8 Little Touches Around the Classroom That Make a Big Difference
- kendahlhahn
- Mar 12, 2021
- 3 min read
Everyone tells you in every education class ever to make your classroom warm, welcoming, and safe. And we all nod our heads and go "yeah, yeah, we get it". But every teacher has their own style and I wanted to share some of the things that I do in my classroom that help create a *warm, welcoming, safe, organized, and fun* atmosphere!
Note: Remember that my classroom is super weird due to the fact that I have 9 kitchen stations and basically no wall space for bulletin boards and things. However, all of these ideas can be done in any space!
1. Have a space to hang up student work, cards, or anything they make for you
I have a little bulletin board on this cabinet that students LOVE adding to. Even high schoolers get excited when you display a coloring sheet they did. I even have some students who are shocked when they find out they can hang up their work because they don't get to do this as often as they get older. It brings back the *mom is proud of my work so she hung it up on the fridge* feelings!
2. Hang a calendar and write the students' birthdays as well as what's happening at school
I bought this dry erase board calendar a long time ago and repurposed it in my classroom. My calendar shows the school calendar dates as well as student birthdays! Having this on display in the classroom reminds me when birthdays are and allows me to celebrate by letting the birthday boy/girl get a piece of candy!
3. CANDY. Have candy. A lot of it. Give it out for birthdays, having a rockstar answer, presenting, participating, literally anything. Kids of all ages are motivated by candy.
4. Magnets with important information in clear sight
(My fridge doubles as my whiteboard so just pretend that is normal lol) We have to write our learning targets for each class on our boards every day. I got tired of writing something new every day, especially since I teach different courses, so I decided to do something different. I made a Google Slides with all of my standards on it, slapped on a pretty background, and printed them all. I then laminated them and glued a magnet on the back. It takes a little bit of time up front, but then each day going forward you save time!
Extra tip: I also have my email on a magnet on the board so students always know it!
5. Showcase what your students are involved in
At the beginning of each new class, I have my students fill out a form of anything they are involved in at our school. It could be a sport, band, club, or any other extracurricular. I type and print them out and display them on this cutie poster. Not only does it make the students feel special and cared for, it also reminds you who is doing what and what events to attend!
6. Have little things around the room about yourself
Let the students get to know you! I have some pictures around the room, a magnet of my dog on the fridge, and a reading sign! It's really fun to see what books the kids are reading and to let them know what you are reading too!
If you want to use my template, click the link below to make a copy of the template on Google Slides!
7. Student Supplies
We all remember that teacher who would never lend you a pencil or another item because they were trying to teach us to be responsible and prepared. Well, a student without a pencil is a student who can't do their work for the day. I believe that it is better to have items for students so they can focus on learning the material and getting their projects done. I have a whole student center with supplies students can borrow: pens, pencils, scissors, pencil sharpener, markers, sticky notes, and a bunch of paper. But of course, I keep the pretty pens and supplies to myself!
8. Chargers!!
This is something new that I am trying out in my classroom. My students are almost always asking to borrow my charger and it got pretty annoying. I decided to buy these portable chargers that students can check out to use during class. Since they are portable they can stay at their desks and use them and then every kid will have access to their technology to do their work!
I always get excited when students tell me they love coming to my classroom because it is welcoming and they feel comfortable and safe. These 8 things help me to achieve this and I hope you can use some of these ideas for yourself and your classroom! #TeachersSupportTeachers
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