Dream up your ideal classroom design and have it ready for that first day back.
Plan and Create Your Ideal Classroom Design
Getting Your Ideal Classroom Design Back To School Ready
How is August already halfway through? It seems like I was just packing up my classroom and driving carloads of school stuff home (again and again).
Summer is ending and school will soon begin. For most teachers, it is probably exciting, as well as sad and exhausting. No more weekday afternoon naps, sleeping late and lounging by the pool.
Hopefully, you haven’t been working all summer and not able to relax and lounge! Back to school for teachers means unpacking, purchasing new items, a lot of trainings and meetings.
Yet somehow there never seems to be enough time to get the classroom ready for the first day of school.
Photo property of Snug Up Your Space.
Create a Room You Want to Spend Time in
Decorating the ideal classroom design for the new school was always my favorite part of preparing for a new year. Some teachers figure out early, how to be efficient and leave school within an hour of dismissal.
It took me about 15 years to stop working Saturdays and to stop staying at school into the evening. I decided early on to make my classroom “homey and cozy.” After all, I spent most of my waking hours there, shouldn’t it be comfy?
In hindsight, I realize that I should have spent less time there and wish I had those hours back. In this space, I wanted a place where students felt a responsibility for the room and respect for the room and all of its people and furnishings.
My goal for decorating my ideal classroom design was to create a welcoming, cozy place for students, other staff members and myself to enjoy. I wanted it to be a place where students felt inspired, unstressed, safe and a sense of belonging.
Getting Started on Your Ideal Classroom Design
A couple of great starting points for putting together your ideal classroom design are color scheme and your theme. Generally, elementary teachers place more importance of a classroom theme.
They also tend to create more bulletin boards and hang more items on the walls. If most of your décor is created or redone, or you are a secondary teacher, you might decide you don’t need a theme.
Consider color and the mood it might create in your room. I always chose a light blue or light grey in my middle school classrooms, hoping it would bring calm.
Red or orange might have the opposite effect. Also, keep in mind that darker colors and less natural light will make your classroom seem smaller. You might choose to use those darker colors in moderation, such as one wall or just as an accent color.
Are you planning to paint the walls? Have you been considering an area rug? Will you need fabric for bulletin boards, cushions, floor pillows, etc.?
Maybe you want to hang curtains over the windows. Check the clearance bins at Hobby Lobby and Joanne Fabrics!
Consider lighting in your decor. If you suffer from migraines, you will understand why my classrooms always had several lamps.
Fluorescent lights are not comfortable for many. They reportedly cause headaches, eye strain and eye discomfort.
Using more natural light from the windows and softer lamps seems to help combat some of this. Taking the time to plan out these things will help to bring cohesiveness to your ideal classroom design.
Photo property of Snug Up Your Space.
Bring Your Ideal Classroom Design to Life with a Little Help
Start looking for help with the youngest of your family or neighbors. Many younger ones love to help.
You’d be surprised who is willing to help in exchange for $10 or a pizza. Remember kids and teens are often bored by the end of the summer.
Have you asked your significant other, extended family, friends, or maybe a few friendly neighbors? Even if you don’t think they would want to help, try asking.
They just might have a few hidden talents that you aren’t aware of! Perhaps they actually love to paint, cut out bulletin board letters, label folders. If even one other person helped you, your stress level could be lowered considerably.
If your ideal classroom design isn’t completely ready on the first day of school, your students can help you finish! You need to have student work displayed anyway, so leave space for this.
It will give your students the feeling of ownership of the space. Unfinished areas can also be left to get student input on what they would like there.
Recycle and Repurpose
Only in the past two years did I discover the most fun and admired décor I had, was that which was repurposed and recycled! My tip to teachers is use more elbow grease and less dollars to put together your ideal classroom design!
You might be thinking, when do I have the time to do this? I know, I get it. You can’t add more hours to your day.
Remember, you can always ask for help. Also, you don’t have to transform everything. Not everything needs to match. Decide what is most important to finish and start with that.
Photo property of Snug Up Your Space.
Don’t Break the Bank to Achieve Your Ideal Classroom Design
Having taught for 17 years (grades 1-8), I learned a few things. It is really not necessary — or even wise — to spend a lot of your own money on new things given kids tend to be rough on those nice things!
In case you are thinking right about now, that this couldn’t be the case in your classroom, I pose one question to you: “Have you ever had to be unexpectedly absent and have a sub that you didn’t get to request?” Maybe one who needed just a bit of coaching on classroom management?
There are so many awesome subs out there! But, a lot of destruction can happen on those days because kids are kids. They love to push the envelope, entertain their peers and see what they can get away with when someone new is in the classroom.
Luckily, the one thing I received new for my classroom recently, was sturdy enough to last! I still have my four IKEA turquoise metal stools.
My husband bought them for me for my birthday. They were perfect for my horseshoe reading table without taking up much room.
I did have to tighten the screws a few times, and remind the students even more times, that they were a birthday present and were $25 each! It seemed to get the point across and remind students a teacher’s salary and can’t purchase replacements all the time.
Thankfully, this purchase was not damaged. However, I still maintain that teachers don’t need to spend a lot on their classroom décor. There are so many options to create an awesome classroom space without spending a lot.
What ways have you found to decorate your classroom without spending a lot? What is your goal for your ideal classroom design? More ideas and examples to follow in my next post!