nesting.

i realized that maybe the reason i was having trouble getting into the nuts and bolts of planning for the fall term is that i hadn't worked on my classroom yet. nesting is usually my way of getting down to business at home and in the studio. so, like my dog who circles three times before laying down to feel more at home, i started cleaning, organizing, and moving furniture around.

i have to pack up my whole room at the end of every year so i started going through all the supplies. the supplies live on these blue shelves during the year.

i keep everything organized in color-coded bins. i learned to color-code everything while teaching elementary school. and you may think they only help little kids but it has really made a difference for my high schoolers. it at least ups the chances that maybe things will get back where they belong.

this is our "living room" and yes i realize how luxurious it is to have a designated discussion space in my classroom. it makes such a difference. if i could give one thing to art classrooms across the country. the students are so much better able to focus on what they are saying to each other when they are in a physically different space than where they made their work. it worked for us when we were in graduate school so why wouldn't it work for high schoolers?

i continue to add works of art made in class to this wall. this is something my high school teachers did year after year. in fact i think one of my paintings may still be hanging there. it meant a lot to me to be part of the continuum and i think it makes a difference to my students as well.

all of this "nesting" is about creating classroom culture...something i first remember being important when i was in elementary school myself and began studying its importance when i was in the hands of the masters, my own high school teachers. i finally experienced its effects first hand while i was teaching in brooklyn. the room continues to evolve over the course of the year and year to year...more to come.