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Why this educator believes he became a better teacher without a desk.
For some, your teacher’s desk is a must. Not only is it functional, but it’s also a symbol of your leadership and authority in the classroom.
To others, the teacher’s desk is an obstacle; A barrier between you and your students. A large desk also takes up a big chunk of real estate in your classroom.
In Episode 141 of the Class Dismissed podcast, we caught up with Matthew Morris. Back in 2015, Morris wrote an article about why he got rid of his desk in his classroom. Readers from all over the world applauded his post, which is on his website and Medium.com.
An unintended barrier
Morris says it pushed him to walking around, help students more, and it allowed him to be the lead learner.
“It did disolve a little bit of the barrier between teacher and student,” says Morris.
Morris believes that being forced to move around the classroom made him build better relationships with introverted students. He admits that when he had a desk he would sometimes quickly go and grade quizes while the students were working independenly during class time.
But without a desk, things were different. Morris would go and sit near students that were often quiet or maybe struggling with the work.
“Those students would actually ask me more questions about the work,” said Morris.
In Episode 141, we ask Morris if he has any regrets about ditching his desk. Where does he keep his stuff? Where does he grade papers? And most importantly, what did it mean for his relationship with his students.
Listen to the latest episode of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or iTunes, and find out if Morris is still managing his classroom without a desk today.
Other show notes
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