Sprucing Up Schools
Posted by Amy Erickson on 10 Aug 2009 | Posted in: Classroom Routines, Organization and Supplies, Teachers and Teaching
I’m pretty particular when it comes to how my office looks. Since I’m at work a good bit of the day, I like my office to be neat but homey. I felt the same way about my classroom. I always made sure it was cheery and inviting. The institutional-green cinder-block walls weren’t a big help in that respect, but curtains, rugs, rockers, and pillows went a long way toward brightening things up!
In one school where I taught, a custodian had painted murals in several rooms. I was on
e of the lucky ones who had a room with a mural. It was a gorgeous marsh scene, and it certainly made my room look interesting and fun. Recently I visited a school where it is a yearly tradition for students to paint a mural on a hallway wall. It not only spruces up the school but also gives kids a sense of ownership. Can you imagine how the kids feel, knowing they created something that others will enjoy for years to come? How cool is that? I’m always inspired by the ideas teachers come up with to make their schools and classrooms inviting.
Congratulations to Linda Powell of Powell Family Child Care in Eureka, California. She is the winner of a copy of Math Melodies, PreK-K.
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27 Responses to “Sprucing Up Schools”
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More Comments Pages: [1] 2 3 » Show All Comments
Wow, I have gotten so many good ideas from your posts and I am going to incorporate them into my Headstart classroom. Thank you.
WOW - the ideas that everyone has posted are excellent! Thanks for sharing!
I teach prekinder in a school that was originally built for upper-level grades. All of the bulletin board space is up high, far from the students’ eye level.
While I do use my bulletin boards, I try to put most things up at the student level. They get so excited about seeing their own work showcased. It gives the room a happy, student-friendly feeling. And the students always want to bring in their parents to show off their work!
Like Amy, our school is fairly new, but reeks of institution!! When I moved from my third grade room from the past two years, to my new first grade room, the view out the windows was of the high school track and bleachers, instead of the mountain view previously…and the inside of the room was dirty linen gray!! A plethora of tempura paints later (because they wash off in case some school official gets cranky), created a “Very Hungry Caterpillar” 4-wall mural showing the four stages of a butterfly (a first grade standard). It only took my husband and I about 30 hours each to complete the four walls and both the students and my fellow teachers enjoy being in our “new” classroom!
My classroom is full of momentos from past students. The wall behind my desk is filled with drawings, notes and school pictures students. This summer I took them all down and laminated them into collages on poster board so they will keep longer.
The side of my desk is taped full of messages and small gifts to me. Collages with more tape and glue then paper and many different hats were the favorite last year. My Quality Quinn board is filled with quality work.
It may look like a disorganized mess to many-but to myself and my 25 kindergartners it is the prettiest classroom in the whole school.
This is a really neat thing… I just recently attended my 20th High School Reunion and one of my dearest friends painted a mural in the hallway of our High School our Sr. year; It is still there today! She was so happy it had never been painted over! The School had even encased it in plexiglass.
I’m lucky enough to work in a relatively new school - we opened in the fall of 2005. We have drywall, which looks great although it makes hanging stuff up harder than with cinderblocks. Each classroom has three white walls. The fourth wall is either pale purple or pale green, depending on which hallway you’re in. The hallways are painted pale purple/pale green as well. We have colorful carpeting in the halls. So, luckily, we don’t have to do too much to spruce things up!
I don’t have much wall space in my classroom, so I bring in lots of color by buying yards of different school themed fabrics and covering the tops of some of my work tables, rolling cart, movable cabinets, and mailbox area. For the walls I have 2 bulletin boards that get covered in bright colors, and I cover my cupboard and bathroom doors with posters and the other necessities for a classroom. I display student work outside my classroom as if the wall were a huge bulletin board.
Both schools I’ve taught in are older, and one great thing about it is that the district didn’t mind if we painted. My sister is artistic, so in my first classroom, I took a photo of a great old Maple tree and had her copy it–floor to ceiling–on my reading corner wall. It was awesome! In fall, I attached diecut leaves with the students’ sayings about autumn. In winter, I used snowflakes on the branches, and I added flowers in the spring. Every time I looked at that tree, I felt happy. I’m still in the same district, but my grade level moved to another building. I was sad to leave my tree, but was elated to discover that the new teacher decided to keep my happy lil’ tree!
Over the years I have tried many different things to make my room more inviting. The best thing I have found is using the children’s work, pictures of them and having each child bring in something that is very special to them. Add pillows and other soft things are wonderful. I too would like to try the mural.
I’ve seen classrooms where the teacher allow the students at the end of the year to decorate a ceiling tile. They get together, decide on a theme and pick an artist. You could also do it at the beginning of the year as a team building activity.
It ends up being a source of pride for the students and some interesting ceiling art at the same time!
It is amazing how much difference atmosphere can make in a classroom. When I started in my room, there was next to nothing. It’s been a constant work in progress, but the pillows and decorations make a huge difference. My goal is to incorporate some “real” artwork in the class as well. Something that can rotate and give the children a view of the history of art.
Our whole wall over by our quiet corner houses the children’s process-oriented art and always looks like a modern art display. Too bad we can’t do a mural…
I have a reading corner that my students get a chance to sit and read in. The corner has a bean bag, stuffed animals, pillows, and a rug. Colorful bulletin boards and posters help to ease the monotony of a solid white wall. I also like to hang up my students’ art work in the hallway and from the classroom ceiling.