Decoration for Education: Teachers personalize education space for students

It's more than setting a chair behind a desk, more than just placing a student's name on their assigned seat, more than putting books on a shelf: preparing a classroom is a process. As teachers from Cape Girardeau Public Schools and the Jackson R-2 District approach the first day of school, the work has already begun.

Supplies sit on a desk of Racheal Bohnert's classroom as she prepares her kindergarten room at Orchard Drive Elementary Wednesday in Jackson.

Throughout the summer, teachers were learning, teachers began planning, and teachers continue to decorate.

"The room takes the longest, truthfully," said Lori Huey, a Franklin Elementary School kindergarten teacher. "You don't want to be stagnant and you don't want it to look the same every year, so you kind of try to make it more inviting and not the same."

Dee Wren prepares her kindergarten classroom at Orchard Drive Elementary Wednesday in Jackson.

While standing in each classroom, one gets the sense of the teacher's personality and what they hope to accomplish with their personal touch.

Standing in Orchard Drive Elementary kindergarten teacher Racheal Bohnert's classroom, teal, coral and gold adorn the walls and the space. Switching gears from her usual Dr. Seuss theme, Bohnert said she went the color scheme route to give her room more of a "homey" feel.

Racheal Bohnert prepares her kindergarten classroom at Orchard Drive Elementary Wednesday in Jackson.

"More and more I'm noticing kids kind of need that more homey, quieter feel," Bohnert said. "Sometimes, for certain kiddos, [busy themes] can be a distraction or an over-stimulation, so that's why I went with a calmer color."

Contrastly, primary colors shine brightly in Jefferson Elementary School kindergarten teacher Katie Stagner's room.

"For the younger kids, I think they need things that are going to catch their eye and things that are going to keep them interested," Stagner said. "I also like to make everything that's in here have a purpose, and have some kind of educational tie."

Katie Stagner prepares her kindergarten classroom Tuesday at Jefferson Elementary in Cape Girardeau.

While classroom themes are embraced by several teachers, others focus on their space differently.

"I don't really ever do a theme," said Franklin Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jonathan Compas. "I'm more about new strategies, new centers [and] new learning opportunities for my kids, rather than a theme, really."

Whether going all-out with a theme or not, teachers are putting in tons of work. Several to-do lists include organizing the classroom, preparing for open house night, finalizing curriculum planning and completing professional development, just to name a few.

"It's worth it in the end," Bohnert said. "And I feel like the more we put up front, the easier the school year goes, the more prepared I am the first day, the smoother the transitions are and the calmer I feel because I know that I am prepared."