In August, bloggers usually post pictures of their classrooms prepped for the beginning of school. Everything is clean and organized with true Pinterest perfection! This year thought I would post some anti-Pinterest pictures. What does your classroom look like when preparing for summer?
4 Classroom Pictures You WILL NOT See On Pinterest!!!
1) Dirt
You will not see piles of dirt on Pinterest. Does anyone else loathe the dirt that accumulates under a large area rug? Is it truly dirt or is it the bottom of the rug deteriorating? You should have seen the floor when the rugs were first rolled up. At least this dirt has been swept into a nice pile. I think my custodian is trying to convince my principal to buy me a new rug. My rugs are in rough shape.
2) Mismatched Boxes
In the world of Pinterest, all the boxes would be matching sizes and modpodged with cute wrapping paper. The two diaper boxes do look out of place on top of all the matching Lowe's boxes. This is actually a spare room which will store my instruments for the summer so it will be temperature controlled. Our floors are getting ripped up and replaced this summer. My wall of wooden cabinets had to be emptied and boxed up. I'm so thankful for my old post on Organizing Instruments. I'm certain I will be using it as reference when unpacking boxes.
3) Stuff Covered In Plastic Table Cloths
If you type "plastic table cloth" in the search window on Pinterest, you will find many creative and beautiful uses for this cheap party supply. People use them for backdrops, chair covers, curtains, ceiling swags, pom pom flowers, and more. However, you WILL NOT see them draped over computers and printers. We are not certain what kind of dust and debris will be created when they replace the floors this summer, so everything must be protected.
4) Unlabeled Boxes
This picture MOST DEFINITELY does not belong on Pinterest! As I began the packing process, all of my boxes were labeled neatly with all the contents, down to the last egg shaker. I even made matching pink labels reading "MUSIC ROOM 129, FRAGILE INSTRUMENTS!!!!". However, at the end of the packing process, I got tired of being neat and organized and started shoving things in boxes and throwing them on the purple table. You will also see more plastic table cloths covering textbooks that are not even boxed. That laziness would definitely not show up on Pinterest!!!
In order to offset the chaotic disarray of my classroom at the moment, I would like to declare one last thing . . .
Before I began the packing process, I attacked my filing cabinets with a trash can and a label maker!!! Lots of things got thrown away and minimized. I made new labels for the drawers.
The drawer I use most throughout the school year got new file folders with new printed labels. My handwriting is atrocious, so I will be able to locate things much quickly now. I can't wait to tackle the other drawers in the fall! I'm sure I will search Pinterest and find more projects to put my label maker to use around the house this summer!
The drawer I use most throughout the school year got new file folders with new printed labels. My handwriting is atrocious, so I will be able to locate things much quickly now. I can't wait to tackle the other drawers in the fall! I'm sure I will search Pinterest and find more projects to put my label maker to use around the house this summer!
I love your anti-Pinterest photos! I don't have a rug for dust and dirt to accumulate under but the flip form risers. It amazes me the stuff I find under there. Old band-aids, tissues, stickers, glitter, etc!
ReplyDeleteLOL. Your pics made me laugh! I had to move my room once during the MIDDLE of the year for new carpet. Holy MoLy! It was a big hot mess and a big pain in the patootie! I can really relate. *going to google plastic table cloths*
ReplyDeleteI am in the same boat. Tomorrow is the last day for students, and I have only just TODAY had a chance to do ANY organizing and cleaning. You are certainly better organized when shoving things in boxes than I am, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI also teach art and had to do the same thing to that room as well! The extra snow days has already made our summer extra short. Transforming two classrooms into warm, welcoming learning envirnoments is going to take a lot of work and take more time out of my summer! (I say this while ignoring the fact that it is a very strong possibility the floors will not be fun finished by their deadline.)
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! It is so honest and also realistic! Sometimes, instead of decorating and color coding, I get caught up in the teaching! :) Hoping to get ahead of the game this summer and catch up a bit!
ReplyDeleteHa! That gave me a good laugh. Thanks for keeping it real. :)
ReplyDeleteUPDATE: Apparently there was some issues with the proper paperwork getting filed which delayed the hiring of the flooring company. A few classrooms will be repaired before school starts, but many others will be done in shifts throughout the year during fall break, Christmas break, etc. Neither my music room or art room will be done during this summer, so I did all that extra work for nothing!Arggg! I'm going to scream!
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