Why It's Ok To Start The Year With Minimalistic Bulletin Boards

Take store bought bulletin board displays off your beginning of the year to do list and dare to leave them blank for the first few weeks. 

Sometimes as teachers we feel we need to start the year with everything perfect and already done, which is not the case.

Here are some ideas for how you can manage this in your classroom!

1) Try starting the year with just background paper, borders and bold titles on the boards.

2) Add a sign that says, “Under Construction” or “Work in Progress” or “Coming Soon!”

Why? 

• Offers an opportunity for students to co-create bulletin boards
• Piques students’ curiosity about what’s to come
• Sends the message that students and their interests will be honored in your classroom

Some ideas for beginning of the year bulletin boards:

• “Hopes and Goals” Idea: Take and post photos of students with thought bubbles above their heads on which they write their hope and goal for the year…something they want to work on or improve this year. (TIp: I encourage my students to choose a goal they can practice regularly in class. Generally, it is related to the academic curriculum or to social skills. So wanting to be a better soccer player is a good goal for outside of class or in PE, but it wouldn’t be a goal they’d be able to work on consistently in class
• Our Favorite Books and Authors
• All About Us
• Start of a Word Wall

TIPS and SUGGESTIONS:

When using bulletin boards to showcase student work across the school year…

• Try not to highlight just exemplary work, but rather work that shows effort or growth
• Make sure all students are represented
• Display works in progress, as well as finished pieces or solutions
• Attach a note from the student directing viewers to notice or note an aspect of the work they are proud of. IE, “Notice how I…”
• Remember that honoring different iterations of work, not just the most exemplary, shows we believe that a student’s individual effort and growth and readiness matters