I sit under the shade of the porch as the warm summer sun surrounds me. Rocking in my chair, enjoying the calm of nature and comfort of home, I get lost in my book and lose all track of time.

I can do this when time allows, because I am comfortable in this treasured reading spot. I sit with a book and get lost in the story, removed from the distractions and activity around me. . . . It's just the characters in the story, me, and no one else. When I am comfortable, I have more stamina. 

The scene above flashed through my mind last month in the Charlotte, North Carolina, airport. Walking from the security checkpoint to my gate, I noticed trees, rocking chairs, and side tables lining the area. Many of them were occupied with travelers, relaxing and reading, completely unaware of the hustle and bustle going on around them. What a fabulous idea! The airport designers found a way to bring a bit of comfort into the craziness of airline travel, thus helping to reduce travel anxiety for some, and bringing comfort to others.

This sparked my reflection on the design of a classroom. We know comfort plays a role in stamina, because we experience this in our everyday lives. We can and will participate in an activity longer when we are comfortable. So how can we best create this atmosphere for our students? We need to consider seating, lighting, spacing, and color. We also need to consider other environmental factors such as expectations, noise, and even the ability to choose when/where/what.  

Summer is a great time to think about the learning space we provide for our students and how we can best meet their needs. Take some time to peruse the Environment topic of this website. It is there that you will find small ideas for organization, big ideas for room arrangement, and everything classroom design.

We might not be able to re-create our treasured reading spots from home, but if an airport can create cozy reading spaces for travelers, we can certainly do the same for the readers who travel through our rooms.

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