I finally love the setup of my classroom this year.
The rows of desks are now diagonal, and because of that I have much more whiteboard space. The whiteboards are magnetic, so I clip up extra papers, handouts, and syllabi instead of laying them on my limited counter space. My book shelf is packed with novels and non-fiction and has a cute sign out notebook resting there. Black and white pictures of Sylvia Plath, Ernest Hemingway, Twain, Longfellow, and Kate Chopin sit framed and meet a student's wandering eyes. Iconic posters (The kissing sailor in Times Square, Audrey Hepburn, and the Casablanca movie cover) are posted above ample bulletin board space. My projector is interactive. When we listen to anything with it, there is surround sound. There are blankets for when the air conditioner blasts, and a large filing cabinet for units and for previous student work. There are homework trays and return trays, three stools, stacks of extra books, old editions of encyclopedias and Hemingway novels. And now we each have classroom computers (7-9).
The atmosphere may be perceived to be a lesser factor when it comes to teaching the material well, but if, without words, I can motivate readers, writers, and thinkers, then a crafty classroom setup matters.
