things looked a lot different in my classroom -
and in our school.
Here is the next item on a short list that comes to mind.
Early on, I considered my classroom to be my canvas. This was my room to decorate according to my vision, and I realised it was important to envelop students in the lessons. I enjoyed theming the room to the topics at hand, such as a cave or an under-the-sea atmosphere. Of course, by "envelop" I am implying that the decor surround the student to transport them into a different setting. I can't always get them to another location on a field trip, but I can give students new experiences within the four walls of the classroom.
I started to think three-dimensionally - not only decorating the bulletin boards, but also the walls and table. I wondered how the floor could be changed, how the lighting could be tweaked, and how the ceilings could be utilized. I knew I could hang things from the ceiling grip in new ways, draping materials, hanging things low at times to really make a statement. I spent time on ladders.
But then I introduced special effects. Laser lighting for celebrations. Spotlights for more intimate moments in the lesson. Mood lighting to help the students focus. The fog machine I brought from my previous teaching position has come in handy in making the room into something different - a campfire scene, an earthquake, a cave, etc.
In short the room transformation idea came to me almost immediately upon entering the profession, and it has stuck with me and developed through the years. If someone told me I had to do things a certain way, I would use these concepts to make things just a little more special for my students, and it seems to have set our class apart from the rest through the years. Perhaps, before the year is out, I can convince the entire school to finally take my suggestion and transform the entire building to go along with a universal theme. I've tried to do that for a few years now, and maybe in my last year it will happen.
Conclusion
For now, in thinking about the last three decades, I realize that I never got the credit for influencing my peers or in changing the normal ways that some things were done for ages. Mine must have been a quiet impact. I'm not sure how I steered things the way I did - I'm sure I ruffled some feathers along the way - but I did so with the betterment of education in mind.