The beginning of the New Academic Year has meant a lot of things to me over the years. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it meant seeing if my clothes and shoes still fit and making sure that I had the necessary school supplies which included pencils, both colored and number 2, paper, and something to carry everything in to and from school. Duffel bags were the most common way of carrying things and things were easy to find in them for the first few weeks. For my teachers, they worked to put appropriate decorations on the walls and mark where the desks needed to be as they were placed in straight rows.
As I moved into teaching in the 1980s and 1990s, my classroom preparation at the secondary level focused on areas on the walls for homework and expectations along with some posters and pennants as the only other decorations needed. For the first five to seven years, the idea of keeping desks in rows was still the most accepted way of setting up a classroom. In the mid-1990s, as some classrooms moved into having tables, I began setting up desks in pods. In all that time, the idea of accessibility and purposeful staging never came up. It wasn’t until I moved into being a Special Needs Program Director that purposeful planning, training, and staging came into focus for me.
Purposeful planning and staging can mean different things to different people. The way that I am suggesting is to begin by taking a look at the overall student body in one’s classroom or building. It begins with understanding which students are going to be a part of inclusive classrooms and which students may be staying in a single classroom each day. The approach and planning for these two groups has individual focal points that we need to consider. For example, with the group that is staying in a single classroom all day, how are we having them sit or, if they are in a specialized chair, be positioned? From that knowledge, we can then create aisles and movement patterns. I am a big proponent of having floor tape and arrows on the floor as it helps with understanding how to move as well as giving some examples of what individuals might see in other areas, like the line to stand behind waiting for a bus or subway.
Staying with the group in the single classroom, I always suggest making sure that any decorations on the walls are purposeful and not overwhelming. Although lots of colors, sparkling objects, and cool pictures are fun, if there is not a purpose associated with them, they can become a distraction instead of academic support. Think about what is being studied that term or year and have decorations which celebrate and support that theme. An example that several schools use regularly is to have an area dedicated to people in the community like firefighters, first responders, and police. Real pictures of people, especially if they have come in to visit in previous years, help to provide a foundation to build upon. This area can be added to throughout the year as pictures of new visitors or parents and guardians at work can also be added. This demonstrates who we encounter in our communities along with providing a basis for social skills.
In these classrooms, we also want to be sure to have specific areas for each student with baskets or drawers that house the supplies they use on a regular basis. We are then able to teach the life skills of using our own supplies as well as how to put things away when we are done with them. Some of these classrooms have also created sensory spaces where students can go to de-escalate when things become overwhelming. The critical idea to keep in mind is that these classrooms should be purposeful in each area as it will be the formal educational environment for the year and we want the skills learned here to be able to be transferred into the world beyond the walls.
As we look at our students who will be going from classroom to classroom, we want to make sure that the teachers have the training they need to assist all their students, especially those operating with IEPs or 504s. Teachers are overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to prepare for as well as increasing expectations within the educational community as a whole. Simply sending a copy of the IEP or 504 is not enough. One of the programs I instituted as a Special Needs Program Director and then utilized as a general education administrator was “Student Support Lunches.” I would host four lunches during teacher preparation days with pizza and salad and invite teachers based on grade level at the high schools I was at. I had a list of those students with 504s or IEPs who would be moving from classroom to classroom and shared strategies that would help them as well as potentially other students. This provided a foundation for the teachers to work from with concrete strategies. I would then host four more lunches six weeks into the year as a follow-up and to see if any other students were struggling. It was difficult the first year I brought these lunches into buildings. However, by the second or third year, these lunches became a vital part of sharing what was working both individually and generally. I saw teachers who did not want “that type of student” in their classes become advocates for differentiated learning and be unofficial support teachers for other teachers. As an administrator, I had my counseling department run these lunches but always attended myself as it gave me insights into how I could further support my faculties.
With the idea of supporting my faculties, I had to laugh recently as I ran into a colleague that I had hired almost twenty-five years ago. As we caught up, he asked if I remembered how I had worked with the curriculum team to adjust how we scheduled classes and created a new daily class format. He was one of the ones who did not like that change at first. However, as more students found themselves with opportunities they did not have before and teachers found more opportunities to work with students, the schedule caught on. He shared that it had lasted for twenty years, and they used it as a foundation for their new schedule last year. The idea for it came from listening to teachers and students, their successes as well as their frustrations. We can’t do that without proper training and being open to listening though.
Within those inclusive classrooms, training should be given on how to approach students who need accommodations and how to work those accommodations in so that the students do not feel “different.” An awareness of how to interact with all students should also be a priority. We take a lot for granted. Sometimes focusing on the basics in an open dialogue may be more important than another guest speaker on the latest educational trend. Just don’t forget the blood-borne pathogen video!
Finally, take some time out of the early days of teacher preparation for oneself. Take the time to create living classrooms that engage yet not overwhelm all students. Take time to set realistic expectations for yourself as well as your students. Know that each student has amazing potential and may not respond to the approaches other students use. Have teachers and administrators who can listen and give support to questions on these students. Most importantly, take time to know that it will be a great year and it all starts with you!
As always, if you have questions or would like more information on how to create environments beyond what you are currently doing, feel free to contact me at rheipp@schoolhealth.com. May the 2025-26 academic year be the best one yet for you and your students!