As Suzanne Malone waited for her class of third-grade students — a “big one” of 26 — to show up, she was optimistic that she had done everything imaginable to ease their transition.

Space, she said, was going to be the biggest obstacle.

“I’ve got the biggest class in years,” she said, “but at the same time, I’ve got a classroom half the size as normal.”

The classroom at First Church of God on Leslie Road was cheerful and had many of the modern conveniences that pre-renovation First District Elementary School did not. But since it wasn’t built to accommodate a classroom full of energetic 8- and 9-year-old students, there was an obvious lack of storage.

“Look at all of these boxes!” she said, “and this is only one-half of what there was. I told them to put the rest back in storage so we wouldn’t trip over them.”

Some boxes had been unpacked already, with some books being arranged on make-shift “bookshelves” made of cement blocks and lumber.

“They work!” she said, as she pointed at them and laughed. “They were my husband’s idea — they’re functional.”

Malone and the other teachers from First District Elementary School were determined to make the most of the hand they were dealt after being told that the renovations of their school would not be completed in time for this year’s opening day.

As the students settled into the “classroom,” she stressed the importance of being organized.

“It’s very important to maintain good housekeeping,” Malone said. “Think of your backpacks as your desks — there are no cabinets, so, except for the coloring books, crayons and scissors on your desk, you should keep everything inside of your backpack.”

While it’s possible to store coats, pencils and lunches, containing their energy is a different story. But, as every good teacher knows, for every problem there is a solution waiting to be found.

To keep the students from becoming too anxious about the confines of the classrooms, Malone plans to actually encourage them to be active.

“I realize that the space is limited,” she said. “So I’ve got to find ways of keeping them moving around a lot.”

Instead of students sitting to introduce themselves, they stood up and made a large circle around the tables and did chain-style introductions. Each student turned to the next, shook hands, said “good morning” and then introduced themselves.

And to fend off any possible mid-day distractions about their new and unusual surroundings, teachers encouraged children to point out the things in the classroom that were “different” than they were First District.