Classroom Tours

What’s Here

The best way to get classroom arrangement ideas is to see  photos of how REAL teachers have set up their rooms.  On this page, you can tour all of my classrooms from 2003-2008, and also view photographs of my colleagues’ classrooms and those of website visitors.  You’re sure to get some creative ideas for utilizing your space in a new way!

Pages in This Section

My Rooms
Other Teachers’ Rooms

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Cornerstone Cross-Reference

Find even MORE information about setting up your classroom in The Cornerstone book and eBook! Book-exclusive content includes:

Ch. 1: Classroom Arrangement
*How to create space for the 8 basic elements of an elementary classroom, no matter how small or oddly-shaped the room
*Photographs of four desk arrangements that really work (and why two others don’t)
*Attractive and useful set-ups for bulky and outdated computer stations
*The number one factor you should consider when placing your desk and workspace

Ch. 2: Planning for the First Weeks of School
*Sample lesson plans for teaching procedures during the first week of school
*The 11 things that HAVE to get done before the first day
*What to buy (and what NOT to buy) for your classroom

Ch. 4: Avoiding the Paper Trap
*Detailed instructions for establishing ONE place for EACH type of paper you come across, regardless of the space and containers you have

Ch. 5: Finding and Filing Instructional Resources
*Specific guidelines for managing your lesson materials for each subject area

Ch. 6: Organizing Classroom Materials
*How to make the most of students’ school supply lists so you don’t have to spend out of pocket
*Why you should think twice before allowing students to share materials or use communal school supplies
*Inexpensive ways to get classroom materials

Ch. 7: Maintaining a Class Library
*How to choose books that kids will want to read (and how to obtain them on the cheap)
*Quick and inexpensive ways to categorize, level, and arrange your books into baskets or bins
*How to spend just ten minutes setting up a self-running book checkout system
*Solutions for the great debate: should you allow students to take books home?
*5 simple lessons that teach your students to care for and maintain your classroom library
*Creative ways to give kids ownership over the class library

Ch. 8: Cleaning, Packing, and Moving
*What to keep, what to toss, and where to put it so you can find it!
*Step-by-step photographs that show how to pack up your old room and unpack your new one
*How to pace yourself so you don’t get overwhelmed

Want YOUR classroom photos featured here?

Email the link to your Flickr, Tumblr, blog, or other site, or put the pics in a Word or PDF doc which I’ll upload to the site. We’d love to see what you’re doing!

Recommended Resources

Classroom Displays and Bulletin Boards (maintained by Barbara Colvin) has hundreds of creative bulletin board photos from real teachers, all organized by theme/topic.

Kathy Schrock’s collection of links to more bulletin board sites (from DiscoverySchool.com) is incredibly extensive and easy to search.

The Virtual Vine has an unbelievable amount of great photos and links–wow!  And to think I used to try to come up with this stuff up myself! :-)

Grade My Classroom is a site run by a kindergarten teacher who loves to decorate. Her name is Ashlee and she hopes to make her site the Facebook for people interested in learning environments for children. The site is a collection of classroom tours and teachers from all over have submitted their classroom photos. Ashlee contacted me via email and said she’s remodeling the site right now, so look for new features. What a cool idea!

Remember, when you connect to Amazon through this site, a portion of ALL sales benefit The Cornerstone For Teachers. Thanks for your support–it really makes a difference!

Blog Posts on Classroom Arrangement and Decoration

Classroom Photo Tours on the Blog: Classrooms of the Month
Tables vs. Desks
Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Using Portable Dividers to Separate Students’ Desks

Now What?

Check out my classroom arrangements from 2003-2009 on the My Rooms page
See how teachers around the world have set up their classrooms on the Other Teachers’ Rooms page
Learn how to set up your rug/carpet area on the Class Meetings page
Discover ways to arrange centers and workstations in your classroom on the Setting Up Centers/Stations page