There has been a debate lately about whether you should get rid of your teacher’s desk. Some argue that they need a place to sit, even before or after school, and others insist they never sit there anyway.
I am here to tell you THREE reasons why you should put that teacher’s desk in the dumpster, specifically when you teach a self-contained autism class. Yes, of course, you still need a place to put your stuff. I will get to that in reason # 3 🙂
- More space for another independent center– If you have read some of my other posts on this blog, you know what a huge proponent I am of independent work centers. We NEVER have enough staff, so students need to learn how to work independently. When I removed my teacher’s desk this year, I replaced it with another independent workspace. 🙂
- Less behavior management– I was sick and tired of telling my students to stay away from the “adult area.” I would block it off as much as possible with visual and physical barriers. But of course, those colorful post-its and flair pens look so much fun! Now that I don’t have my teacher’s desk, I don’t have a space in the room that is off-limits to the kids. It is all for them!
- Become more organized- Yes, I said MORE organized. Those teacher desks are a black hole! What do you put in all those big drawers!? I would dump things in there that I didn’t know what to do with. Instead, I use a counter with a “teacher toolbox.” Yes, a teacher toolbox DOES stand up to the hype. It would help if you got yourselves one pronto. I have a little counter area with all my stuff, and it has been perfect so far this year 🙂
Have you gotten rid of your teacher desk? How do you like it? Let me know in the comments!