What we generally find is for beliefs to change, people's experiences have to change first.—Iris Bohnet

When I walked into Cindy Ruptic's fifth-grade classroom, the first thing I noticed was the desks. They were clustered in groups of four, and each group had its own potted plant and a small bookshelf for personal and library books. Nothing new, you say? Maybe not, but it was new to me. I was still setting up my classroom with desks in straight rows, and my classroom didn't have its own library. Even worse, my teacher's desk—more like a shrine, to be honest—took up a fourth of the room.

What was Cindy thinking? How would she ever be able to teach students who weren't facing her? And what did she know about teaching that I didn't? For me, seeing Cindy's classroom sparked the first of many conversations about classroom design, student learning, and best practices for teaching.

Does a new classroom arrangement prompt us to reconsider our beliefs about teaching? Or does the gradual evolution in our teaching prompt us to rearrange our classrooms? Honestly, I'm not sure, but I suspect there's a bit of chicken and egg going on here. What I do know is that every aspect of our teaching environment sends a message to all who enter. That message should be that this classroom is an interesting place, a comfortable and safe place, and a place where students are actively engaged in their own learning. When you look through the door of a classroom, you get a glimpse into what that teacher believes about students, their learning, and the way teaching is best delivered.

No matter how your classroom has been set up for this year, remember that it is not only your students who will be growing this year. You will be growing, too. How is your teaching improving, and how can that be reflected in your classroom?

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