I'm getting rid of my teacher's desk

After the last student ran out of my room yesterday, I took a quick survey of my room. I didn't/don't like how it looks. It's the perfect size for putting my desks in rows, but that won't be happening. I have 30 desks. Now, they're in 10 groups of 3. I like the groups, but they just don't fit in my room. My projector has to be in a weird spot to get on the screen and the screen is anchored into the wall. I don't have any walls that are white that I could use instead of the screen. As I looked around I realized what was in the way: my teachers' desk.

I was recently digitally introduced to John Spencer, a 6th grade (right, John? Why do I think you teach 6th grade?) teacher in Arizona. I love how this guy thinks. It's not because I agree with all of it, but John comes off honest and transparent.

Imagine my dismay when I read this in John's post titled "useless advice people give to new teachers":

2. Get rid of the teacher's desk.
It's a nice idea, but teachers need a work space.  There is a ton of administrative work and a desk is a great place to work (It beats using a TV tray or sitting at the student desks).  I recommend pushing the desk to a corner and using it only during prep.

Being a bit rash, I thought, Great, now I can't get rid of my teacher's desk.

Yes, that's how easily influenced I am -- at times.

After a little thinking, I realized that my reasons for ridding my room of my desk don't fit John's advice. For one thing, my desk is a monster. It doesn't fit into a corner. If it did, I wouldn't be moving it to make more room for my students. Also, there's a seventh grade Careers class in my room during my prep period. Combine that with the fact that my room doesn't have any windows and you'll understand why I normally skedaddle (had no idea how to spell that word) to a room with a view during my preps. I'm also not known for my organization skills, so I'm thinking (stay with me here) that getting rid of my teacher's desk will help in that area. File it under "less is more."

The biggest thing for me is how it will force me to roam. I teach Language Arts in an 84-minute block. The first 15-20 minutes are dedicated to the students free reading. They use their free reading for their Skills-based Journaling and this is the only dedicated free reading time they get all day. Why am I defending giving my kids time to read? The space my desk currently takes up is going to be replaced with a table where I'm going to do 1-on-1 conferencing.


I'm just trying to see what works. I started out the year with my desks in groups of five. That worked for about a week. After that I went to groups of 3 and the only thing that's changed is which kids sit in which desks. Now that I've actually been a classroom teacher for a little while, it was time for a change.


As always, be mentally prepared for me to be publishing a post titled "I'm bringing back my teacher's desk" in the weeks after Christmas break.