I'm not sure if anyone I know truly loves moving. It's stressful. Things break. You lose things. You live out of boxes. There is the anxiety of just not feeling settled. That being said, every time I have switched roles/spaces, I have found it somewhat therapeutic. There is definitely something to be said for purging unnecessary items. For digging through and sorting what you truly need.
In my most recent move, I am incredibly thankful for the extra time to settle in. The outgoing principal gifted me with 2 weeks to get in to my new office, unpack, sort, and just be in my new space. It allowed me to go through a period of "nesting" prior to jumping in on July 1. Once my official start date hit, I was able to comfortably work in my office, rather than be anxious about decorating and unpacking.
I'm a believer in making the principal's office a comfortable place to be. There are some very difficult conversations had there (as well as some super fun ones). Maybe it is for my own mental well-being, but I feel more comfortable and safe in a space that reflects that.
So....I walk into this.
It's a gorgeous space with some beautiful, natural light and HUGE pieces of furniture. It even came with a 4 foot tall stuffed giraffe ;) That being said, even when I taught in the classroom, I have never been a "big desk" person. I have always preferred to work at a smaller desk/table, leaving more room in a space for collaboration (example: small desk, but have a larger table nearby to meet with people). In my move, another thing that became painfully obvious is that I have LOTS of books. Like, 6+ boxes full (insert head slap). Professional books, inspirational books, kids books....While this space had lots of furniture, it didn't have enough bookshelves for me. I moved out the behemoth piece in the front left of the picture (cabinets and file drawers), and replaced them with two bookshelves (one tall, one short). Thank you, Target, for having awesome, easy to assemble ones!
I also wanted to turn the small table into a whiteboard table. Kate and I used to do this to many tables in our classroom. When I became a principal, I converted the table in my office, too. You can read about that office makeover HERE. It was a focal point of the space. Kids LOVED to draw on it. I used it when processing with kids or designing behavior plans with them. It kept younger siblings occupied when meeting with families that didn't have childcare. The list goes on. So, moving in here, I got permission to do the same thing.
It's a simple process. You can get the supplies at any hardware store. I got mine at Home Depot for less than $20. We have always used the Rustoleum brand, and have found it to be easy and durable. Steps to follow:
- Rough up the surface some (I used a 180 grit sandpaper). Clean/dry
- Coat with a water-based primer. You might need two coats if it is a dark table. Use a dense, foam roller, to prevent "roller lines". Let primer dry overnight.
- Mix the two cans in the Rustoleum box. It is an epoxy paint, so you have one hour to paint once you mix the two cans. You MUST use a dense, foam roller.
- I do three coats. I give it about 5 minutes in between.
- Once you are done, you must wait 3 days for it to "cure" before you write on it.
If it wears/chips over time, you simply sand it down, and recoat the table. I was in my last office for 3 years, and never had to redo the table. When we were in the classroom, we redid them every 2 years (but we did have 50 kids using them DAILY). It still is way less inexpensive than buying the white board tables that are out there.
After days of unpacking, painting, and decorating, I am so pleased with how my new office turned out. It feels like "home", and I'm excited to welcome kids/families/staff to it.
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| One of my favorite picture books is Where the Wild Thing Are. My first year teaching (a gazillion years ago), my husband got me the figurines on the shelf. I added the artwork when I moved into my last office. |
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| One of my favorite kid chapter books is Wonder. "Choose Kind" is the most simple, yet effective "rule" I ask EVERYONE to follow (kids and staff). The lower bookshelf is filled with kid books. I often lend them out to students, or smaller siblings pour over the picture books while I meet with their grown ups. The taller shelf is all professional/inspirational texts. The giraffe is just plain awesome and came with the office (giraffes are my favorite animal...how serendipitous is that?) |
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| The "collaboration corner". Multiple white board spaces and a TV screen to project my laptop on to. My new AP and I were already doing a "brain dump" on the board this week! |
What do you think? Wanna come hang out and collaborate with me here? You're welcome anytime! I'd love to see your "home away from home" spaces!
Yours in Settling In,
