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Teaching from Beyond the Desk

with Laura DeMars

Classroom Reveal (2015-2016)

Well, here we are over eight weeks into school, and I have yet to do my classroom reveal post. As I reflect about the craziness that has occurred during these past two months, I realize that it is okay. My classroom is finally starting to come together, and there are less empty spaces on the walls. This was a major feat that has been quite the challenge this school year. While I received the keys to my classroom relatively early in the summer, most of my furniture and essential pieces to my classroom did not arrive until right before (or after) school started. It made organizing and decorating that much more of a challenge.

If you have been following my teaching journey, you would know that I switched schools/districts and grade levels this school year. After a long debate, I decided to take a teaching position closer to home. This decision is something that was not taken lightly, but I am elated that I did decide to make the switch. While this process could be a bit nerve-wracking, I returned to the school that I student taught at, and it has felt more like coming back home than a new school. One of my mentor teachers is on campus (the other retired) and so many familiar faces are in the classrooms surrounding mine. It really has been a wonderful homecoming. Best yet? The students I am working with are those that I worked with as a student teacher and/or long-term substitute. This move was really about coming full circle. It is extraordinary.

Back to my classroom process. I received my classroom keys on June 29th. This is extremely early, which made me extremely excited to get planning; however, just as I received my keys, I quickly realized that much of the furniture and major components were not in my classroom. While I could start coming up with lists about basic plans, much of the actual creating could not be finalized until furniture, technology, and classroom numbers were set.




Despite my disaster of a bun and lack of makeup, I had to take an obligatory selfie upon receiving my keys. I was excited to enter my room (which was the former library) and see the blank canvas I was working with. Ironically, I was working in room 17 yet again which seems to be my lucky number–my first classroom, my wedding anniversary, and now this classroom.

My nearly empty, blank slate. Despite the bare walls, I knew the classroom had a lot of potential. When I walked into my new room, I was overwhelmed. For the second straight year, I was starting with essentially nothing. No goodies to dig through or sort. Just bare walls, no furniture, and lots of possibilities. It is safe to say that I started with nothing and have made my classroom my own.
Lots of space. As you can see, there was one bookshelf, one technology table, the student desks, two trash cans, and the cabinets in my room. While there were promises about technology, a smart board, and other pieces of furniture, there was nothing placed in my room for the entire month of July. The furniture I brought into the room was mine, and many of the details and things on the walls could not be placed until whiteboards and smart board were mounted on the walls. The organizer in me was panicking, but now that my room is nearly together, it was all worth it.

As I started to work on my classroom, I was fortunate to have such a supportive family. Not only did my dad help me set up my first classroom (including supplying me with this desk), he helped me relocate it to my new classroom. Aren’t dedicated family members a blessing? I know that I wouldn’t have gotten my room set up in time if not for family support!

After getting my desk in my room, it finally started to feel like my classroom.

Now, if you look closely on the walls, you can see a whole bunch of holes. Do you see them? These holes were something that drove me crazy. If you are anything like me, I like to have my room look put together, clean, and welcoming. These holes were NOT part of this image. My classroom was the former library. Only days before I received my keys, there were bookshelves mounted everywhere–hence the holes. I knew that my furniture placement needed to be creative, or maybe I would have to find creative artwork.

On the counter, there are several boxes. This, my friends, is something that made me squeal out loud (see the next picture).

Those boxes were my new Promethean board! This beauty was fresh-out-of-the-box and all mine. Best yet, it got mounted on the wall fairly quickly. 
Following all the excitement of my new Promethean Board, I was inspired to get work done in my classroom. I was thankful that I had bulletin board surface on a lot of walls. 
Can you sense the pure exhaustion on my face? If you have never put fabric on bulletin boards by yourself, it is a lot of work. I applaud all you teachers that change the backgrounds of your bulletin boards. I really do not know how you do it. Really, I want to know your secrets. These boards will stay up here all year. I cannot begin to even think about changing them. My arms and back just ache thinking about that process again. 
All that work and my room still looked empty. Do you notice all the empty wall space and the lack of furniture? These will not arrive until right before and during the first month of school. Has anyone else had that happen? I was in full teacher panic. This was AUGUST and my room still looked like a blank slate. 

My amazing husband hard at work again!

This is my husband. I would like to have a quick moment of praise for those wonderful teacher husbands (and wives) out there. Really, they are the best!!! I do not know how they put up with all the teacher craziness, but I can personally say that my husband is amazing. Not only does he not mind coming into my room in the summer, late at night, on the weekends, or right before the bell rings because I forgot something, but he jumps in and helps. He has a great attitude, helps me plan, and is just a rockstar. What would we do without those people that help support us?

