Re-think and Reframe: Changes to Consider for the New School Year

 Welcome back to school everyone, oh and happy new year! As I've shared in previous posts, this year has certainly brought challenges already with the initial classroom set-up, however I've worked diligently on my own reframing of the situation, and I'm feeling more excited and positive then before! This year is a new opportunity to start fresh, and make changes! I know what you might be thinking- haven't we had enough of that? Yes! Of course! But these changes come from you! You're in the driver seat so steer your teaching life in the direction you want! Here are some things to consider: 

Switch up your classroom theme: For me, this meant that I spent my set-up time adopting our Ferny theme even more into the classroom to truly transform it into our learning cave (I'll share pictures once we are done!) 

Change the way you organize: This might mean coordinating and re-organizing your binders, going digital, a hybrid of both. The objective is to keep thinks organized and easily accessible. 

Condense: This year I had to clean out materials from five other teachers who had the room before me, however, this also forced me to look at my own things and decide what to keep and what I could part with. For me, this takes longer than a week to do, so don't feel defeated if you feel the need to continue to condense throughout the year. 

Re-arrange: The new school year offers possibilities for re-arranging your classroom. This isn't exactly the same as decorating, although it might cause a change in that as well. Think about maximizing space (in our case it's often thinking up instead of the sides of the room. 

Treat yourself!: For me, I had no choice given the holes but... a new backpack was exactly the final touch I needed to feel excited and ready for the year. I know money is tight for all of us, but getting that one new item that we can smile at everyday can and will make a difference! It is not selfish to treat yourself! 

So here are some Final Thoughts: Keep thinking about how you can re-think and re-frame your new year, and take advantage of all it has to offer. Keep looking for fresh ideas from colleagues, and on social media. Keep up the courage to try new things and make your classroom your space to enjoy- it's not selfish to put your favorites into your room!