No Desk? No Problem!

Today I want to share with you how in the world I plan to live (successfully!) without my teacher desk! This past year I had a teacher desk. It was huge. It was heavy. It was AWFUL. I bargained with my principal to get a kidney table in my room, which I did finally get. However, they wouldn't take the big, bulky teacher desk out of my room, so I shoved it up against a wall and got over it. (Well, I tried to get over it - but I hated it.)

I resolved to keep it clear and actually use my desk since it was going to stay in my room. But, who am I kidding? It collected papers, books, and weird stuff the kids hand you because they think you want it.

"No, Johnny, I don't want that random scrap of paper you found on the floor. Just go throw it away. Henry, no I don't want your boogers. Please go get a tissue." (the boogers really happened...)

It all (besides the boogers) ended up on my desk. Did I sit at my desk? Absolutely not. It actually kind of stressed me out just to look at it. CRAP EVERYWHERE. Anyone else feel the same way?

This upcoming year, I will have NO TEACHER DESK! Hallelujah!

The custodians took it out of my room during the last week of school, and I was thrilled! Except... I had to empty all that junk that was in it, on it, and under it. I've been a busy little bee trying to get my work area figured out, and I think I've finally done it.
Here's a look at where I'm at so far:

Behind my table I have two black shelves and my colored cart. The shelf you see on the left has all of my teacher read alouds. The shelf on the right contains my teacher toolbox, small supply caddies for when the kids are at the table with me, and binders galore. My binders contain math units, close reading passages, graphic organizers, etc. I'm still working on labeling all of my binders...

Here's a closer look at my read aloud section:

Each magazine file is labeled and contains all of my mentor texts. Do you think I have enough? I frequent Half Price Books a lot. :)

On top of that read aloud shelf, I have five bins - one for each day of the week.

Inside each bin I put my copies for the day. I did not use this last year, and I ended up having my copies EVERYWHERE. My kids got used to helping me find my copies because I couldn't keep track of them. This year my copies and materials will be exactly where they should be! Plus, I loved using some cute letters to spice them up a bit.

This summer I finally created a teacher toolbox. I'm sure you've seen them all over Pinterest for awhile now. I thought about making one last summer but didn't end up doing it. However, now that I don't have a teacher desk, I decided it was the perfect time to make my own!

This little gem now sits on the second shelf, right behind my kidney table. It has everything from staples to post-its to markers and more. I am in LOVE. If you need labels, I've got three different versions available in my TPT shop. Click here to head to my shop!

So, if you're looking to get rid of your teacher desk - DO IT! You can meet with your kiddos AND have everything you need (copies, books, markers, etc) all at your fingertips!