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 Creativity On the Walls!! 
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This is a subject that really bothers me. I am a very creative person and when I walk into a room, I want it to interest me. As an elementary teacher, I will have a beautiful room that children love to come to. I feel like after elementary this creativity drops off. Even in college, if the room is boring then I don't want to be there. My question to non-elementary teachers is, Do you plan to make your classroom creative and fun even in high school? Do you feel that it really effects the way students learn? What are some of your main idea's to make your classroom a visual excitement without being to much of a distraction?

As I always say, "We are all entertainers, as well as educators, and the classroom is our stage full of exciting knowledge that should be displayed in a creative way!"

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Mandi J. Lackey


Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:58 am
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Yes and Yes and Yes. I want a poster to cover my door with (no outside distractions!) That has a picture of Uncle Sam, you know the one, that says "I want YOU to think!"
Maybe a couple of couches, if possible. The key is to have whatever you bring into your classroom be constructive and not a distraction. Photos of individuals not emphasized in the textbooks because they were too important. A small library containing all of the books you're not supposed to have in a classroom such as Mao's little red book, mein kampf, Malcom X's autobiography, Letters from the Lacandon and more. Maybe a few dozen plants so when camo comes back in style several of my students mysteriously disappear.

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check it


Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:43 pm
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As a physical education major, my classroom most likely of course will be a gymnasium. I'm not sure how much the school would allow me to decorate it. We are taught to make our class room festive though. That is, if we are teaching a sport, create a setup to where the students have teams that they stay on for the duration of that sport being taught, and basicly keep track of points in the same way you would a regular high school or recreational sport. All kids get the opportunity to feel that team unity and take pride in the team they are playing for. Keeping track of points and stats for all the students and posting them on a bulletin board either inside the gym or outside I think is a great way to make the class room more entertaining, from a physical education perspective. State/Conference championship banners, and trophy's are also a great way to add an extra touch.

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Jonathan.Hayes


Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:15 pm
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I agree that boring classrooms = bored students. I love posters that can incorporate topics that interest students (sports, music, all culture really) with historical issues. Things like Mohammed Ali and the protest at the Gold Medal stand during the '68 Mexico City Games are just examples.

With history, the ability to juxtapose what you are being taught with current issues and things that interest you about that time is crucial. When this can't be done, history becomes the boring class that no one enjoys or feels they should have to take.

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Robert Simpson


Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:30 pm
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I have already started planning to put things up in my classroom: maps, newspaper articles, posters, cartoons and whatever else I can find. I like the idea of having plants. I will have a small library filled with random books that pertain to history but might be a little unusual, like history of the video game and its impact on society, also tons of children's books about history that are at least somewhat correct.

A classroom should definitely be fun!!

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Anna Brawley


Mon Jun 23, 2008 2:41 pm
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I am a Physical Education Major and if I end up at the Middle School or High School, I still plan to have things on the wall. Even though it won't be the same kind of things that other teachers will have in their classrooms, I will have things like, such as national health performance goals, student's times or scores from different activites, etc. I do find it important to have something up though for the students to get excited about.


Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:54 pm
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I love the way that Robbie stated that a boring classroom = bored students. I couldn't agree more. The great thing about teaching in today's society is that no matter your subject or grade level, you can find material to post on your walls. Also, aside from posters that teachers buy to put up, I think it is important for teachers to put up work that students complete that they are proud of. The key here is that the work has to be relevant to your subject and the students should okay your use of it in the classroom.


Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:23 am
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I agree with robbie, boring class= bored students, i know that i was when i was in school and i still get that way depending on the class that i am in. When it comes time to having my own classroom, i would like one whole wall that i can paint however i see fit and then each year have the students just add something to it each year, as sort of a grafitti type idea, but edited and supervised of course. I want stuff in the classroom that my students would enjoy. There is a teacher at Hardin Park that i would love to have his classroom, because he has an actual fish pond in his classroom it is about 6 feet wide and contains fish and some red eared sliders. This is definitley something that i woud like to do in my own classroom

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Joshua L. Fuqua


Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:53 am
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Yes and no.

Because I'm a music education major, I think that my classroom "decoration" will depend upon what age I teach. If I'm an elementary school teacher, I will more than likely have those cheesy posters of notes, rests, instruments, and composers. Bulletin boards will be on the walls and stuff like that. However, I think that in middle school and high school, my classroom will be a professional rehearsal space. I will probably have a few plants and a few posters of famous musicians and musical quotes, but that is it.

Although it is a learning environment, it is not a normal classroom. It is a rehearsal room.


Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:46 am
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i plan on teaching middle school and a large part of me is incredibly tempted to turn it into a pee wee's playhouse type setting for my own personal amusement. When it comes to interior decorating though i am really really incompetent and think itd be interesting to see how my homeroom class would decorate it and set it up

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Rob McKinnon


Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:04 pm
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