School started last Wednesday and it seems like the first six days have flown by faster than ever! I'm so proud of my class this year! I think they might possibly be able to out talk an auctioneer on a good day, but I already feel like we are going to accomplish so much. That is such an exciting feeling!

I have student who is visually impaired this year, so I tried to keep my floor plan open so he would have an easier time with orientation and mobility. I spent the better part of last year arranging and rearranging my room to figure out a way that I could handle keeping it the same for the majority of this year. If I rearrange anything that he has to walk around, he will have to be reoriented his surroundings and I feel like that is something we need to avoid so we can spend as much time as possible teaching him academic and life skills.

There are a few blank areas and bookcase shelves that will be filled with environmental print, theme books, student book bags, magnet areas, pocket chart goodies, etc. So, don’t mistake the blankness for lack of a better idea for the space. I didn’t go into detail explaining everything, but I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about our room.

Sorry this one is blurry. I didn’t realize it until I was getting ready to post it. The following two pictures are of some of our Braille materials and resources.

I went to school yesterday to finish covering my bookcases and to pick up a few files and books I wanted to work on this summer. Just walking in with everything put away and nothing on the walls made me feel a little sad. As ready as I am for summer break each year, putting everything away just makes my room look so empty.

These pictures were taken for an assignment for a Visual Impairment class I was taking this spring. The kids had already cleaned up for the day before going home. If I would have taken the pictures while they were there, well....I'm sure you all know what that looks like! :) Plus, I'm a firm believer in curtains that hide EVERYTHING!

(Sorry that there are some gaps in the pictures, but there were students' photos and/or full names that would violate privacy rights if I posted them and I didn't have time to mess with PhotoShop. )

Here's a link to my classroom last year. I wish I had photos from the beginning of the year when my room was decked out in western decor for our PBIS theme. I had a reading corral and other areas that were cute. I don't think I took any pictures. I ended up getting rid of the corral because it took up too much room. 





 My desk is only clean at the beginning and end of each day. As soon as the kids arrive, it gets filled with everything (and it's not always their things!) :)