The Sweet Security of a Classroom
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by Jill Hare
If it’s your first year teaching, you probably haven’t made your classroom your home away from home- yet. Those cinder block walls may not have seemed warm and fuzzy the first time you laid eyes on them, but soon just the smell of school will seem like home- at least it did for me.
Why should you take the time (and money) to make your classroom feel inviting? Aside from making your students feel welcome and comfortable, it can also help you relax and like being at work. A can of paint, lots of posters, and some curtains added a homey touch. Of course I didn’t decorate as I would my home; I used Velcro to get the curtains on the windows!
Much like my students, my classroom was a safe haven. It was free from the teacher’s lounge complaining, free from the screaming of the playground, and free (usually) from the loitering of parents and other teachers. It was my domain. I chose the music, I chose the lesson, I chose the tone.
Teachers have such a rare opportunity to be in control of their own little world. Sure- there are school rules, guidelines and standards to follow- but how you carry them out is all up to you. In the corporate world, workers aren’t given this same freedom. It’s a gift that teachers shouldn’t take for granted.
Look around your room today. Is there a place for students to curl up and read? Is there a place for comfortable group work? Is there enough light? Can background music set the tone for your room? If you’ve run out of ideas, ask your students what they like most about your room or what they wish it would offer them that it currently doesn’t. Of course, you’ll have to ignore their requests for an ice cream machine, but a few beanbags may be doable, right?
A classroom is kind of like your childhood house: though you don’t live there any more- it lives on crystal clear in your mind. Make it a place your students remember fondly and want to return to day after day. I stepped out of the classroom last year to be the editor of TheApple.com, but I sometimes long to sit in my old room with my students. It was a unique place just for me, my students, and the time we shared learning about school, life and each other.
Jill Hare is editor of TheApple.com.
