Classroom Design on a Dime

Oh dear, school hasn't even started back up yet and I'm already slightly falling off the pace of blogging. But in my defense, school may not have officially started but I have been up there trying to get my classroom ready. So I thought I would share some before pics of my room and then in a few days (or at least definitely by Aug. 27th) I can share the after pics!
*Warning: the title of this post  is not guaranteeing an HGTV-worthy "classroom reveal". But I can guarantee that it will be cheap!

So after having been in 3rd grade last year, I am moving back to Pre-K and am so excited! I just love those 4-year olds, they sure do spice up your life! Which means that I am also changing schools this year. I was able to get a glimpse into my new classroom at the very end of the school year in May and took these pictures.

Some things I'm loving: the big rugs already there, the manipulatives and goodies in all the cabinets and shelves, the furniture that's in there, and the white board with a Mimio
Some things I'm not loving: the chalkboard (haha, yes a real green chalkboard), the orange fabric hanging over the shelves along the wall, and the overall size of the room (it's a tad small...but that's not going to change and it really isn't too bad, so I'm over it!)

So hopefully fairly soon I will have an update for you and show you some of the changes I am making. I'll give you some hints: new curtains (hmmm, ok that's not so much a hint as just a dead giveaway), ways to turn chalkboards into streamlined, efficient educational tools, and some crazy organizational action going on!

Ok, I'm going to be honest, being outwardly organized has never been a super strong point of mine. I always know where everything is, I always get stuff done, and I'm usually prepared (or can wing it well). But I wouldn't say that someone else could walk into a work space of mine and understand where things went and how it worked. So one of my goals this school year is to avoid paper-clutter on my desk and have an outwardly sensible method of organization. Something pinterest-worthy of course! :-) Hahaha, and can I just say that if teachers made "new-school year resolutions" I have no doubt that 'reducing paper-clutter on desk' would be the number one resolution! So, let's see if it actually works this year!