Setting up the classroom for a new school year can be an opportunity—and a challenge.
Teachers have the chance to create an environment that best supports their students’ learning, but they’re also often working with space and time constraints, and a tight budget.
We want to see how you did it.
Education Week is collecting photos of teachers’ classrooms with the hashtag #SeeMyClassroom.
Do you display anything to catch students’ attention on the first day or set the tone for the year? Jillian Watto, a 7th grade English teacher in Pennsylvania, lines up the books she read over the summer on the ledge of her chalkboard for the first day of school. She hopes that the exhibit starts fostering a love of literacy from the first day.
Let us know how you make your classroom feel welcoming. Nicole Ayers, a science, technology, engineering, and math teacher in Texarkana, Texas, has a corner of her classroom filled with cards and games students can play with for a brain break.
“These simple, accessible games give students space to relax their minds, make new friends, and make positive associations with the classroom,” she writes.
Or, show us how you transformed your classroom on a budget, like Alycia Eschler, a 3rd grade teacher in Colorado Springs, Colo. When Eschler decided flexible seating would engage her students and minimize behavior issues, she outfitted her space by crowdsourcing materials and repurposing old furniture.
7 years ago, you would have seen students filling out worksheets, sitting in desks. Now, they are playing math games all over the room and loving every minute! Me, included! #flexibleseating #d11nextgen @TrailblazerD11 #thedifference pic.twitter.com/LrPDbNART2
— Alycia Eschler (@MrsEschler) August 21, 2018
Do you have a tried-and-true classroom setup or a new experiment for this school year? What about creative hacks for small spaces or foolproof ways to keep materials organized?
Show us! Share your pictures and videos with the hashtag #SeeMyClassroom on Twitter or Instagram. Your submission may be featured in our gallery.
Top Image: A classroom library at Leo Adams Middle School in Haslet, Texas, courtesy of 7th grade English teacher Olivia Myers.
Second Image: Blackboard with displayed books courtesy of Jillian Watto.