Not only did this wonderful man help me nearly every day I was in my room, but the night before Back to School Night he was in my room (until later than I’d like to admit). He was helping me put the finishing touches up on my fall (at least as best as we could at that point). If you have someone that influential to your teaching success, please let them know. I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you, Christopher. You are my support, and I am so very thankful.(Not to forget my parents–they are AMAZING and a huge reason why I be successful and happy in this field! Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!)

Back to School Night


This is what my room looked like right before my first official event at my new school. Do you notice what is missing? Yep–I had no white boards. They were on order, and I was still not certain their dimensions. This resulted in an empty wall. This was really my nightmare. I wanted my room to be finished, yet an entire wall was virtually untouched. I kept looking at all those amazing classroom reveals, and honestly there were tears of panic. Here I was minutes before parents flooding my room for the first time and I really could not finish this wall. There was this blank wall at the front of my room. 
10 minutes until the start of Back to School Night. I push-pinned a few posters, my rules, and crossed my fingers that no one would notice my empty wall. I comically placed a piece of paper with a “whiteboards downloading” sign. I got quite a few chuckles with that one.
The great news is that my parents commented about the effort I put into making my room a welcoming space. There was not much time to focus on my blank wall. I was also happy to make use of my pen holder that I made with my students last year.
The non-empty walls.
I used Google Forms to collect more parent information during my presentation. I am thinking that I might use Kahoot for an interactive component next year! 

I adore this poem that I picked up here. It matches my space theme that I like to play up A LOT due to my last name (DeMARS).

My teacher desk. It seems huge, but I rarely sit here alone during the day. Students use this space for conferencing, it is an area for materials storage (I do not have much storage), and our student-run classroom store is housed here every day. 
One of my favorite features of my room are the lovely banners made by dear friend, Sarah, from Tales of Teaching with Tech. She made this special banner for me that matches the lovely ones you can see throughout my room here. They come in many colors, are bright, and easy to read. Seriously, go pick them up!

This year I tried to add a few personal touches that make me smile. Our classrooms are like our second home, right? I added the photos from the 2015 Vegas Meet UP with my favorite ladies. These pictures always bring a smile to my face. I love that we were able to spend so much time together. The best part is that we are working to really tackle this teaching adventure together, and this picture works as an anchor to remind me of that. Teachers need to stick together. 

More details. They really do make all the difference!

Seriously, what teacher cannot use a little more help. Nearly a month into school I still had not stamped and organized my classroom library. Two of my wonderful students stayed after school for many hours. They organized, labeled, and entered all our books into our digital library. Priceless, right?!

After hours of work, several dum-dums paid out, and lots of laughs, the library was finally ready for my students.

The Final Major Puzzle Piece 
(though my husband would disagree that this was the last…)

I literally started jumping up and down when I realized that my whiteboards finally arrived. September 24th, a day I will continue to celebrate. The amazing maintenance staff came in and quickly started mounting the boards. This made my teacher heart sing. As they quickly worked to get the boards mounted while students poured in (the day was just starting), my students started cheering. I think they were almost as excited as I was.
While my students got started on their bell work, I instantly started working on setting up our boards. Things were stapled around the board, washi tape placed, our schedule written down. Honestly, it was up in less than 10 minutes. I cannot believe how quickly it went up. Is there a project you complete that just flew by because you were so excited? My students were impressed, and I was elated to have this large piece of my room finally completed.
This is closer to what my room looks now. We use the front bulletin boards to celebrate our art, student progress, and other feature events/activities at school.
Another look at our classroom door & more fabulous banners by Sarah!
We even decorate and focus on seasonal changes.
Our classroom information station.
Our classroom Twitter wall. We tweeted about our experience with hands-on coding with Dot & Dash (read about that here)
I use brochures and pamphlets to help students synthesize learning throughout the year. They love to display their learning in our brochure holders.

Our more organized classroom library. We have been collecting more books through our Scholastic points. Do you have suggestions on how to gain more points every month? I’m all ears!

This would be our “final large project” according to my husband. We have a classroom pet. His name is Prism, and he is a veiled chameleon. 
My favorite wall in the classroom, our iPad cart, and our “Did you Know?” board. 

Our focus and goal boards.

Our interactive math bulletin board. If you have not checked out Jameson’s (Lessons with Coffee) interactive math boards, go check them out now. I have purchased ALL of them. I adore them. My kids love them. It is worth it. They gravitate this boggle wall during ‘free time’ and they are quick to remind me if they need more forms. I started changing our board and they begged for another week with math boggle, and of course they obliged.

Well, thank you for touring my classroom. I am thrilled that it looks more complete and is closer to the image that I had in my head so many months ago. As the school year continues, I know that it will continue to evolve and change, but for now it definitely feels like home. How do you make your classroom feel like home? What is your favorite element of your classroom?



Happy Learning! Stay tuned for a post about pets in the classroom!

