If you could change 5 things about your classroom, what would it be?

This is such a tough question, but fun to dream

1. Laptops for every student in my room, with a cart to charge and store them all
2. Several skylights (I hate flourecent lighting, and studies show they're distracting)
3. A big, comprehensive already-leveled library with a nice rug and some bean bags
4. A media cart with a document camera, LCD projector with a smartboard
5. I'm stuck on #5, I really can't decide! I'll come back to it.

 

* Temperature control

* I'd like a door to the outside from my room- the room I'm moving out of had one, my new one doesn't.

*Document camera (see above, had before now I won't)

*Proximity - my new room/wing is the farthest from the office/front door/nurse/lunchroom

*Wish it came with a raise! As of today we are without a contract.

 

Great thread!

1. Air conditioning
2. Round tables instead of desks
3. Loft (used to have but they were taken down).
4. Full time teaching assistant
5. Small yard out back door

 

1. Windows.

I really just want windows. In 18 years of teaching, I've never been in a room with windows...

 

1. Windows to look out of
2. A closet to store things. Everything is in the open on whatever shelves I could scrounge up.
3. Smaller class size. Last year I had 33 special needs children.
4. A roof overhead when we walk into the main building. We get quite wet making the trek when it rains.
5. And...as long as we are dreaming...catered lunch for the teachers every day!

 

1. Promethean board

2. different style of desk

3. document camera

4. less students :lol:

5. all day TA of my choice

 

Well I am fairly lucky, I have a Smartboard, two huge windows which give a ton of natural light, and ample storage, but there is always room for improvement!

1. I would have my whiteboard next to my smartboard...they are across the room from each other which doesn't always make sense.

2. Larger room, fitting 25 5th grade sized desks and having extra room is always a challenge.

3. I would be with the rest of my 5th grade team! I am around the corner, which at times is nice, but for proximity reasons can be annoying!

4. Some nice new big fluffy pillows and a rug for my reading area. I have some but would love to improve it for my kids!

5. For now all I can think of is 4...I'm sure there is something else, but for now this is what I've got!

 

1. smaller student desks--Ours are HUGE.

2. larger closet

3. cleaner floors--My white tile looks great for about two weeks. Then it really looks nasty the rest of the year.

4. multiple light switches--In my old classroom I could turn off part of the lights. In my current room they all go off with one switch. Sometimes I just need low light.

I'm pretty happy other than that. I have fairly large classroom, and I have a SmartClassroom. I also like the location.

 

Wow, you're pretty easygoing!

 

I am lucky, also. Only thing I really dream of is a larger room, so I could arrange more special areas. With 26 students, the desks take up most of the space.

 

My old classroom was a dump. :lol: When I moved into my current classroom, it was in a brand new building. I thought I'd died and gone to teaching heaven! Windows. Sunlight. Air conditioning. More than one electrical outlet. Space. New stuff. :thumb:

 

Hmmm.. good question!!

1) I would want a larger room with built-in bookshelves.
2) Laptops readily available for all of my students. (I would even be happy to share with a colleague so that they- the laptops- would be used more often.
3) Windows that opened. Sometimes, I just wanna be able to smell the fresh air... although I won't trade that for our a/c.
4) Smart Board... already have the mounted projector, laptop and document camera.
5) Reading Corner... of course this would be remedied by #1 being accomplished.

 

Wow, how fun!

-Air conditioning
-A color scheme-bins, rugs, storage, curtains, pillows, etc. (probably blues and greens)
-Get rid of the big, ugly heating vent that I can't put anything on top of or in front of
-Larger room
-A corner (I have no "working corners"-2 are covered up by cabinets, 1 has the big ugly vent mentioned above, and 1 contains the door)

 

1. a window...any size...not picky
2. expand it by 10 feet on each side
3. have taller ceilings, so I could have a loft
4. a closet
5. more plug ins

 

I am lucky because I have many of the things listed...

Guess I am going to go with:
1.) Windows that open and close
2.) A set of matching desks for my students
3.) Another kidney shaped table for groups
4.) Put my inside air conditioner outside (but still keeping my controls)
5.) A good color/black printer/scanner combo w/ a lot of ink refills

 

I dunno if this counts as one thing or five, but it just wouldn't look like a classroom - more like a living room. Big arm chairs with lap desks, carpet, curtains, lots of books but also room on the shelves for some decor. Framed artwork, a (faux) fireplace, nice paint color... AC and a thermostat.

See... it's kind of more than 5 things, but it's all one BIG idea...

 

Fun! I love my classroom, but as others said, you can always dream...

