The classroom gets a makeover: A lesson in laminating
Changing Rooms
Before the start of every school year, classrooms are organised, decluttered and deep cleaned in preparation for September. My mentor did a wonderful job of getting my classroom ready for me, and it was the perfect environment for teaching and learning. Every drawer was beautifully labelled (for the many different resources), and everything had a place. Even though the classroom wouldn't always be used by me, I was committed to ensuring that it remained tidy and clutter-free.
Most of the classroom organisation is done on the last day of term, but teachers also go into school during the summer break. Towards the end of August, I popped into my school to help with the preparations. My mentor wasn't there that day, but she messaged me about some final jobs that I could complete. It was great to meet some of the Key Stage 1 team and to see my classroom for the very first time. I thought it was a lovely, spacious room, and I felt blessed to be using it. You could see out the windows, and it opened out onto an inviting green field.
My classroom gets a clear-out and a refresh before September
One particular job required me to use a laminator. I'd never used one before, and this was going to be a brand-new experience for me. In television, I was spoiled with a wonderful design team, but I would now have to dig deep and find some design skills. Thankfully, a lovely year 2 teacher was in the classroom next door to me, and she gave me a lesson in laminating. She was doing her own 'laminating marathon', and the laminator was switched on and ready to go. She taught me to place my 'to be laminated display piece' inside a lamination sheet and to then carefully feed it into the machine. Expert laminators know all the tricks for effective laminating, and there really are good and bad ways to laminate. Keeping the laminating sheet flat and minimising all those pesky air bubbles isn't always easy.
I learned that laminators are in high demand in schools, and they're treated like liquid gold. If you're lucky enough to have your own, you'll most likely have it labelled in big, bold letters. A teacher friend of mine almost cried when she thought her laminator had gone missing, and another teacher I worked with put a laminator on her Christmas wish list. Santa did deliver her one, or rather her boyfriend did.
Classrooms are busy places, and laminated displays and resources last longer and look better. As well as laminating, I spent the day labelling books with a Sharpie, and no, I didn't need any additional support with that job :).
My first go at laminating - book covers for a reading challenge display
