Decorations. Really?! Yes, because this is where I’m at right now. We have been teaching in a remote environment since school started. Not because of Covid but because we had black mold growing in our building and it had to be gutted and cleaned. I returned to my classroom Monday to take stock of what I needed. Sadly, I needed everything! They threw away EVERYTHING in my classroom.
I wanted an inviting space for my students, so I planned to spend the week trying to get my room ready, But, creating this last week of digital lessons, giving virtual feedback, answering emails, and scheduling extra Zoom tutoring sessions took up my time. On Thursday night I FREAKED OUT because I had no decorations in my classroom. I ran to JoAnn’s and bought some fabric for my curtains, Wal-Mart to replace the plastic bins, Dollar Store to buy some scissors, and a few other places for decor. I found NO DECORATIONS for a secondary math classroom. My solution, make my own.
I printed this Welcome banner last year from Math=Love. So I just printed a new set and stuck it to my door.
I also had an empty bulletin board. My giant Dumbledore and favorite quote gone forever. It was too sad to make a new one, so I opted for some Math Puns. I have provided the PDF if you want to print your own. Thankfully our school now has a color printer and I could print and laminate at school.
Bitmoji also has some new stickers PERFECT for the classroom.
I’m fairly pleased with the results. I will miss what I lost, puzzle books, decorations, all my stress squishies, and 20 years of memories and student work, but we will move forward and make the best of it.
If you use the Math=Love banner, tag Sarah Carter on Twitter (@mathequalslove). If you use the math puns, tag me on Twitter (@MandiTolenEDU).
I hope you have had a great start to you year. Keep being awesome for your students!
Make Math Not Suck 