1. Widen it--my room is shaped like a rectangle, with the board on the long end. It's hard to arrange the desks so that no one is too far to the side to see.

2. A complete matched set of sturdy, colorful book bins (and all my books to be magically sorted into them--and while I'm wishing, can I have a library fairy come into the room every night and organize them? ).

3. A laptop cart for the students.

4. Blinds that actually open and close easily, and don't let blinding rays of sunshine through the gaps and into the students' eyes every morning.

5. A telephone instead of intercom for communicating with the office.

 

My classroom is older than I am!

1. More windows - I just have two tall, skinny ones in corners.
2. Less insects, spiders, snakes, and rodents - school is right next to a field.
3. Control of the temperature - it's controlled by the DO.
4. A Smart/Promethean Board - it would be awesome to have with my document camera!
5. Re-finished cabinets, counters, and sink - cabinet paint is peeling, formica counters are a lovely shade of puke-green, and the enamel on the 38-year-old sink is worn through. Ew.

 

I am lucky enough to have a smartboard, ac, document camera, windows, but there are a few things that I would love to change.

1. A bigger room or a separate lab room.
2. More outlets so that I can spread out the 6 classroom computers I have. Right now they are on top of each other so it is impossible to use them with a regular sized class.
3. Desks instead of lab benches.
4. More storage
5. More bulletin boards. I have a small one right now and it is not cutting it.

 

1. Wall space. This is going to sound bratty, but I have 2 walls full of cabinets, which is nice for the storage, but with the board on the 3rd wall, and computers on the 4th, all of the desks and tables just end up stuck out in the middle.

2. Outlets. I cannot move my desk or my computers because there are only outlets in certain places.

3. Windows. Oh, fresh air...how I would love you...

4. Cute furniture. I have a horseshoe table which is WAY too big for my needs, and is just ugly.

5. I'd take some technology that works...anything!

 

I've got a projector, so I'm good there, but...

1. More space. I've got 38 seniors wedged into a room that is ideally suited for about 24 desks.
2. I would love to have small rectangular desks with separate chairs instead of one-piece desks. It would be easier to move them into different configurations.
3. Control of the #$%& thermostat.
4. A document camera I didn't have to share and could keep hooked up all the time.
5. A laptop cart.

...But this is California, so I'll have to be happy with the fact that I still have a job!

 

1. I would only have one classroom.

2. I would be closer to the bathrooms or have one in the classroom.

3. More storage.

4. More electrical outlets. We only have three in the whole room.

 

1. A closet or better looking cupboards/cabinets
2. A larger room (won't happen just a wish)
3. more outlets
4. windows
5.sink

 

I would like to have my old classroom in my new school.
1. My new classroom is about 170 square feet - my old one was about 400 square feet.
2. My new classroom has NO windows. I'm in the corner of the upper floor. My old classroom had 6 huge windows lining one entire wall and half of another.
3. My new classroom had a projector/Smartboard/Elmo. My new classroom has chalkboards.
4. My new classroom has 2 4' bookshelves. My old classroom had 8 huge bookshelves - which I had nearly filled... where am I going to put all my books this coming year?

Of course, I went from teaching 45 miles away to teaching 9 blocks from my house - in the middle and high schools I attended. Besides, the reason I wanted to come back home was because the district isn't as affluent and can't afford all of those luxuries I had at the last school. And my new classroom is right next to the ladies room instead of on a different floor, so that's a definite plus.

 

1. Easier access to the outlets.
2. Bigger room or smaller student desks.
3. Wall mounted TV
4. More wall space
5. Last one was tough, but I would love the phone to be located towards the front of the room...I hate always having to run to the back to get the phone.

 

I'm pretty darn happy with my room!

1. Windows, but only with a pretty view...not a parking lot.
2. New teacher desk.
3. New boards.
4. A more attractive wall color.
5. Improved lighting.

 

I'm pretty spoiled with technology ...

If I could ask for 5 things:

1. More space (bigger room) so I could spread desks out

2. A storage closet that isn't full so I can put away all of my StuCo stuff

3. A private office (some of the classrooms have these)

4. A door to connect to the classrooms on each side of me

5. An endless supply of stylus ... students have notebook PCs and when they lose their stylus it costs a lot ot replace

 

I like my room.

