my very own classroom!

The moment has finally come where I have my VERY OWN classroom! These past few months, I have thoroughly enjoyed planning and decorating the classroom I call mine. There were definitely times I felt overwhelmed with how much wasn't done, but for the most part, I enjoyed seeing it all come together and thinking I did that. 

Here is a sneak peek of my room: 

My best friend, Brianna helped make this door and she did a FANTASTIC job! I like it a LOTT. :)

But before I begin, I need to explain what the room used to look like.

The teacher that had the classroom before me is Natalie Fish

Natalie is one of the best teachers I had the privilege of observing for a few weeks in May. 

With a last name like Fish, she was able to create a super cute/effective classroom.

Here are some pictures of Natalie's room that I snapped. 

Her reading corner.

The front of the room.

Amazing, right? The only downside to her classroom was that the walls were yellow! Natalie didn't paint them yellow, it was already yellow when she got the room. But she picked the room because it was bigger which is a smart move because having a lot of room is really nice. 

On the last day of school, Natalie went on vacation and didn't come back for a couple weeks. But she said I could take down all her stuff and get started on painting. So I did! You might be wondering why I didn't just wait for Natalie to come home, thus saving myself a lot of effort and time. The best explanation I have is that I was excited. That's the thing about being a teacher. We have been dreaming about our room for years and when we finally get the chance to get started, we take it! 

Ammon was an asset when it came to painting my room. He helped me pick out the colors, he helped me take down everything, plus he could reach all the tall places that I couldn't-even standing on a chair. My brother, Ryan also came and helped on the first day.

By the way. If you're ever looking for cheap paint, go to the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Orem. I got a 5 gallon bucket of paint for only $30. But I didn't want just one shade of blue, so I snagged a small can of a dark blue for only $3. I checked Wal-Mart. To get the same amount of paint, it would have cost me over $100. Thank you, Rachelle for telling me about that place!

Ryan painting the first wall

Ammon took a few breaks to work on his Nursing Application

This was just the beginning

After going back and forth to my school for a couple weeks to paint. Spending MANY hours on compiling and making things for my room. Then spending even more hours getting it on the walls, and having my good friends, Jenny and Brianna come help, this is what I have so far:

TUH-DUH!!

I still have a lot I need to hang up, organize, and finalize, but I thought I'd snap and post some pictures while I still have time. Almost everything you see on the walls are things that I made.

A special thanks to my mother-in-law who gave me a Cricuit for Christmas. I used it to make EVERYTHING! It is a million times cheaper that way. Plus there's a lot more creativity. 

Dry Erase calendar that I made.

I'm the first spotlight.

My dad got me this poster and I'm obsessed! 

I've had this chair since college, but after getting married it's just been sitting in storage.
I'm glad I could find a good use for it!

My dad found me these & I LOVE them! Especially that ship!

As you can see, I'm still in the process of organizing and planning.

My desk! I promise it's there.
If you look closely, you can see my diploma and teaching certificate! It felt pretty good hanging those bad boys up on the wall.

I'm in love with these goggles. On the first day of school I'm going to take pictures of the kids wearing them.
They're going to look a lot cuter in them, that's for sure!

That's pretty much the schedule I'll have for the next 9 months.

Absent work.
 I stole this idea from Natalie. Plus I kept the green sign she made.

More pictures of my door:

My objectives.

My writing center. It needs a little TLC, but it's coming!

That's my classroom so far.
What do you think?