Classroom Design

June 1, 2015

The week before a new school year was to begin my classroom always looked "school picture" perfect.  The desks were all in nice rows, the cubbies had been assigned, the resource shelves were tidy and out of the way of daily traffic, and MY desk was clear, orderly, and professional in appearnce.  The first Friday of the school year the rows weren't so straight, the cubbies were jumbled, no one had even noticed the resource shelves, and my desk looked like a Kansas tornado had visited. For the remainder of the school year I seemed to fight the chaos until the last day of school. Summer preparation time would see me trying to deterine a better design for seating, cubbies, resource placement, and teacher desk organization.

In November of 2013, our school celebrated the Week of the Young Reader.  We had activities planned each day to encourage the students to love reading.  I love to read, so this was a dream week for me.  Teachers were to incorporate free reading time each day in the classroom, and teachers were to read as well.  I brought my Nook (a gift from my children) to school, and I allowed the students to bring electronic readers to class.  Everyone had reading material, and we were ready for our free read time.  In a moment of uncharacteristic lieniancy, I allowed the students to sit wherever they wished for free read time.  They sat in groups, sat on the floor, and even layed on the floor.  I really stepped out of my comfort zone and played music during this time.  What a huge difference in my classroom!

First, the students read!  They would even ask for five more minutes of read time.  The students behaved beautifully!  There was no horsing around, very little conversation, and no wandering around the room.  Third, my lessons were all covered with time to spare.  The homework and in class projects were all completed. Most important, it was a fun week.  Why?  Why was this week, with all the out of class activities and interuptions, one of the best weeks of teaching I had ever experienced?

The answer: because the students were allowed some freedoms and choices.  Because junior high age kids don't sit at the kitchen table doing homework. Because kids listen to music and sit (or lie down) wherever they are comfortable.  Because it isn't 1985, and I needed to change my classroom design. What if the classroom took on the appearance of a living room?  What if we had indirect lighting?  What if... The questions were flooding through my mind, so I went to the principal.  She was as excited by the possibilities as I had hoped, even more so.

Together we planned out a "budget" and went to work.  My husband and I spent numerous Saturdays visiting used furniture stores and discount houses.  As I acquired new items, I placed them directly in the classroom, making room by removing desks.  We searched through every corner of school and parish storage, coming up with tables that would work with the existing desk chairs. Teachers were offering tables or chairs they "really weren't using".  Before long, students were searching family storage and attics.  The results were wonderful!

The students were very excited, and they assumed ownership of this transformation.  I invited my son Mark, who was studying technical theatre in college, to come in and teach the students about a set (our classroom). He talked about movement and use of space, as well as appearance and lighting.  The students were divided into four groups and were asked to draw a design for the classroom.  Then we would try each design for one month after Christmas break.

The student plans were creative and unique.  They weren't perfect, but the students would work together to "fix" any problems as their design was selected for the month.  I learned much more than the kids. One, they wanted to "own" the classroom. They enjoyed making the decisions about furniture placement and use of natural light.  They held each other to task if needed.  They had fun.  Two, resource materials need to be easily accessible and not in a corner.  Every student design moved the huge shelf of history resources into the flow of traffic.  Three, Mrs. J will probably never be a tidy-desk person.  With humor and some teasing, each student design had a corner of the room marked off for Mrs. J's area, and it was designated as a mess! The students were very accepting of my messy organizational style.  So, I should stop worrying about the student cubbies. (Curtains now hang over the cubby area).

The benefits of the new classroom design with the comfortable seating, indirect lighting, and a little bit of clutter? Academic productivity seems to be increasing. The students are more comfortable and happy. The students have taken ownership of the classroom, and they work to keep it clean and tidy.  Several alumni have stopped in to view the new room and like the appearance.  Parents and grandparents who visit are very supportive.  My own children (in their 20s now, and all former students) said they could NOT believe I had stepped out of my comfort zone and had changed the room style so much.  Three years ago, if someone had suggested I "change" my typical classroom design, I would have shaken my head and ignored the advice. Now, I cannot imagine teaching with bright overhed floresant lighting, desks in rows, and everyhting in a perfectly orderly place.