The Magic Carpet
Today I traded rooms for a period with my colleague. They haven't installed the Smart Board in her room yet, so I sent my study hall students down to her room so that her students could utilize the Board in my room. It took me a minute or two to get things set up for my colleague and when I got to her room, my study hallers were talking excitedly about the fact that this room had a carpet.
"It feels so comfortable!"
"Wow, it feels so good."
"I wish the high school rooms felt this nice."
I thought that they were talking about their feet. NOPE.
They were talking about the atmosphere that the carpet brought to the room.
"It feels more like home."
"I feel like I can relax."
Hmmm.
It really meant a lot to them to feel as if they were welcome in the room. For them, a carpet sent that message.
Now, to be truthful, I can't get a carpet in my room. But I can remember how much it means to feel welcomed.
with love,
Laurie
"It feels so comfortable!"
"Wow, it feels so good."
"I wish the high school rooms felt this nice."
I thought that they were talking about their feet. NOPE.
They were talking about the atmosphere that the carpet brought to the room.
"It feels more like home."
"I feel like I can relax."
Hmmm.
It really meant a lot to them to feel as if they were welcome in the room. For them, a carpet sent that message.
Now, to be truthful, I can't get a carpet in my room. But I can remember how much it means to feel welcomed.
with love,
Laurie
Just wanted to comment that there is a down side to carpets. They are much harder to clean and sometimes bad smells (from vomit, food, etc.) are next to impossible to get out. I never had one, but the math teacher used to have one and she hated it. And she, by the way, NEVER had any reason to have food in her room like language teachers do.
Just sayin'.
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It's true. I actually had a carpet last year and spilled coffee on it all the time. We would discuss what the stains looked like, like you would with clouds. :o) I think what struck me about their conversation was that these kids just didn't feel welcome in the classrooms they went into every day. Seems like we should be able to change that....
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I try to do things that let the kids know I want to take care of them--like providing tissues, hand sanitizer, clorox wipes for cleaning desks, hand lotion, cough drops, etc. They are not abused, and the kids know they are welcome to use what they need. I also get very few restroom requests.
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Michelle,
I think that you are so right. They want to feel like family, not like guests. It is sometimes hard for teachers to find the line between comfortable and too comfortable, but clear limits, expectations and rules set the stage, regardless of the decor. The favorite corner of my room is often the board where I put articles from the local paper about things going on in school and around the community. Many students don't get the paper or don't read it at home. They love to see the photos and read the articles about themselves, their peers and their community.
Hmmm...maybe I can find a way to get teachers to email me photos of their rooms and I can find a way to put them on the site. I love seeing other teachers' rooms!!!! (and we never get out of ours enough!!)
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