Like students, teachers too have a schema of an ideal schedule. It might vary from teacher to teacher, but there tends to be one common preference– that they teach only in one classroom.
In a school that is overcrowded, teachers do not always have the privilege of “owning” a classroom. Unlike in elementary school where teachers had a tendency to decorate their rooms and accessorize with unique trinkets and funny posters, a lot of teachers in high school don’t expend the energy to interior decorate, as it is simply not worth it– these teachers might only be in their classrooms for a period, or share a classroom with several other teachers, who might prefer not to have posters on the walls or picturesque photos of nature hanging from Promethean projectors.
As a student, it is difficult to see the silver lining when your schedule makes you want to listen to a recording of a blender on an endless loop instead of learning, but there is always good to be found in a seemingly wholly horrible situation. The same goes for teachers– there are both pros and cons to be found in being a stationary teacher, or having a singular room.
Being a stationary teacher has pros: you are able to make a room homey, you are able to be more organized, students always know where to find you (though this might be a con for you teachers, to be honest) and you don’t have to move through crowded hallways teeming with students between periods.
Personalizing a classroom brings an entirely different ambiance to, say, world history or chemistry. Having up punny posters can give attitude to the typical, white-walled boring-ness of a boxy room. Posters with cute word play like “Keep your ion chemistry” help to brighten a room, and as a teacher, I imagine having things that make you smile in a room that you spend seven hours a day in improves your mood, even in the slightest. In addition to this, not having to move rooms allows you to really settle into your desk space and have a place for everything, opposed to having to move all your materials on a cart through the hallway, never fully organized. Lastly, students are always able to find you for help or questions or even to just say hi, as you are always in the same place.
For those teachers who are forced to move rooms constantly, there are cons to being a stationary teacher as well. As a stationary teacher, you get no exercise, no change of scenery and if you hate your room (i.e. it doesn’t have windows), you have to be there all day. Being a “floater” has its benefits– you won’t develop nasty blood clots in your legs from lack of movement, as you’ll have to meander your way through currents of pushy students, getting from point A to point B in the short span of five minutes.
Overall, being a stationary teacher seems easier and more preferable, but depending on what room you are given, it can actually be pretty unpleasant. So who knows, floaters? Maybe your lack of a classroom to call home is a blessing in disguise.

Julia Gastwirth

Managing Editor