Haley Burns

       In Room 27, we aren't just a class. We are a family! For that reason our classroom isn't just a classroom, it is our home! For these reasons, I have worked very hard to make our classroom a fun, bright, and safe space where my students are comfortable and feel encouraged to take risks. Two years ago I wrote a grant proposal requesting funds from my district to purchase flexible seating with. My ten-page proposal was accepted and on November 13th, 2017 I was awarded $1,952 to spend on new seating in my classroom. My students and I worked together to find out which seats would be most beneficial to the students. We decided on purchasing two nugget couches, seven tractors stools, five yoga ball chairs, and countless stools, wiggle seats, scoop rockers, and lap desks. These new seats in conjunction with the Hoki stools provided by my district gave us a terrific array of seating options. That class I had that year was a fun-loving, but talkative and sometimes challenging bunch. I would be lying if I said I was not slightly nervous to introduce these seats to my students, but they handled them exceedingly well! I saw not only an increase in productivity but also a decrease in off-task behavior. 

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       Although I love our flexible seats, they are not my favorite part of my classroom. My favorite part is a quote that is posted across the back wall. The quote reads, "Around here we don't look backward for very long. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." This beautiful quote was first stated by one of my personal heroes, Walt Disney. This quote perfectly illustrates everything I want my classroom to be about. Each day during morning meeting we read this quote as a class. My students and I speak daily and extensively about curiosity and trying new things, even if we are a little scared or we aren't positive that we have the exact right answer. I encourage my students to fail freely, as long as they are giving their best effort. I want them sharing ideas and solutions without inhibition. My students really take to this idea. My class last year would even cheer if someone got a math problem wrong on the board. On a particularly hilarious day, one of my students blurted out, "HOORAY! YOU FAILED!" and the rest of the class began applauding. Although they could choose a less blunt way to put it, I adore the sentiment and all of my kiddos in Room 27! 

 

 

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