This week I went in early to start setting up my room. I’ve had the same classroom for 3 years now, but this year I’m doing something completely different. Flexible Seating. I’ve never really been much of a fan of individual desks in my classroom. I mainly used them for explaining new topics and for storing supplies. The rest of the time I would let the students choose where they wanted to work, including at their desks. I feel taht children work at their best when they are able to choose a space that works for them, is comfortable and allows them to be focused. So I guess I’ve always been a “flexible seater” at heart.
Over the summer, I was able to find 3 couches on VarageSale (an amazing Virtula Garage Sale) and all for FREE! I could not believe that people were giving away such good quality couches for free. Everyone I met when I picked them up was extremely friendly and interested about my Flexible Seating Classroom project.
Because of this new set-up, I had a blank slate. I was going to redesign my entire floor plan and functionality of the space. Exciting, but also a bit daunting. Here’s what my room looked like when I arrived:
My classroom upon arrival.
Everything was still in boxes, the couches were all together in one area, and things were still labelled with my room number. After 3 days of work, I am fairly pleased with how my room is coming along. I have tried to create some welcoming areas in the classroom that are comfortable and conducive to learning. I also decided to keep 7 desks (1 of which is a standing desk) to have theme available for those students who still prefer that type of working space. I still have a small tent and a hanging mesh curtain that I need to place, and my milk crate seats and pillows aren’t finished yet.
My initial classroom setup.
Next week, I have two more days before the kids arrive. Hopefully I will have enough time to unpack and have everything ready. 🙂