The Decisions Series: Part 3 - Classroom Environment

Once upon a time, I thought it was important that I cover every inch of wall space in my classroom with inspirational Argus posters (think kitten dangling from a branch with "Hang In There" written in a cute font across the top).  I thought the brighter and bolder the border on my bulletin boards the better.  I thought I needed to make up for the fact that the classroom was "on the garden level" of our building and the only way to make it a place my kids would want to be was to make it NEON!

 These photos are from my 7th grade ELA/US History classroom from about 2003 or so.  Notice the premade bulletin boards.  Notice the lack of any space for my students to have input in the room.

There were some things I did right back in the dark ages.  I replaced those god-awful all-in-one desks with tables and chairs.  The tables were positioned in such a way that would allow for discussion.  My teacher desk (and the desk of the other teacher who taught in my room) were pushed up against the wall and out of the way, leaving more room for kids.  It's not the most awful classroom space out there.

My thinking about my classroom space changed about eleven years ago when I had the opportunity to spend two days in classrooms in our elementary buildings.  I noticed how different parts of the classroom were used for different kinds of activities.  I noticed the anchor charts and student work on the wall.  The classrooms felt warm and welcoming, like places where ideas were shared and encouraged.  I decided I wanted my classroom to feel more like THOSE rooms and less like a traditional secondary classroom.

So I set out to make changes.  I got an easel that I could put chart paper on. I got a couch.  I brought in some old area rugs I had at home.  I moved the desks apart so that they were spread out around the room.  I stopped hanging so many pre-made posters and saved wall space to reflect our learning.

Yes, I pulled my seventh graders into our "living room" for our group instruction.  We had class discussions here.  Kids loved to read here during independent reading.  It was a start.  I could definitely feel a different vibe.  But classroom environment is not all about furniture and rugs.  It's also about the community that is created by the teacher AND the students.  It's set when a teacher takes the time to get to know her students and incorporate their passions into the curriculum where possible.  The environment is created when a teacher steps back and gives kids choices in where and how they will work and in the books they read.  The environment develops when kids trust that their voices will be heard.

Now I teach third grade.  I spend a great deal of time thinking about the environment my students will encounter when they enter my classroom next week and that we will continue to create together.  I want them to be able to tell what's important to me, and I want them to have some say about the changes we'll make as we begin to do the hard work of learning together.

So here's the latest iteration of my space:

 The desks are grouped into pods so kids can work together throughout the school day.  Each pod has a little tote that has basic communal supplies and a three-drawer storage unit that holds math books, white boards and markers, and extra paper.  Together, we'll figure out what, if anything, else should go in those drawers and that supply tote.  The kids are the ones who will be using these, so they should have some say in how they access supplies and materials.

My easel is on wheels, so I can move it to whatever area of the classroom I happen to be using at the time.  Kids still gather in our large meeting space in the front of the room for most of our whole-group instruction, but during independent work time, they can sit anywhere.  Last year, I had kids who really liked working under the small group tables.

The kids can also choose their seating.  I want them to be comfortable.  If they like the chairs.. great!  I also have wooden stools, wobble stools, yoga ball chairs (which I also use at my desk), and lap desks for sitting on the floor.  They can move freely around the room and work wherever they feel most comfortable.  In our first days together next week, we will set expectations for how to work in a flexible environment.  The kids will be an active part of creating our learning community.

 

As you can see, my walls don't have a lot on them.  Some of my bulletin boards are done.  That one above my desk is a hassle, so I put something up that will stay all year.  The others will feature kids' work, our "star of the week," and I have one board that the class will decide how to use.  This is not just my work space... it belongs to my fifteen students as well, and they need to have ownership of how we work in it.

I want my students to feel at home in room 301.  I want them to know I honor their voices and stories, and that I want them to take risks and stretch themselves in order to grow as learners and people.  I want them to learn how to work together and solve problems, and even get along with people who you might not like or who you might disagree with.  I want them to think about big ideas and hard topics and begin to find their own truth.

The environment is where this all starts.

The Decisions Series: Part 2 - The Teacher Desk

Many teachers, both in my school and in my extended network, have decided to get rid of their teacher desks.  Their reasons vary:  some of them have very small classrooms and want to maximize space for students; some of them prefer to sit at a classroom table to plan; some of them had really old desks that should have been retired ten years ago.  Whatever the reason, the teachers I know who have moved away from having a teacher desk are very happy with their choice.

I have decided to keep my desk.

There are some things I know about myself as a worker.  I need a space that is mine.  I need to have my materials around me, and I need to know where everything is.  I need to have a bright light, which helps me read without tiring my eyes.  I need a comfortable chair so that I can focus on getting my work done without my back aching.

So yes... I still have my desk.

But notice where my desk is... it's in a corner of my classroom away from my windows.  It's pushed up against the wall.  This is not a place to sit while students are in the room (unless they are having Spanish class, which means I have a plan period).  That little corner is the only place in the classroom that is truly mine.  Everything else is for the kids.

I know there are people who think I should get that mammoth desk out of the room and make the space available for my students.  And I get it... I do!  I could make another cozy reading nook there or I could fit two or three more bookshelves.  But I also know that the work I do planning for instruction is important as well.  If I am going to spend time carefully planning my whole- and small-group instruction, reading exit slips and other written assignments, considering formative assessments that will tell me what each student needs the next day, I need a place to do it.  If I am going to do this work in a timely manner that allows me to get home in time to drive my daughters to dance class and cook dinner for my family, I need a space where all of my materials are handy.  Just as I allow my students to find a "just right" place to do their work, I need such a space for mine.

For a while, I felt guilty about keeping my desk.  But after I spent time thinking about why I felt I needed to keep it, that guilt went away.  I strive every day to be the very best teacher I can be.  If having a few square feet of classroom space for my work helps me reach that goal, well... I'm okay with that.

