By Ilana Zadok, 8th Grade History Teacher
Day 1.
The space is crisp. The space is white. The furniture is tucked away in set position: chairs in piles of three to the left, tables stacked to the right, white boards along the wall and the Idea Wall begging to be covered in thoughts. New floors. New paint. A blank slate. The students are peeking through the small window in the door. Excited, confused, nervous, curious.
I greet them at the door by name and direct them warmly to sit in a circle on the floor: “Good morning, Rebecca. Good morning, Abby. Good morning, …”
I sit among them. Look around. They watch me with intent, waiting to see what I am going to do next. “What do you see?” I ask them.
They respond: new roof, new floor, new paint, different lights, minimalist, clean, molding on floor, blue shelves, (I pointed out the idea paint and wide smiles appeared), storage boxes, modern, rolling whiteboards…
“What purpose can it serve for your learning?” I inquire.
They began to shout out, “creative”, “fresh”, “comfortable”, “sharing.”
I can’t wait for Day 2.