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Comments

  1. Erin says

    October 21, 2015 at 6:06 am

    Oh, friend! Your room looks wonderful! I love that you have the "pants off dance off" picture on your wall. (For those of you sickos, I wore green pants against a green screen, so I appear to be floating) Your kids must LOVE to come to school!!
    Erin
    Very Perry Classroom

    Reply
  2. HistoryinHeels says

    July 19, 2016 at 3:55 pm

    Very organized! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Mrs. DeMars says

    July 22, 2016 at 8:17 am

    Thank you! I try to have everything in its place. 🙂

    Reply
  4. for ict 99 says

    October 26, 2019 at 5:52 am

    As I read the blog I felt a tug on the heartstrings. it exhibits how much effort has been put into this.
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Vote. Vote early. Vote now. #voteforchange Vote.

Vote early.

Vote now.

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Infamous.

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In current times we need to remember why we fight.

We remember that our voice is powerful.

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"I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability."

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”Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true."

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“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time."

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“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent."

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This is what my schedule looked like today: [afte This is what my schedule looked like today:

[after spending the majority of the weekend working on getting things ready for hybrid learning & communicating with parents]

5:00 AM—Wake up after a restless night.

6:00 AM—Drink 24 oz of water because I know I won’t have time during the day.

7:00 AM—Arrive at school (an hour before contract time) to pass all materials out that students will need (since I cannot move throughout my room), make a key for my seating chart, double check that all assignments were posted for my hybrid (at home) cohort.

8:00 AM—Students start showing up & they don’t even acknowledge me, even though I told each of them good morning, though I can’t greet them like I would in a normal year.

10:00 AM—Watch my students leave for a socially distant recess & cry in my classroom, alone, as there is no one to talk to because we are all on our own recess/lunch schedules.

12:00 PM—Walk to my car to eat, as there is no dedicated space for staff to eat, beyond the copy room, which has a maximum occupancy of 2 people.

12:40 PM—Trying to wipe the tears off my face & put my mask, voice amplifier, and face shield back on.

2:40 PM—Feel like nothing was accomplished today & like a failure today. None of my students even said goodbye.

5:00 PM—At home, feeling defeated & having to spend the evening getting everything uploaded for tomorrow.

This isn’t sustainable. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.

#teaching2020

#teacherlife
Well, we survived this week. We start in a hybrid Well, we survived this week.

We start in a hybrid model on Monday—which is really stumping me on how to plan for—and there are so many unknowns.

Our Hybrid Model:

💙M/Tues.: Cohort A is on campus & cohort B is at home learning (no live instruction)

🧡Wednesday: Distance Check-Ins

💚Th/Fri.: Cohort B is on campus & cohort A is at home learning (no live instruction).

The planning for this planning has me stumped. We were just getting into a distance learning routine & now all of us are having to switch gears again.

Any thoughts?

#teacherssupportteachers

#teachingin2020

#distancelearning
It was another day, full of new challenges & strug It was another day, full of new challenges & struggles. I keep looking for a new normal & know that it might be a long time until we find it. There is so much chaos & turmoil in daily life, for so many, that it makes you appreciate the glimmers of light. And if you cannot find the light, recognize it in others.

#teachervoice

#teachingin2020

#allinthistogether
After being told repeatedly that if I don’t like After being told repeatedly that if I don’t like the conditions, then leave, I decided to write down my thoughts.

Here is a poem I wrote. It’s been in the back of my mind & I finally just decided it’s worth sharing.

And before anyone comments that “teachers are superheroes”.

Please stop.

We aren’t fictional characters.

We are human. 

The decisions being made are crushing us. 

We are experiencing trauma—just like everyone else during this pandemic. 

The emotional burdens alone placed on us are impossible to bear. 

We are not superheroes.

If I Die Today: The Voice of a Teacher

By Laura DeMars

If I die today, I want to be remembered for the passion I had, and the love that I shared my students, their families, and my school.

To be remembered for the engaging lessons that I prepared & the details I planned.

To be remembered for the inside jokes that we laughed about & the zany outfits I wore.

To be remembered for standing on the desks & dancing across the classroom.

To be remembered for the love of reading & books that we read.

To be remembered for learning about salmon & releasing them into the wild.

To be remembered for the spirit days & class celebrations.

To be remembered for the silliness & handshakes for each and every student.

To be remembered for the Skype calls with guest speakers & working with classes all around the globe.

To be remembered for the my love for education. My love for teaching students.

My care.The small gestures. And those actions that might have meant a lot.

Will this be my legacy?

Or will I just be another casualty?

A teacher without any say in the workload, the plans or the conditions in which we are to teach.

No voice. 

No voice. 

No choice, but to teach. 

No, we don’t want to hear from you, just do your job or leave. 

Burden after burden added to list upon my heart.

My health & safety of those kids are just the very start.

