Starbucks My Classroom: Fearing Failure, Defeating Doubt, Summoning Strength

Hey,

So a couple of weeks ago I’ve pulled the trigger. I’ve decided to replace what is my traditional chemistry room now with a brand new flexible seating 21st Century Learning Space. I’ve decided to “Starbucks” my classroom. If you are new to the whole idea, please read my post “Starbucks My Classroom” Project: The Master Plan”, join the ride, and visit #StarbucksMyRoom on Twitter for information and inspiration.

I’ve given myself the summer to do it. It hasn’t even started yet. It does for me at 3:30pm Central Standard Time tomorrow. And then, the clock starts ticking. The countdown begins. And this time IT’S BIG.

I’m committed. I’m motivated. I’m energized. And, I’m scared….

Fear

Kristy Kruse Louden @kmkteach, a teacher from Michigan, recently blogged about wanting to Create a student-centered classroom space and wrote “it's a bit overwhelming to think about where I'm going to find all of the pieces I want and how I'm going to pay for them.”

This is a fear many of us face.

I face it too.

I applied for a grant: What if I was not compelling enough? What if my idea is not worthy in the eyes of the decision makers?

Fire code: “All furniture with cushions or padding must meet California Technical Bulletins 113 or 117. Most commercial furniture purchased meets these regulations. Typically furniture from residences does not. For this reason, any furniture staff want to bring into the school must be inspected for a tag that reads it has met the requirements for California Technical Bulletin 113 or 117.” Really?!?! This is an e-mail I got from our district’s safety officer. Donations will be tricky. I might get stuff and then have to throw it out.

I bought a house last year, have a toddler, daycare, diapers, so I have $0 to spend for this: What do I do if the grant doesn’t pan out?

What if…. What if…. What if….

Doubt

A colleague approached me in our school hallway today with concerns about the “Starbucks room idea.” She’s a good teacher I respect, who said that when she put a couch in her room it created discipline issues.

A teacher from my Twitter PLN messaged me recently that he’s “really skeptical (not cynical) about the whole Starbucks thing,” and that he questions “how much [my] students will actually learn in that set up.” This is someone I believe to be passionate about doing what’s best for students and a person I respect and whose input I value.

Both of the above situations involved thoughtful caring individuals and their valid concerns. I believe in what I’ve set out to do, I have the research and brain science on my side, I have supporters.

But I have doubt too. It’s there. In the shadows creeping. Trying to take hold. It teams up with fear. Fear brings on doubt. Doubt advances fear.

But they cannot win.

Strength

Look. I’m not about to tell you to power through fear and doubt, to suck it up and go, or to quit acting like a baby and grow a backbone. That kind of advice is bullshit.

I won’t say all these things, because I know that fear, doubt, and the anxiety they bring with them are caused by our brain doing it’s job. The mind cannot live without the body (though this may change sooner than we know), so our brain's #1 task is survival. The brain sends to the body the constant signals not to stick the neck out. “Keep it in the sand where it's safe” says our brain. And if we listen to it, no harm should come to us, because we risk nothing.

Problem is that with this approach we gain nothing either. And, it’s the 21st Century.

Ask For Help….

I told my students and coworkers what I’m doing. They are helping! I’ll use real names because I want to give them shout-outs and thanks. I got several nice large modern frames to put pictures in from Hollie. Joe gave me 3 former sewing machine tables, which can be used as end tables or computer stations. Lance had several of his students bring me 3 big group work tables with adjustable legs Friday. Courtney showed me a local Facebook group people put cheap or free household stuff on. I got hints from Kristin to look for stuff in our building too. There are a few people I’m forgetting now…. Thank you all!

Keep Your Eyes Open….

My wife, son, and I had to pick up a few camping items at Target yesterday.Somehow, I ended up in the furniture section. It turns out there are comfy reasonably-priced chairs, ottomans, and such that meet California Fire Code. I’m still spending $0 of my own, but I can start a crowdfunding campaign, apply for small grants, or beg my principal to pay for a few items to get me closer to my goal.

Expect The Unexpected….  

I received an email from a student at 10:51pm last night:

“Hi Mr. Cymermen

I have a counter height table with with 6 chairs and a leaf to donate to your classroom for next year if you were still interested in creating a Starbucks themed room; we were saving it for a family member who will not be needing it, so if you have an interest please let me know!”

Awesomeness. And I’m not talking about the fact that this female student misspelled my name :)

Make Progress....

I had a classroom with 36 desks and students facing me and each others backs. Now I have a few frames, tables, possibly chairs, and a head full of ideas. I don't know exactly how it will all look in the end. I have ideas, but I have no budget. If manna falls from heaven, I'll gladly accept it. If it does not, I accept the possibility that the room will be "work in progress." I will get it done, but I think it's important that we all take away the pressure of making it perfect right now. Everyone's school, situation, circumstances are different. Start small, medium, or large. Do what feels right. Just start.

Take A Hint….

