Empty walls in teachers’ classrooms make students feel unmotivated, uncomfortable, and not at all excited to learn. The emptiness of the classrooms creates an unwelcoming environment, which fails to excite students, leading to failing grades and increased levels of skipping classes. Yet not all teachers at North Atlanta confine themselves to the “norm” of having bland classrooms. A select few choose to decorate to make themselves happy, reflect their personality, and most importantly, create a safe and comfortable environment that motivates students to learn and succeed.
Some teachers have implemented a psychological approach to how they organize and arrange their classrooms in order to meet a level of comfort for themselves and their students. The psychological approach, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, states that the five basic levels of needs need to be met to encourage students to learn. Considering her close-knit relationship with her classroom, given that she has spent a total of nine years in her classroom (and counting), Caitlin Tripp, an AP World History teacher and North Atlanta, has abided by this particular psychological theory when it comes to organization in her classroom. “People can’t learn until their basic needs are met,” she said. “My goal is to have flexibility and comfort in my classroom to engage every student who sits in my classroom.”
Vivid personalities bring vivid classroom environments. Some teachers have gone a (slightly) controversial route when it comes to decorating their classrooms, filling their spaces with bright, colorful posters and not leaving a single empty space left on their walls. The posters tend to reflect who the teacher is, as well as what they teach. World Language and IB PPS teacher, Robin Oliver, doesn’t shy away from the minimalistic approach to his decor, but rather fills the space with posters that display what he’s teaching, tools that can help during exams, and that reflect who he is as a teacher and a person. “Some students admit that they found an answer during an exam from simply looking at the wall,” he said.
“Don’t turn on the big light” is a phrase that several individuals abide by when it comes to their personal space. This principle is also a common theme seen throughout History teachers’ classrooms, as quite a few of them use natural lighting (thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows), or warm lighting such as lamps and fairy lights. Shandie Everett, a US World Affairs teacher at North Atlanta, is among these individuals. Her philosophy is that eliminating the “big light” aids in keeping students, as well as herself, in a calm state in her classroom. “I find that students, as well as I, are far more comfortable with an overhead light,” she said.
