Fair isn't everybody getting the same thing...

Fair is everybody getting what they need in order to be SUCCESSFUL.

I love that quote. So much so, that it hangs in a picture frame on my wall when you walk in the classroom.  I have a tons of cheap dollar store picture frame all over the wall next to the door in my classroom. Class rules, quotes, pictures, fist to five...etc. One AWESOME frame has my class picture from when I was in fourth grade. And the caption is, "Can you find Miss Caminiti in HER fourth grade class picture?"

Nobody ever can!

I had mega-huge glasses and wore some kind of tribal vest with beads hanging off of it. Not really my 2014 style. Anyway, this is a cute idea. I thought I would take it down in the beginning of the year, but the kiddos stare at the picture while we line up and they like it!

Oh yea, and I hot glued those frames to the wall.

A little hot glue goes a long way!

I use my handy dandy hot glue gun for everything!!! My classroom has this sad cinderblock walls, which tape hates sticking to. So, I yanked out my hot glue gun and glued my calendar right up there. It worked! Next, I started gluing fabric to cover up the ugly cubbies on our back wall (hence, covering up my secret stash of messiness and stacks of photocopies). Finally, I went to the dollar store, bought some cheap frames, printed cute signs, rules, pictures, etc. and filled those frames. Guess what I did next? Hot glued them right to the wall!

They look awesome and give the place a bit of a homey feeling. Also, hot glue is sweet because it isn't permanent! It will peel right off when you're ready to go back to boring lame-o walls.

Thank you, IKEA!

IKEA is like another world. I could just spend an eternity browsing that mega store! And eating their dollar hot dogs. Anyway, it saved my classroom a few years ago!

I bought these vertical bookshelves from IKEA in white, and then….I turned them on their sides. I put two together in an L shape, placed an adorbs seat cushion on them and VOILA! Meeting area.
(Plus a teacher chair, easel, and comfy rug, duh.)

A meeting area is totes necessary in any classroom, from first grade to fourth grade and beyond! We use ours for read alouds, class meetings, and various discussions. When we’re not meeting in the meeting area, kiddos hang out in there and get work done! Awesomesauce.

BTW it is just cutesy and homey and comfy. Kiddos can’t learn if they’re uncomfortable, fidgety, and always on the floor!