I already posted about the embroidery hoop wall. Above my sewing area, I wanted to do something that would provide storage along with being visually appealing. I bought unfinished wood boxes at Michael's and picked out paint colors to match the fabric in the embroidery hoops. I used scrapbook paper on the bottom of the boxes and covered it with a few good coats of Mod Podge. I was thankful for Chris' help with hanging the boxes. I LOVE how they turned out! They're great to hold some of my sewing and crafting supplies.
I also needed an area by my desk to hold my countless lists and notes. I found a cork board on sale at Micheal's for about $3 and painted the trim on it to match the boxes. I also bought a small pizza pan at Dollar Tree and spray painted it for a magnet board. I had put together a dry erase board using a picture frame, but it broke in the process of hanging it up. So, I just stuck with the magnet and cork boards.
I've seen this idea floating around Pinterest using a picture frame and wire to display pictures. I love the shabby chic look so this was right up my alley! I was super excited to find a picture from in the clearance/damaged section at Michael's. It didn't have the glass in it (which I didn't need anyway), so it was marked down from $40 to $10. I spray painted it the same color as the magnet board, fastened some wire to the back, and displayed some pictures with adorable clothespins I found in the dollar bin at Michael's.
One other touch of my room that I love is this wall hanging. It was given to me as a gift at the end of my first (and only) year teaching in Illinois. A parent of one of my students made it for me. I absolutely love it!
The poem reads:The Choice
"You could have chose to teach, where the grades are A-B-C's.
Instead your students make their marks in measured IEP's.
You could be simply standing in front of your classroom all day long,
Instead you're bending, stretching, lifting, while trying to stay strong.
You could have conversations with your students, deep in thought,
Instead you praise the effort of one tiny little grunt.
You may not think I noticed, that you could have had much more,
That you could have chose a different path, a different classroom door.
But you chose to be with us, picked the hardest job to do,
To make a difference in the lives of kids who cannot choose.
Words cannot come out to tell you how much that means to me,
My eyes try to convey the thoughts of how it feels to see.
How I wish that I was able to come to you and say,
How hard it will be to leave you, to grow up, and be on my way.
If only you could hear the gratitude spoken by my own voice...
Instead, just know how much I love you for making this choice."
By Sherry Schultz
"You could have chose to teach, where the grades are A-B-C's.
Instead your students make their marks in measured IEP's.
You could be simply standing in front of your classroom all day long,
Instead you're bending, stretching, lifting, while trying to stay strong.
You could have conversations with your students, deep in thought,
Instead you praise the effort of one tiny little grunt.
You may not think I noticed, that you could have had much more,
That you could have chose a different path, a different classroom door.
But you chose to be with us, picked the hardest job to do,
To make a difference in the lives of kids who cannot choose.
Words cannot come out to tell you how much that means to me,
My eyes try to convey the thoughts of how it feels to see.
How I wish that I was able to come to you and say,
How hard it will be to leave you, to grow up, and be on my way.
If only you could hear the gratitude spoken by my own voice...
Instead, just know how much I love you for making this choice."
By Sherry Schultz
I love it because it perfectly describes the wonderful, life-changing year I had teaching students with severe disabilities. It's a great reminder and inspiration to me!
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