There are a few items in my classroom that I must have to function well, a few that make my life easier, and a few that just make me happy. We'll start with the essentials.
1. A clock right next to my books on my teaching table. When teaching multiple grades, a good schedule is a must, and staying on that schedule is imperative. This helps.
2. My new stacker! When my teacher daughter got one of these, I told her she was splurging. She happily put it together while explaining how the 4th grade papers went in one slot, and the 5th grade papers in another . . . I was sold.
Since I've gotten mine, all the math is separate from the English, all organized by grade level, ready for me to grab a stack and grade without sorting. Eureka!
3. Plants on the window sills. On ALL the window sills. Especially in the winter. Cheering. Yay. Double yay if you have a high school student who loves to take care of them.
4. Student art on the walls. Folk art, pastel resist art, Alma Thomas art, name art, any art. I love it all and it makes the classroom walls look happy.
5. Marimbas! I got one for myself for a piece I was playing in the Anabaptist Orchestra and loved it. Then my husband said, "You should have a marimba ensemble," and I was on a quest to find nine marimbas. I've got six now and am looking for three more. All the junior high and high schoolers play them and the sound is delightful.
