A Classroom of One's Own

Or rather a portable of one's own. This is a picture of my Grade Three classroom. Today Matt and I peered through the window to see inside. It is a regular size classroom with the usual furniture: lockers along the back wall, desks lined up in tidy rows, and at the front of the classroom... a SMART Board! One of the school's initiatives is to increase the use of technology in the classroom so each Grade Three student will also have their own laptop.

The school is quite small, as you can probably tell from the pictures. It is only K-3 and it does not even have a gymnasium (gym class takes place in the school hallways in cold weather- which might rule out almost every sport except bowling and rhythmic gymnastics). In fact, I will have to see the library before I believe one actually fits in the school. But I love the school all the more for being small. It's a close-knit school with only 19 staff members and about 180 students which will make it easier to get to know everyone.The school is only a few blocks north of where Matt and I live so I am looking forward to being able to walk or bike to work. So aside from the fact that the original grade three teacher may come back from her mat leave to take over the class in January, it seems like an ideal teaching situation.

I can't wait to start planning my units and setting up my classroom. I think Grade Three is the one of the best ages to teach. At that age they will laugh at your jokes, gape in awe at your athletic abilities, believe you know everything and generally want to please you. Even in Grade Six my students found my physical education skills impressive, that is until I invited Matt to a gym class to show off some spikes and jump serves (there was an audible groan from the group of students who didn't get Matt on their volleyball team- that is to say the students who were on my team).