I know it sounds cliché, but I just can't believe that it's time to get ready for a new school year already! Preparing the classroom for my students' arrival was one of my favorite things about teaching. I know that establishing a routine can make all the difference in the classroom, so I've scanned the August/September 2009 issues of the Mailbox® magazine to find tips you can incorporate into your planning.

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I’m pretty particular when it comes to how my office looks. Since I’m at work a good bit of the day, I like my office to be neat but homey. I felt the same way about my classroom. I always made sure it was cheery and inviting. The institutional-green cinder-block walls weren’t a big help in that respect, but curtains, rugs, rockers, and pillows went a long way toward brightening things up!

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I’m curious—how many of you are working with students this summer? Many of my summers involve working with students in one way or another. For a few years, I taught a summer program for special education students. The goal of the program was to help kids maintain the skills they had learned during the year so they could pick up where they left off when they returned to school in the fall. The kids and staff worked hard, but we also had lots of fun. The summer atmosphere was relaxing, and it lent itself to activities that we couldn’t do during the regular school year. (Think sprinklers!)

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My birthday is coming up soon! I have to say, having a summer birthday never really bothered me. I had friends who felt a bit cheated about not being able to celebrate their birthdays at school, but I guess I didn't notice it. I always had a good time having a birthday party with my grandparents or with other relatives we were visiting during the summer. My little sister's birthday was in the summer too, three weeks before mine, so I guess that helped me love a summer birthday.

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Some of my favorite days with students were spent in the summer school classroom. In our situation, the atmosphere was a bit more laid-back. The children and I could get to know each other and, best all, we could take advantage of fun summer themes! I’ve gathered some of my favorite theme-related activities from current issues of The Mailbox® magazine to share with you. Enjoy!

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My first two years of teaching were spent as a fifth-grade teacher. My classroom was a portable trailer with wood siding (inside and out) and orange carpet. I loved it! Not only could I adjust the temperature in my classroom, but I never really had to stress too much about the noise level. My students sat and worked in cooperative groups, and since fifth graders have a lot to say, we sometimes strayed to the noisy side.

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From the minute I get out of bed in the morning until I arrive at work, I operate on auto-pilot. I follow the same motions as I fix my hair and put my make-up on. I eat the same breakfast and pack the same meal in my lunch bag almost every day. Then I get in the car and drive the same route to work. Following this routine assures that I have everything done in the morning and that I get to work on time.

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Take a peek at my office. I’m surrounded by ducks. Are you wondering why I have a fondness for pond critters? Well, my class mascot was a big, fluffy duck named Puddles. And my students seemed to take pleasure in adding to his family.

In addition to the fluffy critters who had their own special area [...]

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I am a constant grazer. In fact, as I write this blog post, I’m nibbling on pretzels and trying to keep the salt from falling between the keys on my keyboard. (Should the keyboard get too gritty, I’ll move on to my cottage cheese or the dried fruit.) Snacktime for me is slightly messy, but basically pretty simple.

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