I would say for me, it was a classroom with curtain walls! It was during my student teaching many years ago. Charts and posters were put on the curtains. There was a chalkboard on wheels. Bookshelvels also made part of the walls. Occassionally, the lights would go off in part of the room because somebody needed to use the overhead projector. You could also sneak into 3 other classrooms without using the hallway.:lol: I'm surprised how noise didn't affect the student too much. Taking a test was a challenge because you could hear the lower grades skip counting in unison sometimes.
I taught in a self contained 3-5th grade deaf ed class. The school was growing so they moved my room into the primary deaf ed room and had us share. Because of the fm systems, we really needed a divider, (floor to ceiling) so the district ordered cupboards to seperate the room. Only it took 5 weeks or so for the cabinets arrived so teh principal went to the local hardware store and bought this fiber board stuff. We sandwiched them inbetween book cases and desks. The board smelled HORID!!!! THe whole hallway stunk! I had airfresheners set up, but that just barely covered the smell!!! I covered them with butcher paper, but when I stapled into them the board just disenegrated. Covering them helped a bit and I finally go used to the smell. Then when the cabinets arrived, they didn't go all the way to the ceiling due to fire codes, so I don't really know what the point was since the fm systems still suffered interference from the other class.
I student taught in a school with no walls! When the school was designed (during the 70s, I think), it was meant to be entirely open. What a huge distraction for everyone!
My first two years of teaching, I taught in a corner of a metal shop with no division between my "classroom" and the shop. No air conditioning in here and when the other teacher needed to use the shop, I would have to move my whole class into his classroom.
The college has classroom sites off the main campus. One of the sites is the Air Force Base. I once taught a class in an old bomber hanger. It was kinda cool.
Ah the memories I have only been teaching for about 10 years and the posts so far are bringing back some fond memories. I also student taught in an open environment. The walls were bookshelves and charts. The funniest thing was my cooperating teacher didn't wear shoes! My first position was a science lab in an elementary school. Great room to start out in, but when it rained, black goop came oozing through the ceiling and dripped on my tables and students.
My homeroom is a kitchen. My school is converted convent. It comes complete with cross stiching on the wall, cabinets, toaster oven, etc.
I taught in a living room once. The school was being renovated, and we were move dout of our building. Three classrooms were moved into what is essentially a 5/6 bedroom house. The upstairs classroom had it the best, as they just knocked down the bedroom walls and made a big classroom. Downstairs, we had a small class in the living room, and another class in what I think was a playroom and a closet area with the walls removed. The computer lab was in another downstairs room, but I don't remember what it was originally. We only had 12 students, but that was about 3 too many. We only worked in there for one school year.
My room is pretty unusual. We have steps where the kids sit when I do instruction and a big post in the middle of the room that looks like a tree. We also have sort of octagonal shaped rooms. Overall, much different than the typical square cinder block classrooms that I had before.
I taught homebound one year. My "office" consisted of three crates in the trunk of my car. I chose to be "stationed" at the middle school since it was centrally located, and I had a mailbox in there. I sat in a chair in the office for long periods of time. Eventually if I didn't have to go to student houses I'd volunteer to do office work or help in classrooms.
One year our school was flooded, so we all had to move to the gym. There were classes spread all over the gym including the lobby, court, bleachers, lockerrooms, and hallway. I was lucky, I got the boys locker room. I brought plug-in air freshners from home to make the smell a little bit better!
When I taught headstart, my school was in an open concept daycare building. My "room" was 6 feet by 12 feet with shelves and tables for "walls". The reason my area was so small, was that one side was in the kitchen of the school. I still don't know how I managed 20 four year olds in that space, naps and all. I do remember it was a nightmare. I only stayed one year.
I taught a 3/4 combo at an independent school that was located in a strip mall. The classrooms were long and narrow and the students were not an ordinary bunch. I had one student who said he was going to poison me in my coffee. I almost resigned after the first month but stuck it out and got to see a complete turn around for the poison student.
My science room is an old home economics room. The class is large but not divided to use the space best. The back area is a kitchen minus the stoves. They added a large lab table in between the stations. I have my own bathroom, and a storage room that has a two way window into the classroom. (the window is usually hidden behind my whitebords). My window opens because it used to be a service window.
What is the most unique classroom I have ever taught in? I taught in an Arab Bedouin tent in Saudi Arabia. To be candid, this wasn't my normal classroom but in Saudi Arabia, my school had an annual Middle East cultural study unit. Once each year, we'd culminate this activity by having a feast in the Bedouin style, sitting on rugs or cushions under the shade of an enormous black tent. I drew the line at eating from a common platter. Although students ate with their fingers in the Bedouin manner, we used disposable paper plates and to the amusement of the Arab caterers, I used serving utensils to portion out the food. One of my Middle School colleagues taught on the deck of an Egyptian riverboat steamer. He took his kids on a field trip from Saudi Arabia to Egypt. In addition to visiting the pyramids at Gaza, the class spent a few days cruising down the Nile.
How cool is that!!! My worst room was after my school burned and we were place in the condemned K building for about 3 weeks, then we moved into trailers haphazardly placed. When it rained we had big stones to step on (which often slid) to get from one building to another.
My school is constantly growing... and so this year, I get the luxury of moving into the old milk room! It's about 9 feet by 9 feet... All white and kind of dirty (though I assume that will be cleaned up) No windows of course, except through the door.
When I was still in college, I had the chance to go one summer to teach in India. I taught in a school where all the classes were in one building, just separated by thin walls. You could hear all the other teachers while you were teaching; it was SO loud! Plus, the kids' English wasn't that great, so I was constantly yelling their word for WHAT?!....I loved it though. I'd go back in an instant.
my friend tought on the stage for 4 months while they redid her room. they closed the curtains and it was a room. but lunch is in there too and lunch is loud
