Design for Contractors & Teachers--I'm on this one!

Alright...I went to town having NO idea what two stores I would choose for this project, not to mention that I was scared to death of getting kicked out for taking pictures. I figured inspiration would come to me at some point, and it did. During the remodeling of our house we spent much, much time in several stores: Menards, Lowe's and Home Depot. Since I hate Home Depot and refuse to set foot in that store, I decided I was left with two stores that I often frequented.

These stores were perfect for this project. I can't tell you how many times my husband and I debated the interior--and exterior--design of these stores. When price was not the deciding factor of which store to shop at, design was.

Our local Menards is a horribly designed store. We hated going there. They decorated in horrible colors--red, yellow, orange, green--and the whole store glowed an aged yellow. The signs are often handwritten and they sell generic junk on the end of their aisles. They shelves were disorganized and they sold weird, misplaced items like Bar-B-Que sauce in the heating and cooling department.

Then, there is Lowe's. When you walk into the store you are immediately welcomed by warm colors of blue and gray. The store feels like it was designed to invite you in and make your shopping experience the best it can be. Their is not clutter of junk attached to the end of each aisle, nor is there a yellow hue enveloping everything. It just LOOKS better. Also, all of the product is located inside the store, whereas Menards had a make-shift area outside where you had to dig through piles to find products.

All of this design reminds me of how I need to focus on design in my own classroom. While the interior design of my room is partially dictated by the administration, I strive to make my room as comfortable as possible. While it can be cluttered at times, and I will work on that, especially after this unit, I post interesting work and information along the walls. There is art work hanging on the walls that do not have cabinets. I try to take this vast, sterile space and turn it into a space where students can still concentrate and learn, but also work together and feel relaxed. Instead of the straight rows of desks/tables, I have arranged my tables in several squares, a large one around a smaller square, to encourage community, encourage discussion and working together. I feel this is much more comfortable and inviting than the typical face-forward desk arrangement. The students like it too, though they admit they can't get out of participation when we're grouped this way. There is NO way to avoid eye contact!

After this unit, I want to spend some time in my room just thinking about how to improve the interior design. I want students to feel compelled to learn in my room, not forced. Hopefully during our PD day on Monday I can take the time to assess my room and the effectiveness of it.