Classroom Cleanup

Room 233, that's mine. I've finally figured out the maze that is our high school to get there without having to question my route, and I dread when the students come and I have to walk through the locker bays when they are full of rowdy teenagers.

It's a big classroom, with just a small window looking out into the courtyard of Whites Creek. And it's all mine. That's the cool part. I can do whatever I want in here, decorate my way, throw away what I want, use what I don't throw out, and most importantly find ways to inspire mathematicians!

So first of, let's take an inventory. I walked into my room yesterday and found:
3 large desks
1 podium, every inch of which is covered with doodles
1 sort of podium with folding leaves on either side
2 bookshelves whose paint and wood are chipping off, full of Algebra 1 books
3 fans, one broken
3 computers (all post 2005 at least)
2 monitors
1 printer (minus the power cord)
1 phone
1 gigantic mess of wires
32 desk chairs for the kids
2 large cabinets, both full of crap, one locked with a key I don't have
1 bookshelf, again full of Algebra 1 books
3 white boards, all dirty, some lined with sparkly and polka dot liners that teachers like to use to make things look cute
2 half hexagon tables

You get the general idea. Lots of crap. After moving, and re-moving the chairs into a suitable formation, I moved the desks--glad that meant moving the chairs again. I made myself a nice little area to sit and work, and set up the 'While you were out' table as well as a place for the crates that will hold all my students' work.

Today I tackled the orange closet of math history.

Useful things I found in the closet:
Geometry and Algebra 2 textbooks
Lots of Protractors
Lots of compasses
Big pieces of construction paper
what has to be at least 5 reams of computer paper
a TI-83 (WAHOOO)
Cool math activities
Math in the world binder of activities
CDs to help me make tests (For Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calc and Calc)
an easel that I don't know quite what to do with yet, but there as to be something cool I can put on it.
Mrs. Henley's lesson plan binder (did someone say re-use?)

Not so useful things I found in there
6, count them 6 floppy disks--you know, those plastic things you used to store stuff on
Lesson plans from Advanced Calculus, FROM 1998
a chain, a 3 feet long metal link chain
a tape holder for giaganto tape that leaked sand
TCAP tests
Paper Airplanes (apparently this was geometry class work, I'm down, maybe these should go in the helpful pile)
Student notebooks
Mr. Watkins' end of year checkout list (apparently he didn't need it)
Tennessee Language Arts standards from 1993
plastic covers for electronic equipment that was NOT in the mystery cabinet.
a large piece of cloth with lisense plates from all 50 states

Oh, and were you curious what was in the white styrafoam cooler? Umm, it's scary. old tennis balls, a wooden tennis raquet, a puzzle, shoots and ladders, scary graduate dolls, some plastic green leafy things-what?

Here are my before and after pictures:

Before:


After:


Pile o crap


You get the idea, I have my work cut out for me. At least I am not Mr. Proctor, he has scary snakes in jars and other weird biology things to work with. Not to mention drawers and boxes full of lab equipment in no particular order. Good luck to you, sir!

Tomorrow is decorating time. Geometry builds bridges and I intend to build two to track student progress above my white boards. Hopefully creative juices will be flowing and the parent teacher store will have just what I need....and maybe some floppy disks too.