The Aftermath It's been almost a month since moving into our "new space." Day one was both exciting and anxiety-producing. Overall, the space has been accepted with praise and excitement. And I have to admit, it's really nice to walk in and not feel like the furniture is going to swallow me whole. Perhaps the most unexpected and welcomed change that has happened is that the kids have really adapted the space into what THEY want it to be. They sit where they are comfortable, some not opting for traditional table or chair, they collaborate more naturally and authentically, and I feel like I can actually move around without completely violating the three feet of personal space rule.
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Unintended Consequences
Undisturbed peaceOver the last few weeks, my students have been working on independent research projects. Most of them take advantage of the fact that they can sit in "collaborative" groups in order to gossip while they "multitask" (if you work with teens, you completely understand the use of quotation marks!). However, one of my students made a choice that I had not anticipated. He wedged his Node in the two feet of space between the podium and bookshelf, facing the wall, in order to create a makeshift cubby.
Clearly he realized that he needed to expend all his energy and focus on getting his paper done, and completed on time, and he moved the furniture in a way to allow him to achieve that in our small space! I was surprised and impressed, and it's one of those unintended positive consequences of the redesign. This would have been impossible in our previous setting. |
Unexpected surpriseTHE. DESK. IS. CLEAN!
I swear, I did not stage this picture. This is how my desk has looked for the last month. Not cluttered with piles of papers that threaten to consume me. Not a holding pen for random cups, gifts from students, or notes from colleagues. Not overrun with organizational storage that is more dysfunctional than organizational. I feel like a brand new person in this space! And as nervous as I was about the white, I think it's pushing me to make sure I have things organized, neat, and clean. I can't hide clutter and chaos anywhere on this desk... and I LOVE that! I've struggled with keeping things organized my whole professional career. Okay, who am I kidding, my whole life. But I find that I'm not holding onto things that have no place or purpose in my space. It's freeing. For once, I think I may actually have a breakthrough in the ongoing battle I have with clutter. Hopefully, this is a permanent positive change for me! |
Unconventional choicesMeet Shotz, she's the student in the background who is sitting on the heater. That's where she wants to sit everyday. In fact, she asked me if that could be her permanent seat. She loves it. And for some reason, it works. I don't think I've ever seen her as engaged as she is in this "seat."
Then there's Sunny in the foreground. Like many students, she has decided to invade my personal space. This has become the unconventional choice for a number of students. Initially, I was annoyed (not by Sunny, but by others who have made this choice), I like my space, and when I'm near my desk, it's my subtle way of saying, "I need some alone time." Clearly, my kids don't get the message. Clearly, I didn't either. I've learned that students having the opportunity to move around also means that they have greater access to me. Some kids, who would NEVER ask for help, are now finding their way close to my desk. It's been a difficult change for me to make, but one that has truly made a big difference. |
Moving Forward
The whole Classroom4theFuture experience has been eye-opening. My own preconceived notions of the process and who I am as a teacher have been challenged and changed for the better. The whole experience has really pushed me professionally. However, if I have to narrow down a time during this whole process that has really motivated, inspired, and stretched me, it would be our last few sessions since the furniture arrived. I found myself in a bit of a whirlwind. I wanted to get everything right, I wanted to morph into this new teacher, I wanted to make the transition easy for the kids, I didn't want to lose my mind. For a while, I felt like everything was spinning out of control, that I had become too laxed in my rules and regulations that the kids were going to take advantage and I would be left reeling. Then, during one of our sessions, we completed an activity called "Give 1 Get 1," and when I sat down to think about what advice I would give, I found that one of the most important pieces of advice that I needed to follow was that I just had to give everything some time.
Another eye-opening revelation that I've had is that my room will actually accommodate more layouts that I had initially thought. This is great because my room is small, and therefore my thinking about the different types of learning that could happen was also, well, small. During our last session though, I was able to get new inspiration for what I could do in the space that I never imagined. I would include a picture of all this really cool and very interesting information, but *ahem* SOMEONE hijacked it from me during our last session. So you'll just have to trust that it was awesome! |
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”