My classroom

Last Monday I had to suddenly, and very quickly, move my classroom to a room half the size of my last classroom.  I have only eight students this year. Since I had no time to dream, envision, consult, or experiment with different options, I had to go with what I find most important for my classroom to function to support student learning.

1. If I could pick only one thing for my classroom, it would be the classroom library and reading corner.   Choice of reading material and cozy reading spots help to grow happy readers.  In a small space I take advantage of the wide windowsills.   

2. Some years ago I had open cubbies for my students. We tried organizing and regular cleaning but the clutter smirked back. Getting cubbies with doors has been one of the best furniture choices. I would also love to clean the tops of the cubbies empty. Unfortunately this year some of the math material is housed there until I find a better storage solution. 

3. Some years ago I got four curvy writing desks. Originally I had hoped for four computers too. It never happened. Now that we are 1:1 i-Pad school the computers don't matter so much. The lovely tables with office chairs make a special writing place for students.  I was able to fit two of the tables in the new room.

4. Any primary school teacher knows how valuable carpeted floor space is. Not just for class meetings and reading workshops, but also for math work and movement. Looking back I realize that what I had last year was luxury. This year I have less space but still enough. The blue bench has storage inside. On the left of the white board I have math materials. On the right I have cupboards with various teacher materials and records. I have got rid of many papers and plan to continue doing so.

5. I am a big fan of round tables. I always have at least one round table in my class. Last Monday, when I was trying to arrange and rearrange the desks in my classroom, our custodian moved by my classroom and asked whether I needed any more desks. When I said I'd rather get rid all of my desks and had round tables instead, he smiled and said it was doable. Someone upstairs was getting rid of two round tables. Because I wanted to keep my carpet space I gladly adopted one of the left over tables. We have group work space. I left three desks for student in case they needed/wanted to learn by themselves. They also have the writing tables and one small oval table in the reading corner. Plenty of variation for alone and together learning.

6. The teacher corner. I haven't had a teacher table for years. At first it was because I was in a tiny classroom and didn't have space. Later because I didn't need it. I am with the kids most of the time. A benefit of not having a desk is being more organized. There is no desktop to pile things on. I keep only the near future teaching materials on the countertop next to the white board. The rest gets sorted. The most awful thing I once owned as a teacher was a filing cabinet. It may work for many teachers, but I ended up just throwing things in the bottom drawer. Now I sort student work and assessment in simple file boxes. One thing I am sad about is the open shelf. I haven't had time to come up with creative solutions yet. Maybe curtains, or maybe I should speak to the handyman.

The floor and the storage space shrank. So did the wall space. How to use the wall space is a question I haven't formed a full opinion yet. I understand the need to display charts, student thinking and creations. On the other hand, having empty wall space makes the classroom look peaceful. I have tried moving toward uncluttered space but I am not sure it is completely possible in a primary classroom.

I hope that one day we will move to a new school building and then we get to design our ideal classroom spaces and furniture. Until then, I make the best use of the small space with what I know and can do now.