so much!

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” 
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice