3 Easy Ways to Turn a Drab Bulletin Board into a Fab Bulletin Board

When I started my teaching career there was no such thing as Pinterest (gasp)!  So, my bulletin boards were not as “pin-worthy” as the ones that teachers create today.  However, these days, I’m so inspired by what teachers are creating in their classrooms.  While many of the designs might feel out of our league, I’ve found that with a few simple tips, we all can turn drab bulletin boards into fab bulletin boards.  Of course, to illustrate some of the ideas, I’m sharing some images from Pinterest!  I hope that you’ll find that with very little creativity even the most drab bulletin boards can turn into fab displays in the classroom!

Tip #1 – Have Fun with a Creative Background

If you’re looking for an easy way to make your bulletin board super special, it may just be a matter of thinking outside of the box when it comes to backgrounds and borders.  Just skip the paper and try these ideas instead:

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Tip #2 – Display Student Work With Pizzazz!

I love a bulletin board that is all about student work. Celebrating students’ achievement and giving students a chance to showcase their learning is a great use of a bulletin board.  So, dedicate a bulletin board just to student work.  To make it especially “fab” create a system that makes it super easy to swap out students’ work all year long.

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Tip #3 – Spread a Positive Message

OK, here’s a way to design a bulletin board once and keep it up all year long (gotta love that).  All you have to do is display a positive message on a bulletin board in the classroom.  Check out these super fab bulletin boards for inspiration:

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I hope you've found a few easy ways to turn a drab bulletin board into a fab one!  

CHECK THIS OUT!  I've put together a 100+ page guide for back to school for teachers. It includes tips, tools, and printables for classroom décor, classroom organization, lesson planning, community building, and planning the first day of school.  It's absolutely FREE!  

Just click here to sign up. When you sign up, you'll get access to 6 mini-courses that cover everything Back to School including classroom design, organization, curriculum planning, and ways to build a positive classroom community.  There's also a TON of exclusive freebies, bonuses, and videos!  If you'd like to learn more and sign up, just click HERE.

I've also put together styled classroom decor kits that you can use to easily create bulletin boards in your classroom.  Check them out HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Mary Beth

Free Classroom Resources to Save the Day

Let's face it, teaching brings about new challenges every single day! That's why I thought I'd compile 3 freebies that you can use to make some of those days in your classroom a little easier!  I'm sharing free print-and-use resources to help you create a teacher vision, free resources to save derailed lessons, and even a substitute feedback form.  They're all about helping you survive in the classroom!

You can check out this quick video where Jenny from Art with Jenny K. and I are discussing the ideas if you'd like:

And...if you find something you like, just download it for FREE!

Here's a freebie that is perfect any day of the year!  It's a Teacher Vision Poster created by Art with Jenny K.  I'm starting with this idea because this freebie is all about getting back to the core of why you teach.  You might want to complete this poster and take time to reflect on your own personal vision as a teacher.

Since the poster is visually stunning, it's also great to display in your classroom.  Your words and vision will surely help you survive some of those especially difficult days.

Download this freebie HERE.

Sometimes our days in the classroom are all about surviving the "little" interruptions that can completely de-rail a lesson.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  How about when there's a fire drill right in the middle of your instruction?  Or, what about when the technology that you planned to use for the lesson completely fails?  Oh, and what about when a student is having a rough day and making it especially hard to teach and learn?  Wouldn't it be nice to have a set of ideas just in case something sends a lesson off track?

Well, great news!  I've compiled a set of Back Up Plans to help you survive common classroom problems.

In the free download, you'll find solutions for...

- Fire drills (and ideas for helping students learn on the go)

- Lessons that end to soon (a fun game to extend any lesson)

- Technology Failures (an activity that students can do while you deal with a tech issue)

- Challenging students (an easy classroom management idea)

- Class interruptions (a focus sheet to bring students back to learning)

Download the Back Up Plans freebie HERE.

Speaking of surviving, one of the daunting tasks that teachers have to face is preparing for a substitute teacher.  It can be overwhelming to plan for a successful day in your absence.  That's why you're going to love this Substitute Feedback Form that Art with Jenny K. has put together for you!

With this form, your sub will have an easy way to keep track of behavior and leave you detailed notes about his or her day in your classroom.  You can just stick this form on your desk or insert it into your substitute teacher binder and just like that, your life got a whole little easier!

Find this FREEBIE HERE.

Well, that's all the teacher survival freebies that I've rounded up for today.  I hope you can make at least one of them work in your classroom!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Mary Beth

P.S. Just click the images below to learn more about the freebies in this post!