I got a text from a great friend last week to help with a “set
up” for her classroom. I’m super psyched
that she’s moving to second grade – more chance
for us to work together again! We were
moved to different ends of the building after teaching in the same room
together…it was an amazing year with
really cool things happening – learned so
much from her…hmmm, wonder if
we were “put in different corners” for having too much fun! I missed her terribly, but we found ways to
reunite, brainstorm, and problem solve!
Now it’ll be easier to cause trouble collaborate with her.
A few years ago, I made a leap to really change the
environment and my approach to teaching - moving from “teacher” to “lead learner” in my room. It was a big leap since my
room looked and felt V-E-R-Y different from colleague’s rooms – although it has
been said more than once, I always seem to think “outside the box”. I wanted a “homey”, comfortable setting where
everyone met with success, risks could be taken, and learning was not
threatening…THAT was
most important. I wanted the “feel” of
the environment to be noticed right away.
As I've said before, I’m not terribly traditional – the kids work in teams (unless they choose to be
independent), we collaborate on projects, work on inquiries together, work on
the floor or at tables, etc. It’s my
passion that every kid loves to learn and is prepared to handle any challenge
that’s thrown at them. Learning becomes
intrinsically motivated, almost contagious, and is guided by me, but led by the
kids – it’s so cool to watch. It’s been
one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Anyway, I went in and spent some time helping S. My first comment to her (as she nervously
paced and I giggled with excitement!) – "pick an
important place"… she
started with her “book nook” – which is
where I would have started, but she had to own this. You need to make the areas you value most be
noticeable, work the best for you and feel comfortable for what you want to do
with them…those areas are always noticed first. We pushed tables, desks, and other items out
of the way - this area is really important to her, so we had to make sure we
had plenty of room. Once that was done,
we moved and pushed until we had the perfect set up for her whole group/rug
area – going so far as to tape off the floor where the rug would go – the space
had to include a rocking chair, a CD player, and a few other “necessities” for
whole group instruction. Happy with
that, we moved to the instructional area/table.
There wasn't a ton of room, so I got a “little creative” and moved a few
things (remember, asking forgiveness, rather than permission, is my motto – my poor
principal knows this too well!!)……voila! More room made for that table and lots of
extra space for kids! We moved furniture
away from the door, pushed her tchotchke holder desk (which I wouldn't be surprised if she got rid of soon!) against the wall, made “visual access”
across every angle of the room to make it more open and inviting.
After we finished with those “big 3” it was time to look at “home
bases” for kiddos. The room felt a
little cramped, so I questioned how the kids will work – teams?
alone? Knowing S well enough, I
knew the answer (teams for SURE!), but it's her space and she had to decide this for herself. We ditched two tables and it was decided that
the instructional table/area would be home bases for kids – it would only be the place for the kids to land
or grab a pencil, but learning could take place anywhere in the room. The room felt AMAZING – boxes, crates, and
piles were still on tables, but the atmosphere felt great! At this point S was concerned with where to
house student supplies – I shared that my kiddos put their things in the tops
of their cubby – sacred space for learning supplies, makes less clutter in the
room, and demands organization for a small space! My philosophy is extremely similar to S, so I
think this will work great.
It’s really important in set up to be sure your room feels the
way you want it to – as soon as someone walks in to your room, the environment
speaks volumes without you saying a word. So, ask yourself:
_ What’s
most important to you? Does your room show that?
_ How does
your space feel to the kids and colleagues?
_ What are you willing to change?
_ Which
space will be used most? Does it need an "upgrade"?
_ Is there
anything you can risk doing without? Then ditch it!
_ Is there
something you should risk bringing IN?
I’m getting ready to head in to my room in the next week or
two, but in the meantime I’m grateful for the time to keep creating. Here’s my latest .... sanded down old paint, added new cherry red, a whole bunch of Modge Podge, and a few Archie & Jugheads! Thanks to Dear Hubby and Maisie Doo for
helping to cut apart all the comics! (daily giggle - Veronica and Betty had MANY censored pages!)
Love it, love it, love it!
<3 reading
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