Community Bulletin Board

A few days ago, I shared chapter 2 with all of you from Conscious Discipline. In case you missed it... I LOVE this style of classroom management. I am finding similar ideals in my favorite teaching resources and it is all starting to blend together into one seamless foundation. At last!!

Do you remember my community board?

I have had many comments and questions about this.While many of you seemed to love it, I was struggling to feel the same way. In fact, all those stripes were driving me batty.

Inspiration finally struck when this banner arrived in the mail. I purchased matching fabric but soon found out that the black print would just not work for what I had envisioned so I used it on another project and it came out perfect!

Armed with these fabrics - I redid my cork boards on my community board. I created this:

I love this look so much better. Please ignore the dust on my quotes. I should have dusted prior to taking the picture! This was taken on my living room floor. I can't wait to hang this in my classroom!

You cant see it clearly in this picture - but the red fabric is actually a red and white polka dot and the black and white is a damask. Here is what the fabric looks like up close:

The black school print fabric was not used in the design but since I am using black magnetic chalk boards with quotes in white - it is a close match.

Question: Is each board separate or is it one big piece?
Answer: Each board is separate. In the new picture I made two long strips instead of a square with the pieces.

Question: What size is each square and how much fabric did you use?
Answer: Each square is 14x14. I purchased them at Joann's Fabric when they were on sale for $8 a piece. There are 8 cork boards and 8 magnetic whiteboards that I made into chalkboards. 1 yard of fabric covers approximately 4 boards. To complete this entire project, I used just less than 2 yards of fabric. Yes, I have a plan for the scraps. =)

Question: Are the chalkboards glittery?
Answer:  Yes (giggles)!! I have a love affair with glitter hairspray. I have found many many uses for it. Prior to putting on a clear coat to seal the boards I sprayed them with glitter hairspray and let them dry. It applies and even coat of glitter that is subtle but still catches the light. I love how it works.

Question: What quotes did you use and why?
Answer: I looked for quotes that had character traits that I wanted to see emulated in my classroom and also by people my students should recognize. I also wanted a variety of people so that every student could perhaps find someone to connect with. I wanted the quotes to have meaning to my students.

Efforts and courage 

are not enough without 

purpose and direction. 

~ John F. Kennedy

Try not. do or do not. 

There is no try. 

~ Master Yoda

All of our dreams can come true - 

If we have the courage

to pursue them. 

~ Walt Disney

In the middle of 

difficulty

lies opportunity. 

~ Albert Einstein

Nothing great was ever

achieved without enthusiasm.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The dictionary is the only place

where success comes before hard work. 

Hard work is the price we must

pay for success. 

~ Vince Lombardi

The more that you read,

the more things you know. 

The more that you learn, 

the more places you'll go. 

~ Dr. Seuss

No legacy is as 

rich as honesty. 

~ William Shakespeare

Question: Do you change out the quotes?

Answer: I have contemplated changing out the quotes to ones with more meaning for my students and may do so at some time in the future. I had a long list of ideas to use but with the help of my children narrowed it down to these 8. I have also contemplated changing out the cork boards seasonally but I think this maybe more work than the impact of the board will warrant. Besides - now it matches my classroom perfectly.

Question: How will you use this board?
Answer:  I originally designed this to go behind my desk but quick realized it was probably too large to do so. Instead, I will either hang it above eye level but still reachable along a wall or perhaps even split it into multiple areas of my room. The cork boards will hold pictures of our school community. My students, their families, and other people we encounter throughout the year.

This is an idea that I had when asked to create a way to celebrate diversity in my classroom. It was always made to hold pictures of our class from the beginning even when I was going to put it behind my desk. The change has been to the made as I found a similar idea in Conscious Discipline.

So what am I gonna do with the stripe fabric? I am not sure to be honest. I am saving it for that one day when I will have another ah ha moment! And find the exact thing that it will work on. =)