Creating a Classroom for Focus and Creativity

I recently put the finishing touches on my classroom and shared some images on Instagram. One teacher gave me one of my greatest compliments after viewing the pictures, saying, “I want to learn here.”

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I love my classroom. The space is designed around three main components:

That being said, enjoy this pictorial tour of my classroom space. I hope you find it inspirational as you create your learning space! If you want more of a tour, check out some of the videos I made on TikTok or view the Classroom Tour highlights on my Instagram page.

Lighting

Like many classrooms, my room has fluorescent lighting. I don’t know about you, but when I turn them on my students suddenly turn into vampires and shriek at the light. Therefore, I rarely use them and have brought in many lamps and hanging lights to have softer lighting.

I use several lights in my classroom, including these single lights and bulbs (sold separately). I also hang these string lights throughout the room.

This year I also added motion lights for my bookshelves. Honestly, they weren’t needed, but the effect just makes me so happy 🙂

Organization

To manage paperwork, I have clearly labeled spaces for submissions, returned paper, and my own personal files.

Last year I struggled with “hand back” papers. I was always laying them out on my back table, but then had to move them every time a student needed to take a test or when my TA needed the space. So I bought this file organizer off of Amazon (plus pretty folders). I’ll put hand-back papers in the folders, and since they are upright they can expand outward rather than upward.

For physical submissions, I got these simple white trays from Amazon and laid them out along my front bookshelf (a Facebook marketplace find that I painted). Then I designed labels on Canva and taped them to the front. Here is the Canva file to customize labels, just be sure to download as a png file (the default is a video file for some reason).

One method that saves my sanity is to print 5-10 extra handouts of EVERYTHING I give out. I put the extras in this hanging folder. That way, if anyone is absent or loses their materials, I can reach in and grab the extra without running to a printer. It has saved me so much time!

Another organizational method I use is putting frequently accessed items into wall bins in the front of the room. For instance, my Journalism students write analyses of articles each week, so I keep printouts of the article and useful graphic organizers in a bin they can access. I also keep extra copies of our MLA handbook available for all students.

Motion Sensor lights for bookshelves – https://amzn.to/3YHcPlW

Love for Learning

Obviously classrooms are for learning, so I have integrated some details to get students interested in reading. One of my favorite fixtures is my World Map with author QR codes on it. I used to use it as a first day lesson with my World Lit class. Unfortunately, I no longer get to teach the class, but there’s no way I’m getting rid of this amazing piece of decor! You can buy the author pictures and QR codes from TpT, and here’s the link to the world map from Etsy.

In my entrance to my classroom, I’ve installed small shelves to offer book suggestions from teachers on our staff. The teachers fill out these recommendation cards and give them back to me. I pair them with the book and put it on shelves for students to check out. I also offer weekly recommendations of my own favorite books, all to encourage choice reading.

Comfort

Some teachers don’t like to spend so much time on building their classroom space, but I don’t mind it. I reason that I spend 8+ hours a day in here, 5 or more days a week. Therefore, I’d like to enjoy the space I’m in! That’s why I put in my newest favorite space, which I call “the jungle.” I don’t have exterior windows, so I’ve never been able to keep plants alive in the room. But my love for plants is so strong (and the accumulation of plants at home is so out of control) that I installed a bunch of them in a single corner of my room.

When I go home at night, I light a small UV bulb and aim it at the plants. I know that my mental health is so much better when I get to look at plants, and I think my students will benefit from them too! Some have asked about the planters on the wall, which are made from recycled plastic and encourage good drainage (without leakage). They’ve gone up in price since I bought them, but here’s a similar planter for a good price.

I’ve also integrated some cozy chairs around my classroom. There’s the Hemingway chair (found in my sister-in-law’s basement) that sits in my library. Then there are these gold chairs that I got off of Facebook Marketplace at $50 for the pair. They sit at the front of the room on either side of my white board and students like to sit in them for independent reading time. There are quite a few other Facebook Marketplace finds in my room, including the teal bookshelf in the plant corner, the large trunk holding my book return bin, and the vintage postcards that decorate my room.

Functionality

There are other areas in my room designed to help students study, but WordPress has decided to stop letting me upload pictures and I’ve been working on this blog post for six hours already. So here is a rundown of some ideas to make your space more functional for 21st century learners:

• Designate a space away from desks for a charging station. If you look up at my picture above, there’s a small charging station next to the gold chair. Many students charge their phones or Airpods during class, but because the space is far from their desk they can’t use those items while they charge. I recommend this charging station, which has even more ports and a designated space for Airpods!
• Hall passes are disgusting when you think about it. Instead, I put this decal on a large bottle of hand sanitizer. This helps me know who is in the bathroom and keeps germs at bay. Follow this link to get the printable image and make your own hand sanitizer bathroom pass!
• Install a shoe rack for students to store phones. I don’t have this in my current classroom but I did in my space before. I numbered the pockets and students put their phone in their designated numbers. Some teachers even use this as a quick way to take attendance!
• Use specialized file boxes for rubrics, model papers, and other items you use frequently. I use this wooden box to hold files for our Writing Center, but I don’t want it out all the time. So I just take it out and place it on a desk when the Writing Center is open, then tuck it away in a small cubby for the rest of the time.

Decor

Lastly, make sure your room is decorated to your tastes if you want to love it. I have a co-worker who installed purple LED lights and has Vikings paraphernalia all over his walls because that is what he loves! My friend Ellie re-decorates her room every year according to a new theme! (Check her out on Instagram, it’s worth it @elliemalynn) Personally, I love nature, literature, and travel, so you’ll see many those interests in my classroom decor. I also write and co-coach our school’s One Act team, so there’s a whole corner of the room dedicated to that.

Overall, I hope this gave you some inspiration to design a classroom space that inspires both you and your students to learn, but also to feel calm and relaxed at the same time.