Hello, my name is...

     Since this is my first OFFICIAL teacher blogging post, I thought it was fitting that I introduce myself!  My name is Katy Bordes and, among many other things, I am a first grade teacher.  I have been teaching first for the past 5 years and, although I was terrified nervous to begin teaching this grade level after previously teaching 2nd and 3rd grades, I have found that 1st grade is my absolute favorite so far!!!  I have a passion for reading and all things ELA & since that is such a huge part of what first grade is all about, it is a great fit for me.  Not to mention that I'm a busybody "mover and a shaker" myself, so this age level is perfect for my taste!
     I think it is important for a teacher to be organized, but especially teachers of young children.  While I'm always looking for ways to improve, I feel I have a strength in organization and being creative.  I have tried many different systems and have found a lot of success with pieces and parts of all of them, so I decided to start this blog to share organizational and crafty tips with other professionals out there as well as to gain insight from your ideas and comments!
     Today I'm sharing some pics of my classroom that I took at the beginning of this school year....obviously I went with a carnival theme!  I LOVE this theme!  So versatile :)

This is my teacher/small group work area.  It is similar to how I've set it up for the past few years, but I added the Monday - Friday magazine boxes this year for keeping my copies organized.  It has been a lifesaver!  I found this organizational idea from the Clutter-Free Classroom blog.  She is chock FULL of amazing ideas for organizing your classroom!  You can find a link to her awesome blog here:

Clutter-Free Classroom

This is my first year using all tables instead of desks.  I bought these tables from Lakeshore Learning through a Donor's Choose grant that I was awarded last year.  They are nothing short of amazing for organizing and managing my firsties....absolutely in.love with them!!!  (FYI~the little white pieces of Velcro are for their name plates that I hadn't attached yet due to anxiously awaiting my class roster!)

This is my library and cubby area.  If you do not have mailboxes or a cubby system in place yet, I would strongly advise you to start using them!  They keep all your students' papers organized and teach the students to be responsible for their own materials!  My cabinets have a double use...one for storage and I also use them to display my word wall.  They are in a perfect visual spot for my students, thus cabinets = word wall!

Going along with my carnival theme, I used some plastic balloon party decorations that I found at Hobby Lobby to label my tables.  I simply created and printed out Table 1, Table 2, etc. on white cardstock, attached it to the end of the balloon ribbon, and voila! my tables are labeled!!!

I hope you've enjoyed my short little classroom tour and stop by again soon for the next classroom organization update!