Here’s my classroom for Physical Science next year (first thing to go will be those rows of desks replaced by beautiful empty space in the front of the room and the lab tables in the rear)…

Here’s my classroom for what I’m calling the Robotics and Design (RAD… get it?) Lab…

And here’s the Middle School (formally Upper School) Chemical Storage for next year…

I like having “distractions” in my classroom(s) and teaching spaces. I do not like to have rows of desks with straight lines so that kids know their place and have no ability to help create the learning environment around them.

So, I was particularly astonished by this Q&A post on the National Science Teacher Association’s blog and the resulting answer:

I’m having some classroom management problems in my middle school science classes. I think the classroom itself provides many distractions and contributes to the problem. My middle-school students sit at lab tables, facing each other. Their chairs spin, they are able to open the drawers and put trash in, they can turn on the sinks, and they can stuff things “down the drain. How can I train these kids to sit in a chair and not play with the sinks or cabinets?

The set up sounds very familiar to the set up we’ll have in the lab next year and what I’ve done over the years with lab tables but the teaching styles are completely different evidently. That’s fine. I know I teach differently than most (which is out of necessity since we’re all individuals). However, the answer from “Ms Mentor” was what set me off:

The key is to channel their energy and remove temptations for disruptive or destructive behavior (as you’re thinking). Are there valves at the tables to turn off the water (like on a sink at home)or a master valve for the room? If so, turn off the water except on days it’s necessary. To keep kids from putting trash in the sink, cover the sink with a small board. Attach the cover to the table with a fabric hook-and-loop fastener, so that it can be removed for labs (and you’ll hear the skritch sound if a student tries to remove it!). This obviously works only if the water is turned off. It also provides a bit more room on the table for students to work.

Can you trade in the swivel stools for rigid ones (or adjust something underneath to keep them from revolving)? The students will still rock on them, but at least they won’t be making you dizzy. Your bulletin boards should have items related to the unit, so when students are looking at them, they’ll still be focused on science.

Emphasis is mine there.

Turning off water valves and duct taping cabinet doors shut seems to be a very difficult way to teach science to 7th and 8th graders in my experience. I cannot imagine having a positive and constructive (and creative) learning environment if I’ve set the Threat Level to Orange at the outset.

Instead, why not encourage responsible (and creative/educational) usage of classroom supplies or utilities by good modeling, constructive labs and an overall awareness of expectations. Of course there will be trespasses on the social contract at times, but those are for classroom management interventions.

I’ll stick to trust and respect and responsibility in my Middle School lab instead of locks and preventative non-proliferation treaties.