Classroom Design: Motivational Chic

One of the requirements during my observations was to observe the classroom environment which included bulletin boards, posters, desk arrangements, and any other materials that made the classroom warm and inviting or dull and humdrum. Elementary classrooms are known for their abundance of vivid posters depicting a child reading, glorious exhibitions of students' art work or writing, and colorful "Word Walls." When I go to my son's elementary school I love looking at the students' art work displayed in the hallways throughout the school. I think for many students seeing their work on the wall boosts their self-esteem and motivates them to continue working hard.

However, high school walls differ significantly. Most of the images displayed throughout the school are either sports related, extracurricular clubs related, or amazing student works of art. There may be displays of university posters with smiling faces set against a gorgeous campus backdrop and a motivational quote to get students focused on going to college. Once you enter a high school classroom the decor is what I like to call "Academic Minimalist" or nonexistent. The English classrooms I observed all displayed 3-4 posters with famous authors smirking, replicas of famous book covers, and bulletin boards that contained school and classroom procedures. Each classroom did try to spice it up by displaying student's writing on magnetic whiteboard, by creating a huge bulletin board full of college pennants, and another created a "Dead Word Wall" where overused words in writing were displayed and students were restricted from using them in their assignments. These was really interesting additions but still lacked any enthusiasm or excitement.

Then, I walked into an English classroom that took my breathe away. Initially, it was because I felt the walls close in as I noticed that almost every inch of the wall was covered with a poster, a blown-up newspaper article, or literary quote. It's what I would call "Academic Eclectic." It was all too much to take in at once, but as I sat their while the students were taking a quiz I started looking around and reading the various posters and realized this was the point! When students got distracted or simply refused to pay attention their wandering eyes would ALWAYS have something English or academically related to land on. Every poster or article was motivational, emphasized reading, and related famous musicians like John Lennon to writing. Underneath the clock the teacher posted a motivational quote about not wasting time and succeeding in whatever one decided to accomplish. The teacher even brought in some floor lamps from home to use which gave the room a warmer feel and allowed enough light while he used the projector during his lesson.

This is what I want my classroom to resemble. I want it to reflect the importance of literature, reading, and writing. I want it to be warm and inviting and, most of all, motivational. Teachers are the ultimate motivators and mentors but a fabulous classroom doesn't hurt either.