Seating Arrangements

There are several things that make guest teaching a positive experience. I have the opportunity, in this role, to get out there and teach in a whole number of locations kindergarten to grade twelve. Every day is filled with discovery. I’ve thought recently that it’s too bad teachers don’t have the opportunity to experience one another’s classrooms the way that I do.

Every physical space has its own magic and I enjoy them all! I thought I might start featuring some of the ‘coolness’ that is out there, with the permission of the beautiful teachers that call these places home during their work weeks. Recently, I came upon a room with a very special feeling. Not only does it carry with it a peaceful aesthetic, but it also functions well. Carli’s class is a grade two class. The students love and respect their space and the function of each area appears to serve them well.

To begin with, I read “Pieces of My Pedagogy” posted on the wall at the counter where I located my day’s plan. Good stuff.

To these three canvases…words are added that represent ‘What Makes My World Amazing.” These caused me to remember the pieces of magic I hoped my grade sevens would collect over the year, much to their frustration at times. Simple displays of beautiful objects and framed photographs. Things and places to wonder about. A mirror at the sink. Paint brushes! Under a cupboard…a little nook to feel safe and peaceful. The Solar System built out of papier mache…the teacher chair for sharing stories. When we shared, I heard all about the way that Sirius is larger than our sun…and what a supernova is…and a black hole…and how we might stretch and then shrink very fast in a black hole. I was amazed by our conversation. The students had a good idea about scale based on their construction and study of the planets and the stars. That day, I selected as my story book, Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust by April Pulley Sayre. Great book! Read it! Very interesting conversations came up as we read this one!

I love it when art comes from art…artists can inspire so much in us!

The little clip boards are available if the students want to sit somewhere other than their desks…sometimes they just want to get away from the traditional seating plan.

At the children’s heights…birthdays…a calendar…some supplies they might need while being at their writing workshop.

A message box…pencil crayons sorted by colour.

The peaceful corner… The tee pee… see through fabric…no more than two at a time. Rotate through your class list. I just thought some of you would enjoy a few of these ideas. I felt really happy in this space. And this is where the grade twos created their images for the sentence, “A fiery shooting star flew across the midnight sky.”