Classroom Designs

The school year has started for us and with that a year of possibilities, changes and growth. So much it's changing in my world, in my ESL world. But one thing still remains the same, our students have a room in our building that they can call their own: their ESL classroom. Even though we're spending the majority of our time doing inclusion in ESL, I wanted our students to feel that despite he changes, this classroom is still theirs. A place they can come in anytime, and feel identified, feel they can relax their minds, be themselves, recharge their energy to keep on facing their bilingual world for the rest of the day. So here is what I came up with, a very simple concept but powerful one. I asked each child to draw a self-portrait picture of themselves. By using oil pastel crayons and a dark border to make their work stand out, the final product shone on our walls. The frames are different sizes so it is visually more appealing and by the time we put it all up on the walls, the classroom sends a message loud and clear: this classroom belongs to THEM.
As you organize your classroom this year, I invite you to think, "if anyone walks into my classroom, what would they see? That this space belongs to me or to them? Or was it a collaboration from both ends?

Enjoy the process of discovery. It's always a fascinating one.