How I Envision My Future Classroom When I Finally Get a Home of My Own

In a course not so long ago we were asked to describe how we envision our classrooms to look. This is the result of that.

I picture in my mind a classroom of warmth and respect. Even though I do not have my own classroom, at the moment, I recently picked up a wooden sign at a craft fair that reads:

When you enter this classroom

You are scientists

You are authors

You are important

You are leaders

You are explorers

You are readers

You are thinkers

You are creators

You are a friend

You are loved

You are the reason

We are here.

 I always pictured my classroom having a welcome sign in it and this one is perfect because it emphasizes the safety of the space for students to take risks and explore themselves. I want my classroom to be warm and lived in. Like a grandfather’s old library, I want there to be comfortable chairs for silent reading, big bookshelves filled with books of all sorts for exploring and reading. I want there to be music in the air and students’ writing posted on the walls, immersing the entire classroom in the pride of their written word. The desks would be arranged as one big kitchen table allowing open space for discussion and sharing.  Coming to class would be like sitting down to dinner, everyone gets a voice and everyone gets a turn to say something.

Some of my following ideas are going to seem odd but I can be a quirky but loveable person at times, so bear with me. I want there to be a picture somewhere in my classroom of Icarus from Greek mythology. Yes, he flew too close to the sun and everyone always focuses on his hubris and pride. I believe people often forget that he had an immense amount of courage to put on his father’s untested invention and try to fly beyond the clouds despite not knowing if it would work. He merely had faith and courage. I want my students to feel safe enough in my classroom to try to fly without the fear of falling.

On that same note, I want there to be a can of WD 40 somewhere in the classroom, even if it is just in a cupboard. The man who invented the mechanical lubricant tried and failed thirty-nine times before succeeding on the fortieth try and he never once gave up on his ideas and beliefs. I want my students to be like the inventor; I want them to be determined to succeed and achieve their goals and I want them to know that no matter how many times they crash, burn, and fail, I will always be there believing in them. Plus, someone once told me that WD40 is excellent at cleaning whiteboards!

I want my class to feel lived in, warm, and safe for my students to explore, try, fail and pick themselves up, brush off the dust of that failure and try again. I will surround them with books, quotes, and portraits of my favorite writers and poets so that, even if it is just a little bit, they learn to find a place in the world literature just like I did.

-J