Teacher Tip: The Best Classroom Board Lines
As with most teachers, I liked to partition the board to have sections and also have a lined area for writing or penmanship. At first, I would just use dry erase markers to draw those lines. They were usually only good for a single use and had to be redone constantly. Then, I decided to bravely use permanent black markers for the lines. Those stayed up there much longer, but I noticed that every time I crossed over them with the dry erase markers, they would smudge or disappear. So, over the course of a week or so, I’d end up with unattractive broken lines.
It was only about five years ago that I discovered vinyl chart tape. This tape comes in various colors and widths. I found that 1/8″ width is about the same width as a marker. So, I embarked on the mission of replacing all of my lines on the board with chart tape and the results were VERY impressive. I was able to design a penmanship center, partition areas of the board, build graphs and charts and color-code data. And it all looked amazingly professional.
Since chart tape is so versatile, I could use different widths or colors for different purposes. All it took was some measuring, marking, cutting and placing the vinyl tape. Most of the tape lasted for as long I needed it. Only occasionally did the tape come loose. But since the tape is very easy to replace, it was soon perfect again. If you’re still drawing lines on your white boards, I would strongly suggest considering inexpensive vinyl chart tape as an amazing alternative.
