BACK to 1st grade...

After 10 wonderful years of teaching STEM, I am moving on to my next adventure—back to first grade!

When STEM was removed from our special-area rotation, I was asked what else I would like to teach. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to teach first grade. The incredible amount of learning and growth that happens during this year is something I have always held near and dear to my heart. I am excited to return to the classroom and begin this new chapter with my firsties!

Before I could welcome my students, however, I had to figure out where to begin with the classroom.

The room was a completely blank slate. After spending 10 years in STEM, it was tough to remember exactly what a first-grade classroom needed—or even what my classroom looked like all those years ago!

I knew I wanted a U-shaped arrangement for the student desks, a comfortable carpet area, a teacher workspace, and a dedicated table for small-group reading and math instruction. I also wanted to bring in my tall table and, if space allowed, add a round table.

The Samsung interactive panel would need to be a main focus of the room, with the carpet positioned so every student could see and participate. Then there were the bulletin boards! I had not planned or decorated traditional classroom bulletin boards in 10 years, so that was another adventure waiting for me.

Making this move came with an extra challenge because I had a total knee replacement in June. Thankfully, my principal gave me plenty of time to move everything from one building to another across campus and begin putting the room together at a manageable pace.

My STEM classroom had been a large, bright space filled with student projects, supplies, LEGO bricks, and technology designed to engage learners from three years old through fifth grade. Moving into a first-grade classroom meant rethinking the space while still keeping the creativity, exploration, and hands-on learning that I love.

It was definitely going to be a work in progress, but I could already picture the possibilities. There was a lot to plan, organize, move, and create—but I knew the reward would be worth every bit of it.

A blank classroom was about to become the home of Wright’s Rippers!