Get Schooled

By OldSchool

October 24, 2006 02:49 PM | Link to this

My lab has a black & white checkerboard border on the top 2 feet of the walls. I have numerous racing posters, 2 life-sized Bill Elliotts, and various other racing related items (flags, diecast, clock, etc.) on display. I have long bulletin boards with posters and student drawings running down each side wall and other work scattered about. I have been taking “class pictures” for a number of years every semester and those photos are all around the room. Various safety and info posters are up as well as my class rules: Be on time, Be prepared, Stay on task, Be polite, Help- don’t hinder, Be honest, Act ethically, EARN respect.

My very large purple cabinet is covered with food related comic strips and a few of my most cherished certificates (Honored Teacher, STAR Teacher, and 12th Man).

I have had classical music playing in the background for nearly 30 years. Sometimes I’ll play Celtic, seasonal, or bluegrass. Country music keeps the kids working but they sing. Rock stops the work and they talk REAL LOUD. Classical and Celtic keeps things quiet and very busy. (My first block sings the Alma Mater every Friday morning before the announcements!)

No candles, fire marshall would go ballistic; no subdued lighting unless we are looking at filmstrips (1956 style). I will spray some air freshener when the boys come straight from Phys. Ed. or weightlifting.

I have virtually no major discipline problems and the small ones are handled by me and the mother (unless I taught the dad.) I have no tardies to class and few absences. I guess they like my class enough to show up.

By thomas

October 24, 2006 03:46 PM | Link to this

Dimming the lights and candles is not my style. Besides somebody might doze off.

By bk

October 24, 2006 04:08 PM | Link to this

I understand flourescent lights can cause some kids to be overstimulated, so lamps can be effective. Also classical music can help kids get focused. I think that too much paper hanging around the walls can be distracting, not to mention dusty (allergies) or a fire hazard. Candles are too risky with some of these crazy children.

By PTAPrez

October 24, 2006 04:11 PM | Link to this

I love the fact that it’s a “he” and candles and soft lighting were in use! I can’t get my husband to light a candle unless it’s unscented and comes in an emergency kit!! Normally I only see the cozy settings in a female teachers room.

My only concern would be in some of our classrooms at our school, it could be a little too dim. Some kids can barely see as it is. Oh! Good point about the fire marshal, OldSchool. I didn’t think about that.

By frank123

October 24, 2006 04:16 PM | Link to this

I can see if it was related to Asian religions or Halloween. However, candles would be a fire hazard, and the students would drop off to sleep or play with their phones.

By JustMe

October 24, 2006 04:36 PM | Link to this

OldSchool -

Would love to know what school you teach in. If you don’t want to name it, maybe at least describe it…. public/private, population size, % ethnicity, % free/reduced lunch, etc.

I play classical music from time to time at the beginning of the period. I cannot burn candles and don’t have a dimmer on the lights.

Every class has its unique personality. Sometimes these things distract from learning while other times they enhance learning. It is important for the teacher to make decisions on a class by class basis.

By Jeff

October 24, 2006 04:57 PM | Link to this

Typing this on the SMARTboard, but here goes!

I haveturned the school lights off and went to a twin directed beam desk lamp, but it has NOTHING to do w/ aesthetics and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that it is easier to read the SMARTboard this way…

(NEVER use the regular board anymore!!!!)

back to trying to get some things done….

By OldSchool

October 24, 2006 05:04 PM | Link to this

JustMe, I sent Patti a comic strip today with my school info. Maybe she could send you that email.

I try to fly under the radar because I tend to keep both feet in my mouth but I am rabid about CTAE and girls getting a fair share of athletic monies (which I am still convinced they do not as evidenced by the cadillac facilities enjoyed by a relatively small group of male athletes at our school compared to the non-existent or makeshift ones for girls. But that’s a whole ‘nother blog!)

By Old Teacher

October 24, 2006 05:13 PM | Link to this

I did a quick and dirty survey of those type of things. My school requires us to have the “Essential Question” of the day on our white boards. I teach an upper-level science class of 11th graders - our school’s “best and brightest.” I gave a bonus question on the test: What was the essential question of the day for the past two weeks? Out of 58 11th graders, only 3 got it right: 2 “A” students and 1 “C” student. I shudder to think what a regular classroom set of students would say. IMHO most of this is just fluff.

By minimalist

October 24, 2006 06:40 PM | Link to this

If were up to me, I wouldn’t have a d-mn thing on the walls. The books have words! And they need to read THEM, not some wall…

And they need to read them with the INTENT to understand what the h-ll they are reading.

Before you got rid of discipline, you’d be AMAZED at that a child who “can’t understand it” at 12:00 seems to TOTALLY understand it at 4:00 when his friends are outside playing.

