WHEW. What a few months so far. As the professional development has begun and we have dug deep into our own preconceived notions, it's been a revealing journey. Here are some thoughts/questions that have hit me as we've gone through the design thinking training, collaborated with our design team and our peer grant winners, investigated furniture models and samples, and visited other schools.
There is just TOO MUCH STUFF in my room. I've made a concerted effort to downsize things each year, but there's still a ways to go! Teachers are pack rats...even the kids in my room, when surveyed, say overall their biggest pet peeve is all the clutter. 32 people in one room is just a lot of stuff.
I love technology and use it a lot in my room. How can students use it more effectively and how can the room be set up to enhance digital learning? Can kids be overwhelmed by too much technology?
There IS furniture that exists to make students and learning more successful. Most teachers are unaware of it and definitely can't afford it.
Nature is important and incorporating ways to put it in the classroom is both challenging yet exciting at the same time. Perhaps nature can be more than just decoration, but function and integration for the curriculum, too!
The socioeconomic status of our students is a huge challenge: after observing the different demographics in Novi and Bloomfield Hills compared to our small, rural district. I'm very excited to see what changes the room design plays in achievement over the long term, as it is one factor that hasn't been tweaked!