Good Intentions

I had every intention of using this blog space as a place for reflection, to sit down at least once a week to write about my new teaching life, my thoughts as I got reacquainted with the rhythms and routines of the classroom, my growing relationships with my students.

Then... it didn't happen.

This did:

Life.  Life happened.
I'm a teacher, yes, but I'm also a mom, a wife, President of the Secondary Reading League, Secretary of the Glenbrook North Parents Association.

I spend my evenings driving my kids to dance lessons and orchestra rehearsals.  I cook dinner.  I do laundry.  I plan (as evidenced by my dining room table on Sunday afternoon).

But I do think and reflect, even if I don't always get around to getting it all in writing.  This reflection is important.  If I don't take the time to think about my day, about my successes and flops, I'll never become a better teacher, and really, that is my goal: every day a better teacher than the day before.

What I have been doing is posting a "Highlights of my teaching day" post on Facebook each evening.  They typically look something like this:

These posts do a couple of things for me - they force me to focus on the positives that happen in my classroom every single day.  I am a horrible perfectionist, and if I let myself, I focus only on the things that were less than stellar.  In making these highlights public, I have to think through my day and choose the things that brought me joy.  I'm finding that knowing I'm going to write about them later, I notice these joyful moments more.  I'm looking for them.  I'm savoring them.

Of course, paying attention to the positive does not mean that I'm not considering the things that did not go as planned.  Every teacher, every day has those moments when he or she thinks, "Well... I did not expect THAT!"  Sometimes it's a piece of text that did not engage the students.  Sometimes it's a group project gone south.  Sometimes it's tripping on a cord and landing on your butt in the front of your room (yes... that happened to me and on a day when I had a group of observers no less).  I spend time each evening thinking about those things as well, and I make notes for myself about changes I need to consider in my lesson and unit plans for next year - or even the next day.  My plans are definitely fluid.  They need to be if I am going to be responsive to my students' needs.

So yes... I've been sporadic in posting here on the blog, but I am still trying to make it work in third grade.  Overall, I feel great about what I'm doing.  Here's why:

• Most of my kids came into third grade loving to read; I get to benefit from that by seeing how excited they get about my classroom library.
• The kids get to teach me new things every day (especially in math), and I let them know when they've done just that.  The smiles of pride on their faces are priceless.
• I've had several students come to me, asking to share pieces of writing they did at home, just for fun.  They know I think it's fabulous they do the work as writers even when they're not told to.
• Even though I'm dog tired at the end of every school day, I go home excited about my work.  I look forward to returning to school the next day.
• I don't count down to Friday anymore.

And then there's this:

First Day Number 23

Today was my 23rd first day of school in Northbrook School District 28.  This year, as you know if you've read this blog this summer, is different.  I am not returning to my long-time home at Northbrook Junior High.  Instead, today was my first official day as a third grade teacher.

Of course, I've been at school on and off over the past few weeks getting everything set up.  So here's my new home:

This is the view to the left from just inside my classroom door.  You can see my cabinetry, which holds curricular materials and supplies.  At the far end is my desk.  I know many people are getting rid of their teacher desks, but honestly, I need my space to work before and after school just like students need their spaces to work during the day.  In order to minimize the space I take up, I keep my desk pushed up against the wall.  The bulletin board above the desk is our Mindsets for Learning board.  Students will complete this board as we learn the five stances that lead to a learning mindset.

These are my two small group instructional spaces.  I am lucky enough to have an assistant in my room for both my literacy studio block and my math workshop block.  The two tables afford both of us space to work with students, either individually or in small groups.  These tables also offer students other seating options during other times of the school day.

This is my reading area/meeting area.  The books on these shelves are almost all nonfiction books.  As I was sorting my library books with a friend, I realized just how much of my library was nonfiction.  I love this part of my collection because I have lots of different kinds of books about many different topics.  I also love that the nonfiction books are front and center.  I don't, however, love the carpet.  Or the olive green accent wall.  Or the orange sink cabinetry.  Unlike some teachers in some schools, I am NOT allowed to paint my walls or bring in furniture other than that provided by the school.  Hence my black and white bulletin boards.

This is the fiction area of my library.  I definitely need to work on beefing up my early chapter book collection over the course of this year.  Thank goodness I've started stockpiling Scholastic Book Club bonus points!  The nice part of having holes in my classroom library is that the kids can help me fill them by suggesting titles I should add to our collection.

Having this space all set got me in the right frame of mind for today.  Though it was mostly spent in meetings, we did have Meet the Teacher for an hour where families could come check out our classroom and ME.  I met all 18 of my terrific third graders.  I shook each of their hands (we'll be working on that during Morning Meeting this week... believe me!) and introduced myself.  They were so cute.  And they were SO excited to see their desks, to see their lockers, to begin to explore our classroom.  My favorite moment (besides the spontaneous hug I got from one departing youngster) was seeing so many of the kids flipping through the books, looking for old favorites and discussing new-to-them titles they'd like to read.  It made my heart happy to see this labor of love getting the attention it so deserves.  I couldn't have done it without the generosity of friends who donated books or who gifted me with Amazon gift cards so I could build the library my young learners need.

Today was important.  Hard as it was to walk away from my friends who have supported me for the past 22 years, today showed me just how right I was to make this move.  I needed to shake things up, to push myself outside my comfort zone, to get back in the company of children, to put myself back in the classroom to put to work the things I learned as a coach.  

So that quote at the top of the page from another 23... That quote captures my thinking about my work this year.  I will work hard.  I will have high expectations for myself and my students.  And my reward will be the knowledge that I'm where I am supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to be doing.