Refuge or Hardly Used?
Posted by Hope Spencer on 18 Mar 2009 | Posted in: Life After School, Teachers and Teaching
What do you think of when I say “teachers’ lounge”? Do you think of a warm, friendly place where you can meet with your peers? A place where you can share ideas and funny stories, maybe get some peer coaching? Or do you think of a place where you pick up your mail, buy a soda, and leave?
At my school in Nebraska, our first teachers’ lounge was a tiny room at the end of the hallway. Still, many of us stopped in before school, and huddled around the crowded tables during lunch. After a few years, we took over an empty classroom. This allowed us to have a small sitting area and more room for our lunchtime visits. But I don’t know if times were too busy or I was too busy—I just didn’t make it in there as often as I used to. Instead, I took my lunch back to my classroom so I could eat while I graded papers or worked on other projects. Even when my classroom was right next to the teachers’ lounge, I didn’t spend a lot of time in there.
At my school in Texas, our lounge was tiny, basically just a small work area with vending machines and mailboxes. Nobody ever ate there, but a small group of us did eat lunch at one of the tables in the cafeteria. Only a group of teachers could find joy in a friendly lunch surrounded by noisy students in a school cafeteria!
If I came to your school for a tour today, would you even remember to show me the teachers’ lounge? How much of your daily routine includes the lounge?
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At one of the schools I was at the teachers lounge had a HUGE table where many teachers/TAs/subs/aides, etc. ate lunch (the table was actually 4 or 5 tables put together so it fit about 15-20 people). It was very informal, so even if you didn’t know anyone it was still comfortable to go sit and eat lunch there. I have been in other schools with smaller lunch tables in the lounge and it seems to bring about gossip and clicks, which make it hard to meet new people and teachers you don’t normally see/work with. The more positive lounge also had a bulletin board with announcements, free materials for teachers, the laminating machine and ellison machine. Even if you were running in to laminate it was always a fun place to be!
After reading several replies, I feel really lucky. We have a great lounge at my school. A BIG table that can seat approx. 12 and another that seats 6. It’s a really popular place and most teachers do eat their lunch and chat. So glad that it is 99% positive chat, too! We also have a big white board where we write announcements, notes, etc. Our mailboxes are located here, too. We rotate who makes coffee, tea, does dishes, etc. Vending machines are there as well. Oh, and we have a free table. Any time you are willing to part with something, bring it in and someone will gladly take it off your hands. Vice versa too! Luckily, this child-free zone does not have a workspace so it seems designed for relaxing, eating, chatting, etc. We have two separate workrooms with copiers, paper cutters, printers, etc. I love my school and the lounge is always a place I show when I give friends a tour.
Like Tanya, my preschool does not have a lounge. We communicate during nap when we can.
I’m at a private preschool. We don’t have any sort of lounge, so most of us eat in an empty class during rest time. Most of our interaction is in the time clock/mailbox area.
Sylvia, I’m with you. I taught in public school for 16 yrs., and it was such a blessing to get a break and just go “hibernate” a bit. We got to eat lunch together and I honestly do not recall a lot of gossipy talk, we just laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. We needed it! Now I work in an all day daycare center and teach 3 yr. old preschool. We are lucky to find someone to stand in our rooms so we can go to the restroom. I love my kids, but, it’s essential to have adult interaction during the day, too. I miss it.
25+ years ago the lounge in TX was truly a lounge! It was decorated like a livingroom with a tv, phone, couch, coffee table, etc. It also included a drink machine near the coffee and tea maker. NO CHILDREN were allowed - ever. A few schools and states later I find that I am now at a very nice school with a ‘work room’ but there is nothing to work with in it. One table that seats four, a computer that the custodians use, a drink machine, microwave, sink, refrigerator, and storage shelves. I have only been in there a handful of times but have given some thought to asking our new principal if we could make it a relaxing place for us to prop our feet for 15 minutes. I find gossip among one group that meets there - same time daily as well as the custodians hang out when on break. Children are in and out getting teacher’s drinks and things out of the refrigerator for their teacher and/or mom/teacher. There needs to be a place that truly is off limits to children (boundaries). Yes, I am of the old school and do believe everyone would enjoy a calming place to take a breath that reflects that, even young moms with children who attend the same school. They are not adults, should not hear all adult conversations, are not entitled to adult privledges. Any suggestions on how to make this happen from anyone out there younger than 45 who might agree just a little?
It would be hard to show anyone what we don’t have. As a small private school that’s growing, we just don’t have any space for a teacher’s lounge. Morning prayer and staff briefing are held in the secretary’s office. Staff meetings are held in the library. You get the picture. We’re happy to be growing and don’t miss a teacher’s lounge. The luxury of it sounds nice but not essential.
We have turned our teacher space into a “blogger’s cafe” - Starbucks style! It’s the only place in the building that has wireless and the fact that we go there to “connect” really cuts down on the “gossip.” It makes it a place where our conversation really centers on insruction. It’s GREAT!
Our staff lounge is mainly used for the staff to eat lunch. However, when we do eat lunch, at least during my lunch time, we like to talk about everything. Some days it is about school, while other days it could be something in the news, a receipe we made, or anything. I do remember when I started teaching, about 20 years ago, I too was told to stay away from the “lounge”. There was too much gossip. Let’s face it, whether we do talk about others in the lounge or elsewhere, it is still “gossip”. I think at times we all can be negative, but I have learned to just walk away. It’s hard at times, but some days you just have to do it. Our lounge is nothing special, but I sure would love to hear about other lounges and what you have in yours that might be uplifting for mine. Where I teach it’s pretty boring and things just pile up. I would love to hear some neat things people/teachers are doing to keep it the “adult room” for relaxing/fun. THANKS!
Unfortunately at our school,there is no such thing and we are so busy we don’t have time even for a washroom break!
I have been teaching for 10 years and up until this current school year I hardly visited the teacher’s lounge except to retrieve my mail and/or use the workroom materials in the lounge. The reason for this is because at every other school until now, the teacher’s lounge was full of teachers that gossiped about each other and were full of negativity. It is refreshing to finally work in such a positive environment where everyone is friendly and welcoming to one another.