I see these beautiful classrooms on Instagram all the time. Spanish all over the walls, cultural references, flags, and libraries with cool seating. It’s incredible! I always think, do these classrooms really exist? They are so different from my experience because I have to share my room with multiple teachers and languages. Do you also get discouraged that you can’t have a magazine worthy classroom?
I work at a large high school that teaches several different languages. Due to limited space, scheduling is a nightmare and so several languages have to share the same rooms. The result is a hodgepodge of multicultural artifacts floating around the room: Spanish posters, Chinese lanterns, and models of the Roman Colosseum.
Does this sound like your experience? Do you lament not having your own space to decorate? Do you wish your students had more language references on the walls? Is it difficult interacting with the other teachers that share the same space (hey, where did the stapler go?? And why aren’t there any working markers?)
After more than a decade navigating these situations, I’ve developed some tricks for making it work. Read on to get some ideas.
Here are some tips for dealing with a shared classroom:
Communicate with colleagues:
This is the number one most important thing you must do. Discuss how you will all use the room and what roles you will take in maintaining it.
Claim your space:
Have a designated area for your language that you can reference to your students.
Word wall
Negotiate with the other teachers to decide which area of the room can be dedicated for your visual clues. (See, those communication skills are coming in handy already!)
Reference your space so your students know how to use it.
For example, visually reference your word walls with gestures or a laser pointer.
Room captain
Decide who monitors technology (inevitably the computer or projector breaks in the middle of a lesson) and who will restock supplies in the teacher desk.
Be respectful of seating charts
If you like your students to sit in groups, but the other teacher prefers rows, then train your students to rearrange the desks at the end of the class.
Embrace language:
Show that you value all languages by learning how to say “hi” in the other teacher’s language. Let the students teach you something, then surprise their teacher (trust me they will love it.)
If you are like me and are stuck teaching in a less than desirable space, there are many ways to make it work. I hope these 7 tips help you to start the year off right. Remember, when sharing space with other teachers, keep the communication open and be respectful of one another.
If you liked this post, please share it on social media so we can help other teachers to be successful!
No Comments