How do you make YOUR classroom welcoming for students?

Setting up my classroom before the students arrive takes both imagination and careful calculated considerations. I start with a good cleaning and decluttering to begin with a blank slate. I often receive a student list and some basic demographic information which allows for the first day of arranging the classroom furniture, labels, and materials. I can label lockers, folders, and mailboxes. I can create signs of welcome and share words of encouragement. I can find out if students have mobility, visual, or auditory issues and arrange accordingly for best accessibility.But there is so much I do not know. What students might need to sit where so they can see the door and their classmates to feel safe. What students will be distracted with the noice of the radiator or sun reflection across their desk. I will not know if students have a different chosen name then the one on my official list. I will not know students strengths, interests, or academic background. I therefore organize and design with a flexibility and leave space for students to make the classroom theirs. After creating a learning environment that is conducive to what I know, I then need to use my intuition. I walk through the classroom door as if it was the first time ever. I imagine what would make me feel welcome, safe, and supported. I add live plants and interesting backdrops. I sit in each chair and notice how my senses take in information. I look for visual consistency, size of lettering, and patterns. I try to see from the student’s perspective if the space feels inspiring, calming, and welcoming. 

When it comes to setting up my classroom I am acutely aware that it is not my space. Yes, I do spend most of my days here, but it is first and foremost the student's space. Every year, regardless of whether or not I am in the same classroom or space, I completely clear out the room (furniture, posters, materials). More often than not, I am down to a completely empty classroom. From there, I take what I know of my incoming students and begin to create a space that will make it feel as if they all have ownership. Each section of my classroom tends to take on a different feel that appeals to different students. In the end, what is most important is that every student feels a sense of comfort and safety when they come into the classroom.

As a special education teacher who works with students with a variety of needs, a major consideration in my room is space. While I want there to be enriching and safe spaces throughout the room, I am also very cognizant of excess clutter that can hinder movement in adaptive equipment. Additionally, I spend time thinking about visual clutter and nose. In order for students to concentrate they need spaces that facilitate both engagement and calmness. With too many materials on walls, boards, etc., it is easy for student’s to feel overwhelmed without recognizing why.