Allisence: Designing My Dream Classroom

There’s a story that during the Vietnam War, a certain prisoner survived the torture of being in a cell all alone for years by planning, in incredible detail, a dream house that he would build once he returned home. In his head, he knew exactly how many nails, how many 2x4s, and how many tiles he would need. When he got home, he built that house and, in terms of the materials he had estimated in his head, was only off by one plank of wood.

This summer, I’ve been pretending to have a smidgen of the ability that prisoner of war had and designed my dream classroom. I’ve planned out, in incredible detail, all the cute little students, where each table and desk will be, and the collaborative general educators I’m going to be working with next year.

I’m about to open a self-contained, cross-categorical classroom serving K-6 students with language delays and impairments for the very first time. My school, Longview Elementary School, is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Candidate School located in a high-poverty area of Phoenix, Ariz. New teachers have already reported to school, but I actually missed the first few days of new teacher training because I was in Texas for IB training. Sound complicated? Yes, it’s pretty complicated.

And I’m pretty sure things are only going to get more complicated . . . way more complicated . . . as soon as I step into my real classroom and not the dream classroom in my head. I’m going to guess that in reality, my classroom is going to be smaller than I’ve been imagining and general educators might just advert their eyes whenever I have a question.

So I admit, my dream classroom and my reality will likely differ by more than just one plank of wood. But, hey, the longer I dwell on the fact that I can’t plan things out in my head, the more time I lose and the fewer things I can check off my to-do list!

My first plan of action, you ask? Clear the clutter. Another school in my district closed at the end of last year, meaning maintenance crews spent the summer moving stuff from one building to another, from one classroom to another. From what I’ve heard, it was a messy process. So for me, taking the time to clear the clutter is a personal must and will make me feel better about all the challenges ahead, like reading IEPs and coming up with a curriculum.

How about you? What’s the first thing you do at the beginning of the school year to get a grip on everything that’s coming at you — especially when you realize your planning is off by way more than a single plank of wood? What’s the first thing you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed with a to-do list longer than a 2x4?

Comments

[s. smith]

I am so thrilled to see this great information about the atmosphere in the classroom. I am remotivated and will have some additions in my high school classroom this year.

[Allisence]

Stephanie, you're right. Gathering up a crew would be a great idea!

[Stephanie]

Friends and Family come in very handy. Get a work crew together! I have my sister for decorating, my boyfriend for any heavy lifting, and my mother for practical advice since she's had many of her own special education and general classrooms throughout the years. A crew can make what could have taken you a week suddenly only take a day or two.

[Jessica]

Clear the cutter is tops on my list too. I'm moving from an office-size room to a full-size classroom (good news) but all my things are sitting in a pile in the middle of the new classroom still (bad news). I'm spending next week cleaning before the staff meetings and students start up the following week. Good luck with your new classroom! I'm sure your gen ed teachers won't mind if you ask questions. I mean, they're teachers, right?