Room To Breathe

It's not really news that I've gone back to work, but the biggest headliner of all is that I was given an extra space for my guidance lessons (I used to have them in my smallish office and we were definitely cramped in there, especially by the end of 3rd grade!) and I've been like a kid in a candy store getting it ready! Unless you've been to my school (Kim!), you won't really have a frame of reference as to how wonderful this is, but let's just say that not only will we be able to dance without doing the bump, but we'll also be able to circle up without getting smushed (Why yes, Ms. Spellcheck, I DO know that that's not really a word) together. We'll also have room to breathe!

Let me give you a little tour. So when the school was first built, this was the reception and waiting area outside of the Principal's office, which is currently my office.


So I'll be in the rocking chair and this is where the kids will sit 
when we're reading a book together or talking.

Photo of a Peace word search bulletin board

I made this interactive word-search bulletin board for our first lesson. The older kids can find PEACE plus some extra character words in every direction, the younger ones can find the words that go left to right and my kinder kids can find the first letter of their name or travel through the alphabet and find all of the letters sequentially! I can see switching the letters around and changing my focus word for subsequent lessons - or maybe even challenging them to a round of Boggle.


We brought the kids' toy chest from home!


This is the wall opposite the PEACE board. I've hung a class contract, some counseling standards (thanks for the inspiration, Andrea!), and a Kelso's Choices poster. The little storage unit below is for some games that I play with the kids along with some bubble wrap in the red drawer, stress balls in the green draw, and nothing right now in the blue drawer! I'm bound to have something for that empty drawer. The green door on the right goes into the workroom.


This is the door which leads to my office. The AP just came in and asked if I'd ever want to take that door off, which got me to thinking that it might be kind of fun to hang those beads in the doorway. But for now it's a blue door that connects G1 (my office) and G2 (my groups and guidance suite).


When the school was built 43 years ago, there were glass windows where these white panels are now. It was enclosed a few years back for privacy. There are doors on both sides. (I have a lot of doors now, six actually). It's the perfect spot for my bench with a basket of puppets and a few of their stuffed-animal friends. Our Character Corral is painted on hallway other side.


And my daughter is making twelve feeling tiles for the ceiling!





Anyway, I'm doing a happy dance for sure, in anticipation of my first guidance lesson in my suite new space!

To check out other classrooms and take their virtual tours, visit the School Supply Addict blog {here}.


12 comments

  1. Your giddiness is palpable! I vote for beads in the doorway; you don't have to remove the door to hang them! My space is doubling this year to include the "suite" attached to my office which used to be the speech room. (I think I'll put beads in the doorway!) But I still don't have enough space to put a class in there, so guidance lessons stay on the cart! I'm so happy that you will be able to be a one stop guidance center. Let the character lesson explosion begin!!

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    1. Lisa, that's funny because this area was the speech room last year as well . . . connection! I hadn't thought about beads AND a door . . . mmmmmm . . . thanks for stopping by the Corner!

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  2. It looks wonderful! Your students are so lucky to have you!
    Yes!!! I did get my special envelope of cutie caterpillars! I am a fool for not tell you that! I was so excited to see that envelope when I went to my box for the first time! They are really cute! I will share them with Wersty since it's her datapillar brainchild too!
    Thanks so much!
    Love,
    Reagan

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Reagan. I'm glad that the DATApillars arrived safely . . . since you're sharing, just let me know if you need more!! Happy new year!

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  3. Your space looks great Barbara!

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  4. YAY! You got the "space"! It looks wonderful... but I had no doubts!
    I'm kind of feeling the "bead door" in your future...
    Those kids are soooooooooo lucky to have you in their corner--and to be in your oh-so-cool office.
    BTW, I found JOY on that board--and I find JOY in knowing you!

    Sending you warm thoughts,

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

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  5. Your space looks so peaceful and wonderful to be in!!

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  6. Jealous over here...my office is in an old supply closet. For real. Your two spaces are outstanding!!!

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  7. Beautiful! Congrats on getting a bigger spot. I'm in a former speech/language room too (this seems to be a theme . . .) but without a space for beads. I think you NEED to put up the beads. The kids will love them! And I'll live vicariously through you and your ultra-cool doorway!

    Rebecca

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  8. How fabulous to finally get some more room!
    Our rockers look the same. I even have a quilt draped on mine, like yours. I put those dangly beads to the door of my sewing room. Mostly because raising all boys it symbolized the only "female" room in the house -- ha ha!
    Enjoy your space.

    Barbara
    Grade ONEderful
    Ruby Slippers

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  9. Fabulous! Do you happen to still have the PEACE bulletin board letters or a template that would be easy for me to print?

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    1. These are pre-cut letters, purchased years ago. I think they might have been a Carson Dellosa product.

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