Preparing to Teach: Practical Classrooms

It’s about time to get your classroom set up! It’s a big wide open space with a pile of desks in the corner. Now you need to set it up how you want it. You stand back and analyze. My desk here… the chalkboard there… the bookshelf over there… what’s going to work the best? Where’s it going to be best to make the aisle between the desks? Where will the students hand in their books? Where will the class table sit? And a hundred other questions. How you will make your classroom run smoothly.

It’s fun to have a creative set up. Desks facing each other or forming a ring around yours. Keep those great ideas for later in the term. From the beginning you want to establish that you expect order and obedience. Having tidy rows with your desk in the front tells that to the students immediately. Set your classroom up to operate, not just to be fun.

Create a clear system of how the classroom runs. Make a place to hand in finished assignments. If you don’t have a lot of room, get some stackers and label them by grade and subject. They’ll keep the towers of books from sliding over and onto the floor. 

If you want to have class time to be at a table, set one close to your chalkboard so you can easily go from table to chalkboard without disturbing the whole room. 

From the very beginning, let the students know you’re in charge. Create specific guidelines for behaviour and clear consequences. Then stick to it. Smart Classroom Management has an effective plan to follow. And here’s a their blog post on why you need to establish classroom management at the beginning. 

Keep your classroom and the hallways tidy. It’s easier to learn with less clutter. Mark hooks and shelves with students’ names so they know where to keep their coats and backpacks. Make sure they have the desks space to contain their books and things. 

Really, it’s all pretty simple things. And here’s a few tools that can help out. 

• A planner – this one’s a no-brainer. You need a good place to plan assignments, jot down notes for the week, and record anything and everything. Bloom creates one that checks all the boxes for a good planner! It’s available in Bold & Bright or Cool Tones.
• A pointer – get yourself a nice pointer for class time. It’s obvious where you’re pointing and you’ve got a nice arm extension. 
• A rolling cart – If you don’t have a lot of storage near the board but need things for class? A rolling cart can really help. There’s space for your pointer, coloured chalk, magnets, dry erase markers, pieces of your visual sets, and your water bottle.
• Clipboards – if your students have a lot of worksheets, get a clipboard for each of them. Hang them on hooks on the wall – where they can reach them – and fill up their clipboards at the beginning of the day. Now they can go get their worksheets when they’re ready for them and there aren’t papers floating everywhere. 
• Folders – have folders for each student to store loose papers. It eliminates a desk mess and they have somewhere to organize tests and quizzes.
• A supply station – make a space with sharp and dull pencils and a pencil sharpener. Use a spinning caddy to store extra glue, crayons, lead, erasers, whiteout, and such to keep it tidy and handy.
• An assignment board – use a dry erase board to write down each grade’s assignments for the day. Then the students know what to expect, especially if you’re planning something different from normal.

So go for it! Set it up. Plan it out. The year is about to begin. You’re the one in charge. You make this classroom a happy place to learn in.