A summer of bathroom remodeling and getting my own children ready for college left my wallet a little empty. When I got my official assignment 20 days before students returned and found out I would be moving, I quickly realized a needed a budget. $25 it was!

The school's space is pretty nice. It will hold me, a licensed assistant (M), and student groups. The first thing I did was review tips for setting up rooms. My goals were to make it student-centered and functional.

Note: I will be serving two schools. I'm showing you one room right now. It's nicely located in the center of the school, so it had to be ready for Meet the Teacher Night. The room at the other school is larger and in a portable, so I'm still working on it.

When I first set up the room, M didn't think it had the right "energy". We angled the horseshoe table in front of the mirror. Students will sit on IKEA stools. They are so much better than chairs, and the wooden stools are lasting much longer than the metal stools I tried 2 years ago. Another IKEA product - the storage shelf - is within reach during therapy sessions to save time.

The items in the picture are things I already had, so the cost so far is a whopping $0!

This is the beginning of my 25th year. I have stuff. After purging, we filled up the bookshelves already in the room. The materials still looked distracting, so all of my budget went to fixing that. I found tension rods at Big Lots for $2.25 each and fabric shower curtains with hooks included at Wal-Mart for $9.88 each. I'm not crazy about the pattern, but they will do for this year. Total cost - $24.26.

To make the shower curtains fit, we doubled them over on the tension rods and hot-glued the bottom hems.

Next to the shelves are therapy cards in shoe holders. The pockets are labeled.

Other areas include the desk:

The thirty-one bag holds my PLS-5 manipulatives so I can grab it and go. The phone and electrical plugs are to the bottom left of the desk. Notice the fan? I'll be using that while M operates her personal heater.

Of course, we have a welcome sign that will change each month and lots of books. Organization of the books comes courtesy of my librarian sister, Amy.

NOTE: Amazon links are affiliate links, which means that if you should choose to click on them and buy an item, we may get a percentage of the sale at no cost to you.

And how wonderful is the school's theme - Happy Campers?!?! Upon my cousin Lisa's recommendation, I bought fadeless paper and a bunting from Amazon. I'm sure you're wondering how I bought those for 74 cents. I used some Amazon reward points, and I already had the chevron ribbon and an IKEA frame, so this cost me nothing!

I'm super happy with our room. It's student-centered, functional, looks nice while still having space, is welcoming without being over-decorated, and it's within budget!

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Laura

As I set up my classroom, I can't help but think about all of the labels I need to create for my new students.... Come on class list!!!! However, I rest assured because ESGI totally has all of my labels covered. The Classroom Management Tool saves me so much time! Here's how:  

First, Sign Up for ESGI:

• Sign up for the ESGI 60 day trial (use the code B7165)
• Add your students 

Here's How ESGI Can Save You HOURS During Classroom Setup: 

Y'all, the classroom management tool is going to be your best friend. After plugging in your student names, look what all the Classroom Management Tool automatically generates! 

(Click on the image below to watch an overview of the Classroom Management Tool)

Here are some helpful demos of how to use the Classroom Management Tool: 

Class Management Tool:

https://youtu.be/S--2jMn4rT4

CMT Table Name Plate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5fQatBM3HI

CMT Pocket Chart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pebka5YXgik

CMT Name Writing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UotjBd-nPME

CMT Name Tags: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3giYH8gugA

CMT Cubby Names Report Printing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBhayuyPtk

Look how great these look! 

Pricing:

The first 60 days are FREE! Just sign up for the 60 day trial!
After you have fallen in love with this assessment tool, the usual yearly subscription fee is $199.
But, I have a code that will make this product $159 instead!
Just enter the code: B7165 to save $40

ESGI is also doing a HUGE Back to School Giveaway! 

Here's How to Sign Up:

Sign up for a free trial using our code B7165 and you will be entered into a raffle to win one of ten $50 Amazon Cards!

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Have a great school year!

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Lisa Faught