As we all know, classroom decor can make or break a learning experience. Many teachers have expressed their inner interior decorator through the artistic liberty that they take with their classrooms. For many, their design choices allow them to make the space that they spend ⅗ of their school year in. Because of this, I have decided to create a ranking of the most impactful classroom decoration at the Academic Magnet.

In order to standardize the scoring and level the playing field, I have decided to exclude all classrooms that don’t fall under the standard layout such as the art and guitar rooms. Please note that this scoring is completely objective, however I will be inserting my personal opinion. The classrooms will be ranked regarding 5 purposefully chosen categories: interactiveness, smell, overall vibe, personal meaning, and desk layout. 

After surveying my class, I have compiled a list of contenders to investigate and rank. 

• Dr. Cassidy (Mrs. Cornehl if you’re nasty)

When questioned about her style inspiration, she responded “rainbow”. She chose her desk layout so that “everyone can see the board and have a buddy to work with”. In the back of her classroom, there are two tables that she and her husband built for her students to stand at while they worked. Dr. Cassidy’s favorite piece in her room is her paint by numbers frog that sits above her desk. She would describe the smell upon entering her room as “happy”. Dr. Cassidy has curated her room to be a happy learning space for her students and it is apparent that it pays off. From her novelty poster of Mr. Grimshaw and Mr. Johnston’s school spirit to her toddler wash mitts repurposed as whiteboard erasers, Dr. Cassidy’s room makes her a winner. 

• Mrs. Benton

Mrs. Benton’s room is a staple memory in any Magnet student’s archive. Her wall are covered with artifacts from past classes, exemplar projects, student campaign posters, and stolen components of memorable class walls. Mrs. Benton’s room has plenty of things to look at and fabulous lighting. The whiteboard closest to her desk exhibits pictures of her family and the occasional quote from her children and if you’re lucky like me, you might make it on there. When pressed for her favorite pieces, she stated that she “loves the airplanes from spirit week because it says ‘Sharon 123 exercise’” and her “bloody thesis poster” because it’s the epitome of magnet. Her desks are in a “U shaped setup so the students can see each other” and because it “fosters conversation”, and if you peer onto her desk, you might be able to spot her signature Big Gulp (which has more recently been changes to a milk jug). Always the optimist, she stated that her room smells like “teenage dreams”. 

• Mrs. Smith

Mrs. Smith’s room takes the cake in terms of the effort required to achieve her desired aesthetic. Covering her walls are an array of canvases covered with vibrant wrapping paper. Overall, Mrs. Smith has about 60 canvases which took her ten minutes each to create. This means that Mrs. Smith has spent 10 consecutive hours making canvases. Some of the most memorable components of her room are googley eyes that don her walls and her side hustle of making greeting cards does not play into how she decorates her room, but her love of crafting is apparent. On why her desks are in rows, she stated that she is a “conventional teacher” who “likes them in rows”.

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  Mr. Murphy

Upon entering Mr. Murphy’s room, one is greeted with an eclectic mix of World War II replicas, Star Wars figurines, cat statues, and Cubs apparel. When asked if this was also an accurate assessment of his personality, he responded, “yes, definitely”. Scanning the room, there are so many individual pieces that one’s eyes long to linger on. On where he garnered his style inspiration, he succinctly stated, “TGIFridays”. Mr. Murphy’s room is clearly the product of years of collecting. He tentatively said that his room smelled like “coffee”; sure that he was being set up for something. Always the traditionalist, he keeps his desks in rows because it is “orderly”

• Mr. Stackhouse

Mr. Stackhouse’s room is a modern take on a timely classic. Leading the classroom from his “command center” aka his desk, he allows the students to see each other and him through his usage of the infamous “horseshoe” desk shape. When questioned about his style inspiration, he stated that he likes to go with “a fake auditorium like setup”. His walls are covered with different maps, portraits, historic photographs, and his infamous golf wall. When I asked him what his favorite piece was, he said, “everything on (his) walls”. His bulletin board is filled with current and past ‘current events’ and serves as a reminder to the students that their hard work and creativity pays off #notracegang. On his rolling cabinet hangs a colored in picture of Tom and Jerry, which one often examines; trying to figure out the dark meaning behind it, and Stack’s various certificates of AP readiness. According to him, his classroom “does not smell as bad as other classrooms”. Quick to talk smack, Stack chuckled as he stated that Mr. Murphy’s room looked like “every 12-year-old boy’s room who has unlimited resources”.