Is there really a correlation between the subject that educators teach and the decorations they choose for their classrooms? I’m here to determine whether this is a true statement and the extent of these differences. Today I take a stop at Ms. Teresa Vann’s classroom to explore how a history teacher decorates their classroom.
Vann has taught for 36 years and this is her last before retirement. She teaches civics, sociology, and world geography. Vann is also very active; she runs student council alongside English teacher Sarah Schoenrock, coaches middle school volleyball, and is a big fan of golf.
“My whole family were teachers,” Vann said. “I pretty much knew I was [going to] be a teacher. I just had to decide what I wanted to teach.”
Vann showcases the mindset that everybody should be unique through her use of quotes and her fun personality. Her decorations are mostly related to history with some personal and motivational aspects.
“I would say if you look around mine is the least decorated room in the department, except for Coach Dunn,” Vann said. “I had more stuff last year but I took it all down at the end of the year because I thought they were gonna paint and then they didn’t paint.”
Vann uses her decoration to keep her walls filled but still stays on the topic of her curriculum with much of the decor having a relation to Civics, and some that correlates to her other classes. This creates a structured learning environment where students can stay focused, which Vann craves.
“I do think that the map, a lot of times kids will stop and look at the world map just whether it’s about stuff we’re talking about or other stuff,” Vann said. “Sometimes the three branches stuff people tend to look at that.”
Last time I went to the foreign language department and took a look at the decorations featured in Connelly’s Spanish classroom and determined that it is a place filled with cultures and bright colors. Before that, we learned that science with Armbrust is a place to explore one’s curiosity and that math with King is nearly empty, but in a way that benefits learning. At first, we went to English with Hollst and learned that it’s a bright a lively learning environment. This time, I determined that history is a place filled with knowledgeable decor that benefits the learning process and that these teachers use these decorations to keep their students informed while adding a motivational aspect to push through the rest of the day. These teachers have a strong passion for history and use this passion to engulf students, and themselves, into the past.
