Ditching My Classroom Theme

It's summer, which means you're probably thinking about the upcoming school year.  I mean, let's face it, a lot of teachers don't actually take the summer "off."  We're attending trainings, participating in conferences, learning new curriculum, and getting ideas for our classrooms.  Part of those ideas tend to center around a classroom "theme" for the year.

Look on any teacher Facebook group, scroll Pinterest, or browse an educational resource catalog and chances are you will see tons of ideas for classroom themes.  Teachers decking out their classrooms in farmhouse decor, transforming their doors into Platform 9 3/4, and covering their entire back wall with a beach scene are not unusual to see (I'm guilty of 2 out of 3 of those!).  I know how fun and exciting it can be to get swept up in a new theme, but I'm here today asking you to just consider not having a classroom theme this year.

I know, I can hear your gasps of horror from here.  You love going theme-crazy!  You've already thought of the cute puns that you can put on all of your bulletin boards and everything.  But let me tell you why I finally stopped using a classroom theme: not having one helps put students at the center of the learning environment. 

Let me explain a little more.  Two years ago, after a blissful week aboard my honeymoon cruise, I decided I NEEDED to have a nautical themed classroom.  I created a sunny island beach scene on one wall, hung anchors and wheels from the ceiling, and put up a ton of nautical themed quotes around the room.  It was my happy place.  But, was it my students' happy place?  What about the students who had never been on a cruise?  What about the students who hate the ocean (I've heard of crazier things)?  Was I really putting my students first, or was I putting myself first in our classroom decor?

Last year, I decided to begin the year with a pretty blank slate classroom.  In fact, here is what my classroom looked like on the first day of school:

It was so stunningly bare that I felt like I had to be crazy.  No cute themed locker tags, no themed letter line in the room, no motivational posters, nothing hanging from the ceiling.  It was quite the change from the previous year.  On each student's locker was simply a sticky note so they could put their items inside.  BUT, this meant that on the first days of school, I could get to know my students as they contributed to our classroom decor.

At supply drop-off, I gave my students an interest survey that had some simple questions: what is your favorite color, favorite TV show, favorite movie, favorite animal, favorite sport/hobby, and any other favorites they wanted me to know about.  I took these forms home and created these personalized locker tags for each student:

Now, instead of having a locker tag that may or not reflect something they liked but reflected what their teacher liked, they had something that they could connect with.  I learned more about them while I created them, and their classmates learned more about them when they saw them in the hall.  It increased some instant classroom connections.

Second, instead of coming up with motivational quotes or putting up pre-made posters with motivational quotes, I asked my students to come up with a list of things they like to hear that motivates them to keep going.  I compiled a list of what they said and used my Cricut to cut out these sayings and place them on all of the desks and tables around the room.  Here's what that looked like:

Again, students now had a hand in helping encourage their classmates and felt a connection to our classroom decorations.

Instead of coming up with a themed jobs board, my students brainstormed ideas for leadership teams.  They decided on what would need to be done around the room and how they could work with others to ensure those things were accomplished.  They decided on the names for the leadership teams, the descriptors, the color frame, and the pictures on the posters.  Here is what one of our blank walls turned into:

Again, the students were at the forefront of our classroom feel.  They got to feel a connection to each area of the classroom and it was filled with things they liked and they created.  A lack of classroom theme helped me create a learning space that was truly focused on the likes, words, and interests of my students.  And that is why I can't imagine ever going back to the world of theming my classroom for the year.