Teacher Rockstar Academy

Map your room

Take a seat in your “Teacher’s Chair”. Look around you. What do you see? How do you feel about the room? Does it feel comfortable, welcoming, and friendly? Or is is sterile and forbidding? The first impression is when you sit at your desk can provide important insight. When getting acquainted with your space, consider:

• Do you have enough light?
• Is there a window and does it open?
• What do you see outside the room?
• How far from the door are you? Will your students go past you as they enter and exit? Is there enough space?
• Do you have a line of sight to all student work spaces?
• Is your work space in alignment with emergency protocols in your school? (like lockdowns, fire drills, etc.)

Think about the decorations in your classroom. Now think about the personal touches you have in your own home such as art on the walls, colors, and textures.

Keeping thoughts about decorations fresh in your mind, how would you bring “you” into your classroom in subtle ways?

Develop a theme for your classroom decorations. Create a list of supplies you will need to make your vision happen. Are there things you need to purchase or make? Is your theme warm and welcoming?

Consider the affect your theme and decor will have on the students and their learning Does your theme create a warm and positive environment? Do your decorations provoke learning? Do they spark student thinking and creativity?

True Colors

Color can greatly impact the mood and ambience in the classroom and, thusly, a student’s ability to focus and learn. The age of the learner, can also be a factor when selecting color. Will you be working with pre-K children who may need strong colors like red and orange to grab their attention? Or will you be working with older students who may respond more positively to calming colors like blue and green?

There has been a lot of research done on color and its impact on mood and learning. Take some time to read research color in the classroom. To get more information, some possible titles to search are:

Colors Conducive to Learning

Five Ways Colour Can Affect Children In a Learning Environment 

Colors In the Classroom Learning Environment – Color Your World

Think about what you have read with regard to the impact color has on learning. Consider the age of the students you will be teaching and your subject area.

Create a color palette for your classroom. Reflect on the following questions:

1. How will this color palette affect my students?
2. How will these colors affect me in my work environment?
3. How can I incorporate my color palette into the theme I have chosen for my classroom decorations?

In order for students to feel comfortable in their learning environment, they need to feel like it is their space. Posting student work is a great way to help them feel pride in their work and ownership of their classroom.

Develop an activity for the first week of school that will produce student work that you can post in a community space in the classroom or on a bulletin board near the classroom. This activity can be connected to any learning objective, any content area, or it can simply be a fun get-to-know you project.

Once you have an activity in mind, answer these questions:

• Where will I post the work?
• How long will it remain posted?
• Can I highlight this work for parents? (i.e. include it in the class newsletter)
• Are there other spaces in the classroom to highlight student work?

Take some time to research the benefits of different seating arrangements. You can search on edutopia.org or classroomessentialsonline.com.

To get more information, some possible titles to search are:

The 21st Century Classroom – 7 Ways to Arrange Collaborative Desks

Rearrange the Desks: Reposition the Students’ Seats to Help Retain Their Attention

• Which of these arrangements would you consider using for your classroom?
• What are the pros and cons of each arrangement?
• Would I be able to provide preferential seating to any students who might have this accommodation on their IEP (Individualized Education Plan)?
• Is this arrangement going to be conducive to my teaching style and how I move about the classroom?
• Are students able to move about easily?

Everyone loves to get mail. Students are often a little nervous at the beginning of a new year, in a new class with a new teacher, and possibly a new school. A postcard is a great way to set their minds at ease and start off on the right foot.

Draft an introductory postcard to your future student. Make sure to keep the note brief, sincere, and uplifting. It might be your first contact with a student and their family, so make it count!