A Very Pinterest Death

Pinterest is where I go to die. 

Creatively, that is. 

It seems everywhere I look teachers have pinterest perfect classrooms. The walls are painted, the desks perfectly arranged, and all the decorations in the world seem to be crammed into a small classroom. First thing that runs through my mind is usually—holy crap, how cute. Quickly followed by how the hell do they afford it?

When I started teaching, I wanted that pinterest classroom, just Harry Potter edition. I was determined to indoctrinate my students in everything Harry Potter and we were going to find amazing ways to integrate pop culture into stale curriculum.  

But, as you may know, I didn’t get a classroom my first year. 

Many of my fellow first year teachers struggled with decorating their classrooms and figuring out what supplies they would need. The classrooms ranged from bare white walls with the bare minimum, to a picture straight out of the depths of perfect teacher pinterest. 

None of it matters.

Kids won’t care if the walls are bare cause you weren’t willing to go into debt for a pretty room, and they won’t magically learn the standards through osmosis because your macramé is perfectly positioned. 

Although classroom décor helps make work feel a little homier, it shouldn’t dominate our wallets or self-esteem. 

It shouldn’t wreck your self-esteem.

What goes in your classroom should be functional, first and foremost, and then you can focus on the pretty. 

Do you have a pinterest worthy room? 

Tell me about it in the comments.