Dry-Erase Table Update... 3 Months Later

I thought it is about time I give some updates on the biggest change to my classroom this year...our new dry erase table! Earlier this school year, I wrote about the process of turning my front table into a giant dry erase board for students to use during our 6th grade math workshop. Click HERE for that link. A can of primer and dry erase paint later, here is what the initial result was... a brand new (and shiny!) table.

The students have absolutely loved using the table. We used it almost every single day during our math workshop at the "Teacher Center." At this center, I give students 3-4 problems to try and I can help as needed. I recently began creating task cards of these problems (I was tired of holding up the problems on a white board!). Click HERE for a free copy of the decimal and exponent problems (and check out my store for other units - more are still in the works!). If students fly through these initial problems, then I give them an enrichment task card that is focused on whatever math concept we are learning. A full set of these enrichment task cards has been available in my TpT store for a while - if you are interested in a copy click this link: Math Enrichment Task Cards. The dry erase table has been perfect for students to use as we complete these problems. I can easily check to see if they are on the right track as they work!

My biggest concern with the table going in was how it would hold up. I bought the cheapest dry erase paint from Home Depot... I think it was about $20 if I remember correctly. I'd say on a scale of 1-10, I would give it about a 7.5 as far as its condition after three months. This is after pretty heavy use I might add. Each spot on the table gets used by 12 groups a day, which means 12 students per spot. Each of those students is doing approximately 5 problems each day at that spot. That adds up to each spot being used and erased about 60 times per day! Here is what the table currently looks like.

It's a little tough to see with the glare, but the heavily used spots are definitely not perfectly white anymore... but honestly, this doesn't really bother me. For how much students enjoy using it and how convenient it is to use during math workshop, it is definitely worth it. Other than it not being perfectly shiny, the only other minor issue has been a few small chips or cracks in the paint. I am considering putting on a fresh coat of the dry erase paint over winter break, although it wouldn't be necessary. So what's my opinion on how the table is working? Even though it isn't a perfect white (I was never expecting it to stay that way!) and there are a few small cracks in the paint, I am happy with how it has worked in my classroom and would 100% do it again.

Here are a few more shots of the table in action! If you have questions about the table, let me know in the comments!