You’ve been given the job of a new coach and your excitement is now breeding anxiety. One thing I was nervous about was my room set up. Initially, I didn’t know where I was going to set up shop. So many unanswered questions were swimming around in my head. Overwhelmingly, I was granted a classroom. In the beginning as a coach, being a teacher for 13 years, I knew how to set up a space for children, but for teachers? I was stumped. 🧐 It wasn’t an office. It was a classroom with tons of open space and now 0 desks to fill it. I had to create a Professional Development Room where teachers felt comfortable, safe, learned and were ready to grow. I had to first pack up my old room quickly for the new teacher to have a space. Then I had to bring my things to my new school!

These pics were of my first days as an Instructional Coach.

After I set up my room, I switched out my desks for tables. I kept about 4 desks to place some items on and to use as a small group table supply table. I also began to think of colors I wanted to use to make my space bright and cheerful. The first place I went was The Dollar Store! I got plastic table cloths, containers, and cleaner. (Yes, I had to deep clean my room first before truly decorating it.) Some of the decorations came from Oriental Trading Company and Hobby Lobby on sale. I love a good sale! I picked cacti in the colors of black, white, pink and green. I think the colors are fun and inviting! Scroll below to see the video on my space! Feel free to comment to ask questions!

Here are some pics of my room during the year.

Video of my room!

Good luck in your role this year! I hope that your year is amazing and full of positive impact, growth and tons of learning!

When I get books in the mail, I read them to my kiddos to see what they get from the book and if they love it. This book, Seraphina Does Everything, written by Melissa Gratias, was a book that my youngest truly enjoyed. This book is about a little girl who doesn’t want to miss out on anything so she stacks her plate full of every activity she can and begins to burn out. She realizes that is she unhappy. She then talks to her father who helps her figure out what should be on her plate and what she needs to let go of. My youngest said that she’s glad she does ballet and that’s all she wants to do right now. This is a great book to help kiddos figure out that life isn’t just about doing, sometimes it about cherishing the quiet moments we have. Check out www.seraphinadoeseverything.com for more information on this book!

Your Happy Heart is a story written by Annie Dean and illustrated by Susan Keeter. This book is about 5th grader, Javon, who is excited to be chosen as a Book Buddy to 1st grader, Richard. Javon, being a good mentor, helps Richard through the problems he is having in school and doesn’t give up on him. He connects with Richard and eventually they build a friendship. This book would be an awesome book to have classroom discussions with. It is also a great book for school counselors to use with lessons as well. It’s well organized. It also includes a tips sheet for teachers when calming down a student. I enjoyed reading it and give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Link to purchase the book: https://ncyi.org/product/your-happy-heart/