Books

I am going to go out on a limb here and just state for the record that thirty-eight children is just too many for one classroom.  More specifically...for my classroom.  I love them ~ each and every one of them ~ already.  They are seriously awesome.  But there are just too many!  We are all way over, which means sometime in the next week or two, it has to be dealt with.  I swear, it's going to be one of those things where the cure is worse than the disease.  There's a possibility (floated to me just today) that I may lose my WHOLE class at the end of this, and have to start over with a WHOLE NEW CLASS.  This is, of course, totally unacceptable.  But I have no control over it, so I'm just carrying on.  It's just that we've already bonded!  I hate to even think of losing any of them (though, come on, it's ridiculous!) let alone all of them.   Just writing that makes me need to go lie down.

But!  Before I go!  Here are a few pictures of my classroom, mostly having to do with my books.

This corner is my 'professional' area.  It's the only place in the whole class that is "mine".  The first day I moved into this classroom, I pushed the teacher's desk over to the door and left a note on it that said "Please Remove" for the custodians.  I replaced the behemoth with this tiny writing desk and a slim (hand-me-down) wicker storage from the Pottery Barn.  The desk top is where I keep my plan book and some 'grab it quick' supplies, such as push pins and a stapler.  It's also where Miss Carmen's swap gifts are sitting (at least the turtle and the "B" notepad!) but unfortunately, I didn't get close enough to show them.  :( 

The books on the bookshelf, categorized by my obsessions:

First shelf for my obsession with the politics of race in the educational system, and the opportunities for social justice and equity that are so familiar ~ and so hard to actualize ~ in our classrooms.  There are a few books here that changed my life...Hunger of Memory is one, Pedagogy of the Oppressed is another, and "Other People's Children" too.  Everything else on this bookshelf, and in fact, my master's degree in math education for social justice in urban schools, can be traced back to just a few books that started my brain ~ and my heart ~ on this path.

My obsession with learning about math...

My obsession with teaching math...

My obsession with teaching teachers how to teach math....

A theme is starting to reveal itself here...hmmmmm.....

Not to worry!  I have a whole other closet for science, social studies, and teaching reading and writing!  Elementary schools are so wonderful for broadening your horizons...and breaking your back, honestly, as the amount of work it takes is overwhelming.

None of these books even includes my literature or class library.  These were all just the professional books.  I have two long shelves under the windows for the kids to choose from, and another bookshelf for my children's books that I use for teaching purposes.  Whew!  We have an iPad AND a Kindle (because, frankly, Erik has his own obsessions!) but nothing, NOTHING beats an actual book in the hands of a child.  Except, maybe...

Getting some of these into their hands!  Cubes and blocks and counters and tiles...oh my, be still my heart.   Even just looking at these, I can't get over how completely irresistable they all are.  Aren't they positively begging us to dive right in?