It's Here! It's Here! IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, the time has arrived [finally] to open my own classroom.  While there were some paper work items I could gather ahead of time, I pretty much had to wait until last Wednesday [the day before Thanksgiving] to begin working on the room.  I had to continue teaching the 10 older students who I was filling in for the maternity leave with.  It was a juggling act; one I hope I do not have to do again; but we made it through.  I was able to hand over progress monitoring completed through the 3rd week and all work graded when the teacher I was in for returned.  She had three non student days to ready her new room and once the students left on Wednesday, I began "remodeling" the one I was staying in.

My group is [currently...though rumors are floating of an addition coming before the end of December] 6 boys, all 14 or 15 years old and one male aide. Two have a TSS who comes daily/multiple times per week.  *Speaking of TSS...I should probably pull in some extra chairs! oops....*  You'll notice from the photographs that I did my best to tone down my girliness and make sure the things they are going to be using on a daily basis are "boy friendly" and not all pink and purple....though my stuff is :)

I hope you enjoy this first tour of my new classroom!! I still have a few items, which I'll post in the coming days, to add, but overall....we're ready for tomorrow :)

...well, the room is!  I'm still working on my nerves!!!

Math Station

Quiet Zone [aka...sensory corner]?
First Classroom Rule!

Reading Station
Second Classroom Rule

Spelling Station
Third Classroom Rule

Writing Station

Bookshelf: Student Supplies
Mapping Station
Door:  "Finished Work" Folders and Visual Schedules

Classroom Aide table for Aide Time
Morning Meeting board

Information Station
Earn your field trip chart and behavior chart!

My zone :)
SMART Board
and Birthday poster!!!

Teacher time table
Group schedule table
LOVE my little green [dollar tree] bucket!!! YAY!!!!!!!!

Right side of the room

Left side of the room

I'm in love with this room already....I can't wait to see what the kids think tomorrow :) Happy Teaching!!!!!

-M

the overwhelming joy...

"I thought this was your dream."  was the remark from husband man's mouth after I told him I'm just stressed about opening this new room.

It stung a little.  It was (still is, I think) my dream to have my own classroom.  That doesn't take away the stress of starting a brand new one :)

After numerous class list changes and four room rearrangements, I will have a full time aide and 6 wonderfully 14/15 year old boys :)  all have autism + something else!  Five of them attend my school already and I have been getting to know throughout this year.  One of them will start brand new with us next Wednesday!  The cool thing is, that he'll start on the very first day of our new classroom.

The overwhelming this is, he'll start on the very first day of our new classroom...

There are so many more aspects to a classroom than I realized.  I know I have the essential parts in my head, but executing them and having them in place is taking more than the fifteen minutes I feel as though I have :)

The catchy part was that I was still teaching the 10 high schoolers in this room up until yesterday.  As soon as they left, I started to tear apart Kerry's room and shift what was left of her stuff down to her new room.  I left because we were traveling home for Thanksgiving....leaving a HUGE mess for me to come back to.

The good news is that I have Monday and Tuesday to work on my room.  I am beyond grateful the change is happening over a long break because I wouldn't have been able to do it all in a weekend.  I also have a great aide who has offered to help with anything I need!


Any suggestions for how to make a large change a little easier on kids with autism??!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

-M