First Grade Classroom Tour!

Happy February! I'm excited to share a new blog post with you today which takes a deep dive into my classroom. If you don't already know, I am currently living and teaching in Budapest, Hungary. I teach first grade at a public elementary school. I am the lead English teacher and also work with two Hungarian co-teachers. I started this position in August 2022 and it's been a wonderful school year. I have 11 adorable kids in my class- each unique and incredible in their own way.

If you are in the field of education or just curious about what a first grade classroom in Hungary looks like, then this blog post is for you! Let's get started.

To begin, this is the outside of the classroom. The students keep their school bags, outdoor shoes, and outerwear here. There are coat hooks and a bench to the right for the students to get ready when they come or leave. We have a beautiful bulletin here with student artwork. On the right, is the door to our classroom.

Here is a general overview of our classroom. We have the desks set up in groups. Five students sit on the left, four in the back, and two on the right in the front. I love the natural lighting in our classroom! Most days we can get by without even turning on the lights.

Here is a picture from the opposite angle of the previous picture. You can see the door leading to the hallway and the whiteboard. We have a projector which we use daily. We are one of the only classrooms in the school to have this which I'm very grateful for!

Next to the white board is the green chalk board. This is what we write on the most as teachers. Below it you can see our calendar and above it, a number line which we use very often in math.

Next, this is the teacher corner. We have a teacher desk here that the three of us share and many supplies and materials.

To the left of the teacher desk is this table where the kids' water bottles and snacks are kept. I also use this table as a desk as it has a bench on the right side where I can sit when my co-teachers are at the front.

At the back of the classroom is where we have even more supplies and the play area! Instead of 1-2 long recess periods throughout the day (how it typically is in the U.S.), students receive 15 minutes at the end of each hour. Most of the kids will come back here and play legos or other games on the carpets. Many of them choose to stay at their desk and color.

This is on the other side of the classroom. Again, more storage space which is amazing! The letters here are all in Hungarian. Currently, students are learning their letter sounds and starting to read and write in only Hungarian. In English, we are focusing on vocabulary words and speaking. Second grade is where their reading and writing will begin to develop in English.

On this wall, the students keep their hand towels for the bathroom and bags full of their gym clothes. The board with the balloons and kids is used for classroom management. Each student has a balloon. Throughout the day the balloon moves up when they make good choices and down if they make not good decisions. My co-teacher is very talented at art so you can see how she wrote the teachers' names on the other bulletin boards.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our classroom. Please comment if you have any questions, I will be sure to answer them! -Niki