I hear teachers say “they can’t sit still, they can’t read, they can’t…”. The reality is they WON’T and the reality is WE AS A SOCIETY tolerate it…I’m not even sure we don’t encourage it, to make sure we have a steady pool of applicants who think McDonalds and Burger King are fine career choices, and are privatized prisons have plenty of customers…

We need to MINIMALIZE EVERYTHING…start with the federal dept. of education and go from there…

By Jeff

October 24, 2006 07:47 PM | Link to this

Minimalist:

In large part, I can agree with virtually everything you said…. I use my posters more to mimimize open window space than anything, making it harder for the kids to be distracted by what’s going on outside the classroom.

By luvs2teach

October 24, 2006 08:24 PM | Link to this

I have colleagues (including several MALE colleagues) who do the dim lights and some do plug-ins, rather than candles.

While I like the atmosphere in others’ rooms, it doesn’t work well in a science lab. I’ve had plug-ins, but they fade, and I forget to replace them, and some kids are sensitive to sprays (particularly asthmatics).

I occasionally play music (jazz, new age, classical, world), but in my highly diverse school, it’s hard to find something everyone likes - two favorites? The soundtracks to “The Lion King” and “The Big Chill” - weird, huh?

My worst attempt at atmosphere? My class pets, which took up way too much space and way too much care.

By MA

October 24, 2006 08:42 PM | Link to this

We tried all that - aroma therapy, dim lighting, etc. until we were directed by the county office to remove all aroma plug-ins (fire hazard and use too much electricity) and to remove all floor lamps (burn hazard, safety hazard, increase electric bill) except one that can be on the teacher’s desk only. One aroma plug-in costs $20 per year to run. Multiply that by 50 classrooms in a school and by 50 schools in the county - that $50,000 for air fresheners.

By vivian young

October 25, 2006 08:15 AM | Link to this

My classroom is PINK and flamingos,from the 12 foot pink flamingo in the corner to the 56 pink beanie baby flamingos on the cabinet shelves. This is my fortieth year and I teach in a middle school. The kids like to come to my room and even bring their friends and parents for a looksee. It’s fun and friendly and the kids know immediately how much I love to teach by the COOL and caring way my room is decorated!!!!

By DS

October 25, 2006 08:41 AM | Link to this

Please get rid of the plug in air fresheners. Those things can trigger an asthma attack, and cause eye irritation. They can also trigger migranes. Some of the ingredients in air fresheners are carcinogenic.

By Jeff

October 25, 2006 08:58 AM | Link to this

No offense vivian, but 56 beanie babies tells me your classroom may be too cluttered. I haven’t seen it though, that’s just the way I read your post. (It was a major lesson I learned in my classroom visits during my EDUC time at a prominent ATL-area school of education.)

By OldSchool

October 25, 2006 11:50 AM | Link to this

Now, now, Jeff! There’s clutter and there’s clutter! My lab is cluttered but the students pretty much ignore it after awhile. What any classroom does NOT need is trash, dirt, paper/trash bits, an unclean floor, spiderwebs, mold, dust and related bunnies, ancient work examples, and such. Poor housekeeping will create far more distractions than colorful decor. Once students get used to the decor, it is largely ignored background. It’s just like my background music…they don’t notice it until it’s gone. Then they complain!

My students enjoy my racing memorabilia and I even use the cars to demonstrate several drafting concepts (multiview drawing, cycloids, paths of motion, view selection, etc.) They can relate to the shape of a car faster and easier than they can to one of my commercial Proto-draft blocks. Besides, they think the photos of me with racing legends (Awesome Bill etc.) is pretty dang cool.

By Kage

October 25, 2006 06:09 PM | Link to this

I love my classroom, (well, trailer) and I think that’s important. It makes me happy when I walk in there in the morning and who doesn’t want that. I have 4 tables grouped around the SMARTBoard - my favorite accessory and two largish work areas at either end. My classroom aesthetic is to surround myself with things I like and things that captured my interest when I first saw them…this includes a Saturn shaped hanging lamp that emits stars, a pickled shark, a bird’s nest with cracked blue eggs in it, a large wooden mosquito that ‘flies’ when you pull the string. All my posters and such were made by me or by the kids with the exception of a few Escher prints. I’m not a fan of prepackaged anything. I like my word wall as I mentioned in a previous post - I just like graphic representations of words, the kids like using them for a variety of activities. Great for geometry. My trailer gets little light, so rather than curtains I created these valances of sorts, made out of bark and moss.

I would love to be a teacher who uses scented candles, but I’m quite forgetful and am afraid I would set fire to the trailer. I love walking into the rooms of those who do use them, though - their rooms are calming and welcoming.