What do you have on your walls?

When I first started teaching I scoured the "teacher stores" looking for just the right posters to hang up in my room-after all the kids really pay attention to the stuff on the walls....right? Well after a few years I realized that what the kids really pay attention to is the stuff that teachers convince them is really important and most teachers tend to put that stuff on the walls.

Actually my first year I didn't really have any walls-well I did part of the time.  The rest of the time I was "Art on a Cart" (which I am convinced is a right of passage for all art teachers).  Then for a couple of years I had literally one of the smallest rooms in the building and I LOVED IT!!!! First of all it didn't have wheels! and second of all it had (get this) a SINK! and not only a sink- but a sink with a counter that was kid height!  Then after a couple of years they knocked out the wall between my tiny room and the tiny room next door and gave the room to me! The art teacher! With her own beautiful room- with a sink and lots of square footage and a tile floor!  (When I was in the tiny room it had carpet-yes an art room with carpet) but when the two rooms were combined they laid a tile floor.  The only downside to this room was that nothing would stick to the walls.  I tried sticky tack in every color and combination, masking tape, duct tape, nothing worked.  Then one day a student gifted me with some double sided 3-M "guaranteed to stick" tape and guess what.....it worked!  Needless to say this was the most expensive stuff that the craft store sold to stick stuff to the walls....which led me back to....what do I really want to put on my  classroom walls?

Since I am convinced that the kids value what I say over what is hung on my walls, and that they only pay attention to what I actually DRAW their attention to....I decided to put reminders to myself on my walls, so that I would remember to tell them very important things- on a regular basis.  I mean if I am only going to see each kid for a couple of hours a school year-I can't waist time with the unimportant.

Over the years I have discovered that there are several things I want to teach my students-not only about art, but also about life!  These are the things that are on my walls, and unfortunately most of them do not exist in ready-made form at a teacher store.  So I have been making my own.  What I have discovered is that not only do my posters teach my students about art-but also about life.

In my district there has been a recent question about "are we teaching the soft skills?" or not?  Basically "soft skills" are what make us successful people, and meaningful members of society.  So what is on my walls? Reminders to myself-about the things I want my students to learn to become successful people!

This particular poster "Fast is NOT Fabulous"  Is my reminder to tell students that there is no prize for first place in life.  While reading fast, completing math facts test fast, and lining up fast are all very valuable skills in elementary school-none of these things matter much once you become an adult.  What does matter is fabulous!

 So take your time, do a good job, and don't worry so much about being fast or first!  Concentrate instead on being fabulous!