| During summer, it's a great time to take stock of | | | | can do it the lazy way (which isn't bad) and start |
| what you really need and don't need. Without | | | | from the top, knowing that the bottom may be |
| being guilty, if you haven't used that resource | | | | cut off short. Not too many people notice the |
| book or statue of Zeus in a long time, get rid of | | | | bottom of an area, especially a door. In addition, |
| it. Clutter is the deathknell of an organized room. | | | | any 'design' approach you use with the cork, do it |
| After clearing as much as you can, observe the | | | | consisently. If you've got a short bottom on one |
| layout of your classroom. Are your shelves | | | | door, the door next to it should have the same |
| keeping what you use? Are your closets packed | | | | short bottom. Haphazard patterns of any material |
| with items you actually need? Is there a missing | | | | is an eyesore. I've used tempera paint on the |
| opportunity? | | | | cork panels in small designs, like stamping, and it |
| Double or Triple Use? | | | | brightened up an otherwise plain cork area. I think |
| At our classroom, we store our students books | | | | an oil based paint would have been better, |
| within our classroom. They are stored there, | | | | because the tempera paint gives off very tiny |
| during summer. I realized once the student books | | | | flakes after awhile. |
| are removed, I have five shelves that I could | | | | Cloth is Boss |
| utilize with teacher materials. These materials, in | | | | Some classrooms have built in bulletin boards. A |
| turn, I keep in plastic boxes within an empty | | | | nice touch is to cover your bulletin boards with |
| closet. When the students return, the closets are | | | | cloth. Some teachers use paper because its |
| full of backpacks, the plastic box is a storage for | | | | cheaper or more available. This is an okay option, |
| their playyard equipment which arrives from | | | | but with cloth your background lasts longer, looks |
| where it's stored at the athletic department, the | | | | attractive when papers are taken down (the pin |
| shelves are emptied and then filled with my | | | | holes disappear) and really isn't that much more |
| teacher 'stuff'. It's a circular path of storage! | | | | expensive. If you are truly stuck for money (and |
| Hang 'em High | | | | what teacher isn't) shop at a local thrift shop for |
| I don't have much wall space. But students love | | | | an old sheet or curtain with an interesting pattern. |
| (and I think need) to see their artwork. With the | | | | (You may wish to cover your cork panels with |
| help of the plant manager, we created a 'cross | | | | cloth, but these panels are thinner than a real cork |
| hatch' of strong fishing wire, like multiple tic toe | | | | board, and may not hold up the weight of the |
| games. Until it's in use, the fishing wire is | | | | cloth. You decide. I haven't done it and can't |
| unnoticeable. Using clothes pins, I can hang student | | | | comment but those are my thoughts on it. Use a |
| artwork or creations. The cross hatch allows | | | | staple gun to affix the cloth. And don't imagine |
| more possibilities than straight simple lines. Using | | | | you are Wild Bill Cody. Two or there staples along |
| yarn, I can create vertical lines when needed to | | | | each side should suffice. |
| hang smaller artwork and this also lets me more | | | | Other Things |
| arrange more student work than if I simply | | | | I had too many coathooks in my closets. About |
| clipped them directly onto the lines. | | | | sixty. I removed twenty and that left forty for |
| Win with Cork Panels | | | | my students on which to hang their backbacks |
| Again, the wall problem. On the plus side, I have | | | | without stabbing themselves on the arms. I also |
| many closets. On the downside, these closets are | | | | eyeballed the hook space, being careful not to |
| not ideal for pinning or taping anything on them, | | | | plan a backpack to hang where the closet door |
| as this destroys the varnish of the wood. Well, | | | | should close. A strong magnetic hook on the side |
| after a year of feeling guilty about pinning the | | | | of my filing cabinet holds my car keys. A second |
| wood, I dove in and "resurfaced" the doors of | | | | holds extra closet keys. (I never hang my school |
| two closets by pasting cork panels. This gave me | | | | keys, for security reasons). A magnetic curtain |
| a lot more space for pinning than a simple | | | | rod is hanging from my classroom door. Beneath |
| corkboard. I paneled the doors from to to | | | | it is a general poster of learning. I can hang |
| bottom. Before you think it's a 70s flashback (and | | | | seasonal "flags" from it, without using tape (which |
| it is) in my classroom it actually had a nice appeal. | | | | peels off my door paint) to change the "look" of |
| If I were to completely cork panel the remaining | | | | the entry way. |
| closets (and that is a goal of mine) I wonder if it | | | | Other Things I've Seen |
| will diminish some of the sound vibrations. Well, | | | | I can't use these "chair backpacks" but I've seen |
| we'll see. Now learn from my mistakes. First, | | | | them, in various teacher supply books. It's |
| sanding down the doors would have been better. | | | | essentially a hanging wall of pockets for the backs |
| It would have created a better surface for | | | | of the student chairs, some pockets being large |
| adhesion then the varnished wood. If I were | | | | enough to hold extra books. These are better for |
| clever, I would have sanded down only the areas | | | | self-contained classrooms, in my opinion. They are |
| being covered by the panels, leaving a nice | | | | expensive, about $15.00 per chair (multiply that by |
| varnished ring of wood around them. Second, use | | | | 30!), but I've had the thought that a willing parent |
| Liquid Nails brand 'glue' , specially marked for use | | | | or other person with good sewing skills could |
| with cork. Do not use those silly sticky back | | | | possibly make the same thing out of canvas. Coat |
| squares that the cork panel companies provide. In | | | | hooks on the inside of some locking closets could |
| a classroom, cork panels will get heavy use and in | | | | work for my personal items. A first grade |
| a matter of weeks of pinning and unpinning, the | | | | teacher used plastic sandwich bags to have her |
| sticky back squares will loosen and drop the cork, | | | | students grow their plants. |
| leaving an embaressingly pockmarked door. | | | | |
| Thirdly, don't be afraid of using the Liquid Nails | | | | Other Plans I have |
| glue. Experiment with different amounts and find | | | | I'd like to hang window boxes from my classroom |
| what works right. You may find as I did that I | | | | windows so I can show off a student created |
| had to hold a panel in place for about thirty | | | | garden. Since my walls are brick, I'm going to |
| seconds to keep it from sliding down. Once I did | | | | install a heavy duty adhesive style hooks to hold |
| that, it "stuck" and til today, is near impossible to | | | | my classroom's set of broom and dustpan. I |
| remove. | | | | know I can use a cement drill bit, but you know, |
| | | | the adhesive hooks sound easier. I'd like to see a |
| Be Kind in Design | | | | locking area above my closet so I can have |
| Oh, please note: you can cut the cork panels with | | | | additional secure space. I'd like a lateral two |
| sharp scissors. If you want to cover your surface | | | | drawer filing cabinet so I could use the top of it |
| completely, I suggest you measure your area | | | | as additional table space for books or files or |
| carefully, and then lay out your cork panels on a | | | | decoration. These are very expensive so I keep |
| large flat surface. Mark where you have to cut, | | | | an eye out for a used one. I hope one turns up! |
| then cut. My assumption here is you will want to | | | | There may be other creative ways to use your |
| see evenly paced cork panels, not large pieces | | | | classroom space. You have to look and imagine all |
| then skinny pieces filling in "short" areas. Or you | | | | the possibilities. |