"My" Classroom

On Monday, I went to the elementary school to meet with the Assistant Principal. He explained to me that they had created a 3rd Third Grade at the last minute because they realized that the other two classes were over the school limit of 20 students per class and they had offered to job to a teacher, but she would not be able to begin until Monday of the following week. He then took me up to meet with the two other third grade teachers, both of whom I already knew from our hotel and our night at the pool hall. I spent some time with them going over the plans for the week, having them order supplies for my classroom, and then left to do some planning on my own.

When I entered what was to be my classroom, I was horrified to see the stark difference between the other classrooms' cheery designs, walls of words and numbers, inspirational posters, shelves of books and this room's bare walls and front facing rows of desks. Not thinking it was right for the kids in the new third grade to feel different or have less than their 1st and 2nd Third Grade counterparts, I set about transforming the classroom.

I asked for bookshelves and a World Map for the wall. I put the desks in groups of four. I checked lots of books out of the library. I recruited student helpers to help me stick alphabet letters to the wall, I borrowed posters, I scavenged foam paper letters to spell out "Welcome to Third Grade, the days of the week and "Birthdays" for a "Birthday Wall." It took me 6 hours, but when I was finished, I was quite pleased with my work and I felt that at least it wouldn't be immediately apparent to the kids that I wasn't a teacher.. at least not until I opened my mouth...