 

I have a great room, BUT

1. a door to the outside
2. windows that open
3. built in bookcases
4. my screen in the center of the room so I could lower the cart that my doc camera sits on....right now my screen is offcenter and I can only put my doc camera in one place
5. about 5 more feet all the way across the front of the room

 

"My" room is a half-sized classroom that serves as my Special Ed office. I also teach a General Ed class of English, but do that in their home room. For my personal space here would be my wish list:
1. A window cut into the wall between my office and the one next door (it would save my Special Ed partner and I lots of walking back and forth)
2. The ability to move my computers to a different place in my room without having cords everywhere.
3. A window that opened more than 3".
4. More room for all of the kids who come to work in my room at recesses and lunch hours.
5. The ability to turn off half of the lights in my room--it's all or nothing.

 

Really, nothing.

I have a board and some chalk. I'm good to go.

My only request would be that, if I'm going to move from room to room, they be somewhere in the same zip code.

Last year I moved from 107 to 235-- diagnonally across the courtyard and up the stairs. Then back to 107. Then back to 235. Then to the faculty room (ground floor,but not far from 235). Then, after lunch and cafeteria study hall, to 229. Then back to 107 to close up and give extra help.

Not a big deal in nice weather. But snow or rain made it... interesting. And if the courtyard closes (lots of snow or ice can do that) then there's no real way to get to class on time.

But, hey, I have a job I love. The classroom thing is a minor inconvenience.

 

Now that we're dreaming:
1) Windows all the way across the outside wall, from the floor to the ceiling.
2) Matching bookshelves
3) A wonderful rug
4) Make it a little larger
5) ?

 

I am so feeling both of these comments!

 

1. Bigger room. My school is unusual and right now, my classroom is the kitchen in an old house. I can only fit 7 kids in there (tightly) so for most of my classes, I have to go to another room.
2. No switching! I hate it!
3. A different table. Mine is octogon and it folds and the legs are weird and the kids are always tripping over the legs. Because I teach students with disabilities, this can be dangerous.
4. More supplies, but that has actually been granted for the coming year
5. I'll be thankful for just that!:thumb:

 

OK, I'm calmer now.

Although I do love my room, I would love it if

1. The window had tinting. It's got a great westward view, and it's large and opens, but there is a glare on the whiteboard. I'm going to buy some film this year.

2. Carpet. I know the tile is cleaner, but the kids are up and down in the chairs and the scrapping is loud.

3. More computers. I have four, and the computer lab is just down the hall, but it would be nice to have more.

That's it.

 

I would love...
1. Temp control. People at the DO telling me they feel the temp in my room is "fine" but they aren't in there with 30 twelve year old kids. Oh and they have lap blankets or portable heaters under their desks because the chill in the DO gets to be a bit much.
2. Laptops for the whole class
3. A diff color on the walls, feels like a prison when I get there to set up.
4. Wireless internet. I am limited on what I can do because the computers have to be near the plug thingies.
5. Thicker walls. They are paper thin and I hear the teacher next door AAAALLLLL DAAAAAYYYYY LLLLOOOOONNNNGGGGG.

 

Love this thread!

1. a sink with a water fountain
2. laptops for the students
3. science lab area with tables

I'm really not sure about 4 and 5! I have an overhead projector, Mimio, Elmo, an outside door. My proximity is good.... I'm sure I'll think of something else later though!

 

In my perfect classroom I would want:
1. DESKS! I can't stand having tables. I want the freedom of putting my desks into pods if I want to.
2. Temperature control.
3.A sink. I didn't realize how much I used my sink in my former school until I didn't have one!
4.More space. 5th graders get BIG throughout the year-our room is so cramped.
5.A Promethean board.

 

I have a brand new classroom. I like it. The early-childhood and special-needs wing gets the roomier rooms. If I move, my first complaint will be the size of the rooms. Otherwise I LOVE LOVE LOVE my space and 2 bathrooms. We have plenty of technology and windows.

If I had to change anything it would be...
1. A storage room for our wing.
2. Updated games and materials. We had brand new equipment but all of our games and materials were falling apart. Plus, I don't really want Candy Land. It's nice but I want ready-made centers from Lakeshore or Carson-Della Rosa or something.

Really, other than updated materials, I can't complain. It's a nice room.

Ohhh...there is one thing. We have sound panels in the room that go around the entire room. It serves a purpose that I fully support but because they are about the size of a bulletin board and double as a bulletin board, I wish the people who built the room had put them on a level we can actually use for student use.

The biggest complaint we had this year was the paint. The hallways didn't have bulletin boards or anything and we still hung things up. The paint peeled everywhere. I heard they aren't repainting because of warranty issues (don't want to cover the cracks). Yikes, the walls look awful.

 

I can only think of 3.

1. Air conditioning
2. Tile instead of carpeting
3. A sink.