To-do lists are ever growing, 

where does the teaching even fit?

Another burden, added to my list of burdens to bear.

Will anyone notice if their teacher isn’t there?

#teachervoice 

#teachingin2020
This is what my desk looked like at the end of the This is what my desk looked like at the end of the day today. It was clean this morning. In fact, it was clean at the start of my open office hour.

I feel like my brain has too many tabs open & too much to juggle.

I’m checking in with each student.

I’m planning lessons to help support them emotionally.

I feel like I could work 24/7 & I wouldn’t be able to complete the bare minimum demands of my job.

I’m constantly having to respond to district requests and my email inbox constantly is overflowing with unread emails—that need responses—but when is there time?

I made parent phone calls in the middle of independent work time today.

I made parent phone calls during our recess break.

I was writing emails during lunch because there was a time sensitive deadline.

I want to give feedback to my students work they are submitting, but honestly, I’m not sure how to fit it all in.

And then there’s the tracking of missing assignments & lack of respect for trying to reasonably complete deadlines.

How am I supposed to be switching gears in about one week—to a hybrid model—that requires more planning, little to no time to support learning for students that aren’t in the classroom?

Teachers want to be incredible, and they are, but we are super human.

Is anyone else feeling like there’s no support & yet the demands just keep getting greater?

And then my health & risk will be in question? That will be on the front of my mind. 

This job isn’t sustainable—even at the minimum effort level.

And most teachers put in so much more effort.

There’s a reason why there’s not a line of people waiting to do our job.

There is no support.

Every year we’re asked to do a little more with a lot less.

This year, it’s magnified.

#teacherlife

#tiredteacher
It’s odd how quickly you can fall into a routine It’s odd how quickly you can fall into a routine, or create a sense of normal—even in a very non-normal situation.

Today I found my self looking forward to our morning meeting & our read aloud discussion time. These are some of my favorite parts of a normal school day.

While distance learning is hard:

💙We are still able to have rich conversations.

🧡We are still able to get to know each other & focus on stress relief techniques.

💚We can still hold space for building a community of learners.

In our distance learning community we are still working on engagement & demonstrating habits of scholars, but I see glimpses of real academic learning happening & that gives me hope.

#distancelearning

#teachertalk

#positivethinking
I’m feel like I’m watching the scales get read I’m feel like I’m watching the scales get ready to tip in education & for teachers.

Teachers need to stand together.

Our voices MUST be heard.

I’m watching as opening plans are being written & teachers are afraid to speak up.

Teachers naturally want to teach students, but they have the right to feel safe & supported.

Taking every additional request, demand or burden—without question— is not conducive to having high-quality education.

So often, teachers joke about their “teacher voice” & how effective it can be in the classroom.

Why are our voices not being used to set guidelines, when writing opening plans, or discussing the extreme measures & demands for both in-person & distance learning (& BOTH in a “hybrid” option)?

Teachers are resilient & often come up with creative solutions. We are notorious for just making it work—but at what cost?

Teachers can only effectively teach when they are equally supported by the ENTIRE school community

-Colleagues
-Administrators
-Support Staff
-Student Families
-School Board Members

But right now? I’m not seeing that universal support in education.

Maybe it was never there?

Maybe that is part of the problem & challenge to over come?

Maybe the years of budget cuts & undermining public education has now been spotlighted during this pandemic?

Public education is so much more than students & teachers.

The time to use your voice to support education is now.

If you’re a teacher? Use your teacher voice.

If you’re a parent, grandparent or guardian, reach out to your students teachers & see how you can support their classrooms. Get involved.

Band together to support public education. Together, voices can be strong.

#CATeacher #UnionStrong #TeacherVoice #WeareCTA
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What is your favorite product or technique that is What is your favorite product or technique that is part of your makeup routine? 🌺For an easy & simple look, I love dusting my favorite bronzer & blush on my eyes—which makes me feel much more put together. #teachermakeup #teachermakeuptips #nomakeuplook #simplemakeup
What is your one product that is worth the price o What is your one product that is worth the price or space in your beauty routine?

We all have those products that we use every day. Sometimes they are around because they work or are affordable. & then you have those that you’d buy time & time again, because they are worth it. 
For me, this Tartelette in Bloom palette is my #WorthitWednesday product. Is it cheap? No. Does it create the most perfect look for when I’m on the go or running late? Yes. It is one I throw in my teacher bag or with me when I’m traveling because it works. It makes me feel beautiful—even when I’m stressed out due to parent-teacher conferences, a field trip, and report cards being due all on the same week. 
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Playing with new makeup—always a fun way to spend the morning. Makeup & subscription boxes are like therapy to me. Sitting down & playing with new products bring so much joy. #boxyluxerose #makeup #eyeshadow #beauty #beautyblogger #teachermakeup #teachermakeuptips
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