As kids say goodbye to summer and return to their classrooms, we asked teachers to share how they decorated their spaces and how they expect them to change over the school year. From a fashionable class goose, to a Paris getaway, to a vintage rec room, here are their responses, and how they’re still leaving space for student creativity.
Ashley Campobasso, Aurora, Ont.
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This September I’m starting at a new school teaching a Grade 5/6 split. When I first saw my classroom, I loved the huge windows, high ceilings and all of the character that comes with an older school.
I wanted the room to feel welcoming and comfortable, but still like a classroom for 10 and 11 year olds. I added plants, flexible seating, a book nook and some simple systems to help keep us organized. I also made a conscious decision not to fill every wall before the students arrived.
I really want the classroom to grow with my students. The empty spaces will eventually be filled with their artwork, our anchor charts, things we are learning and pieces of our classroom community. I don’t think a classroom needs to be completely finished on the first day.
I have definitely spent some of my own money getting it ready, especially because I was moving into a new grade and a new school, but I tried to use what was already in the room wherever I could.
Right now it feels ready for them, but I think it will feel much more like our classroom once the kids are actually in it.
Marcus Kingston, Halifax
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I’m a teacher that loves anything vintage or old-school. When I went through school myself in the nineties, I remember colourful classrooms filled with character, charm and decorations made with love.
When I became a teacher, I wanted to bring back the joy I experienced as a student. I call my space the “Rec Room” as it’s a blend of everything from the fifties to the nineties and it’s conveniently located in the basement. It didn’t take too long to put together, but all of my signs are handmade and everything in the room is thrifted or second-hand.
My Gen Z students are so far removed from analog life, analog technology and a simpler time, so I wanted to strip away as much of modern life as I could. It’s crazy how they react to a space that looks like it could have been their great grandparents’ basement.
It’s complete with a TV cart, record player and vinyls, a Blockbuster full of classic VHS tapes and loads of vintage maps, board games, globes and school supplies. It’s my little vintage oasis in a fast-paced modern world!
Josephine Spitale, Whitby, Ont.
I’m teaching Grade 6 this year, and am really passionate about students being able to see themselves in their classroom. I don’t just want to teach students about diversity, I want diversity to be something they actually see and experience around them every day.
I was an ESL student myself, so I know what it can feel like to be in a classroom and not quite feel like you are part of it. I want my classroom to be a place where every student feels comfortable, included and like they belong.
Goosie is our class mascot, and I change its outfits throughout the year to match the seasons, holidays and special events. In the spring, the students will even get to design their own outfit for Goosie.
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Goosie was introduced at the beginning of the school year, and the students already love seeing little messages from Goosie pop up around the classroom. I think it adds a little bit of magic to their day and gives them something fun to look forward to. Oh, and they will even write a “where did Goosie go?” mystery story – so much fun.
I’m also passionate about reading, so I’m constantly working on expanding our classroom library. I love fun rewards, too, but I try to make them about kindness and being a good human, rather than only about academic achievement.
For me, the classroom is never really “finished.” I want it to grow and change with the students throughout the year so that, by the end, it feels like something we created together, rather than something I simply created for them.
Vicki Sheaves, Newfoundland and Labrador
I’m currently teaching core French for Grades 4 and 5. I chose a Paris theme because I wanted my students to feel transported the moment they walked in. For the 40 minutes a day they’re in my classroom, they’re surrounded by the Eiffel Tower and iconic French landmarks, immersed in a true French ambiance. My hope is that this environment naturally encourages them to speak and embrace the language.
It wasn’t cheap and it does take time to set up before school starts. The cost doesn’t matter because for me it’s kinda like my home away from home and I want my all 140 of my kids to be happy and know they are in a safe and positive learning space.
When my students come in every year, I get them to count all the hidden Eiffel towers. Last year it was 22, and this year I can’t tell. . . it is still a secret.
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Akhina Mooken, Mississauga
This year I’m teaching fifth grade. I decided to add an affirmation station because I’ve noticed a shift in the way students are seeing themselves. The world of social media has really affected our students, and sometimes they need a little reminder that they are enough and they do not need to conform or change who they are to fit in. It’s such an important year where students are starting to notice so much change around them, that a little affirmation can go a long way (I hope!).
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I’m really hoping my class looks the same by the end of the year! I’d love to continue adding more to make it a welcoming space for my students and a space where they are excited to come. We talk about respecting classroom materials and making sure it looks beautiful for us to enjoy all year round.
I hope my students are able to feel safe in my classroom, that they are able to see how valued and important they are. They are a big part of our class community and I want them to feel like they belong. I hope my students are confident and proud of themselves as they leave my room and enter Grade 6.
Clare Hamilton, Ottawa
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Classroom set up takes a tremendous amount of time. You are trying to create a learning environment that is welcoming, accessible and inclusive to all learners – it takes me about three to four days to decorate, clean and organize my classroom before students arrive.
I have been teaching for over 12 years, and I try to make my classroom cozy and colourful, while leaving space for my students to decorate and co-create displays.
Some of the displays we co-create include a “classroom promise,” art work and vocabulary boards. This allows my students to feel ownership over the space, which in turn should encourage them to respect the space more.
Ashlee Chehowski, Hamilton
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I teach Grade 2/3 at a small Ontario elementary school, and I want my classroom to feel warm, welcoming and unmistakably theirs.
I’ve built in lots of functional touches: A huge classroom library, student-created displays, flexible learning spaces, classroom jobs, our “Stash Bucks” class economy and plenty of little things designed to make eight year olds smile. I spend more of my own money than I’d probably like to calculate, but I also reuse, thrift, repurpose and create a lot myself.
The best part is that it won’t stay looking like this. Once 20+ kids arrive, their work goes up, books migrate and systems evolve. The pristine September classroom becomes something much better: A space that looks like children actually live and learn there.
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Submissions have been edited and condensed.