The school year is almost over. I was in meetings all day today. I always forget what the acronym ATPPS stands for. The coordinator played a video to close it all out. Throughout the video, the presenter kept talking about diverse and inclusive classrooms and showed multiple pictures of the “Starbucks” classroom and crossed out pictures of traditional desk arrangements. Maybe we’re not so crazy after all :)

Have A Plan Now….

I have a never-ending list of things I want to do. I'm writing a book. I want to enjoy my family. I want to blog. Do crowdfunding campaigns. Implement other personal and professional projects. Ditch book. Digitize chemistry. I have stuff on top of stuff. It’s time to sit down and write down what, when, and how. Prioritize. Check out “Keeping It Simple” by Craig Vroom @Vroom6 for a plan to do this.

Have A Plan Later….

Educate yourself on flexible seating. Google. #StarbucksMyRoom on Twitter. The 4 C’s.  The ins/outs of collaboration. Group work lesson plans and classroom management. Engagement. PBL. More on all of these in the future.

Draw strength from the Universe. It gives us hints. We just have to take them. If you ask, it will answer. If you fill it with energy, it will spread.

Take small steps. Build on them. Gain momentum.

We all need support in this from those closest to us. Lean on them.

Remember that you’ll hear some words that will allow doubt and fear in, but there will be ones that energize you. Take the former into advisement, but focus on and draw energy from the latter. Summon Strength.

I want my students to enter the classroom next fall and be stunned. I want their minds to wander. I want our classroom to be the vehicle that transports us into the land of possibilities.

As my students enter next year, I want them to think: THIS WILL BE DIFFERENT.

What’s your dream?

Thanks for reading! Check me out on BAm! Sign Up for my Newsletter on the science of learning, teaching and learning strategies, and finding inspiration in the little things. And, you can always count on me to encourage others to ask questions, look for answers, and gulp life.

Remember: You Have the Power to Change the World (and Starbucks Your Room). Use It Often!

Starbucks My Classroom E-mail To Colleagues

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAm! Radio Network EdWords Blogger

Hi Friends,

In the spirit of helping everyone who is thinking or already decided to Starbucks their classroom I am sharing the copy/paste of an email I wrote to my school colleagues today to ask for support with the Starbucks My Room Project. I hope you find it helpful! Use, lose, or abuse as my physics teaching colleague Lee Wignall says.

Hi everyone,

I know it's the end of the year and I should just sit down, shut up, and chill, but I can't. And I need your help. I am rearranging my room to create an environment that promotes the 4 Cs. I got the idea from an edutopia article written by Kayla Delzer (a teacher from ND) "Flexible Seating and Student-Centered Classroom Redesign" http://edut.to/1No6TXN . I also blogged about it:  http://bit.ly/1YcZP37 and http://bit.ly/22MPJq4. Basically, my classroom will look like a swanky cafe next year.

Anyway, my goal is to spend $0 of my own money, which means I have to be creative, think critically, collaborate, and communicate.

All I'm asking is this:

1. If you are getting rid of used, but suitable furniture (no strange smells etc.) such as coffee tables, chairs, couches, futons, bean bags, rugs, picture frames, armchairs etc. please think of donating (I think it's a write-off as we are non-profit).

2. If you know someone who is updating or have any other leads please let me know as well.

3. If you have anything you think might be suitable in your classroom and you don't want it let me know.

Thanks a lot- back to thoughts of beach, sunshine, and margaritas,

Oskar Cymerman

Keep Calm And Starbucks Your Classroom

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAm! Radio Network EdWords Blogger

I want to thank everyone who decided to join the “Starbucks My Classroom” Project and everyone who supports the idea. I am grateful for all the tips, words of encouragement, pictures, retweets, shares, and questions on Twitter and LinkedIn! You Rock!

If this is the first time you’re hearing about this project, check out my 2 previous posts: I’mma Starbucks My Classroom: My 21st Century Manifesto and “Starbucks My Classroom” Project: The Master Plan and join!

In this post, I hope provide encouragement of my own and answer some questions about the project. Some were direct, others posted to #StarbucksMyRoom. I’m diving right in.

Q: In our #StarbucksMyRoom quest, is it fine to model our rooms after already made rooms? Until we know more of what works?

A: Why not? “Beg, borrow, and steal” is what we’re taught in teacher prep. As long as it benefits the students and no one loses an eye - do it! It’s all up to you.

Q: What are some regulations to pay attention to?

A: Great question. I know that I have to pay attention to fire code. My school district employs a safety officer, so I’ll be in touch with him. Having said that, if I get a donation from a student’s family I’ll take it, store it in my room, and worry about it later. If you want to adopt a similar temporary policy make sure you talk to your custodians so they know what’s happening and that you might need help disposing of stuff later.

Q: I will have no problem collecting furniture, but I need help designing the room for my high school students.

A: Relax English teachers. I know it’s not theoretically a question, but it is a valid concern one teacher expressed and others may have. What can I say? My wife keeps telling me that I have no sense of style. She’s probably right. Will that stop me? Hell No! But, I will ask for help. My wife really does have an eye for these things so I’ll ask her for suggestions. I’ll ask colleagues. I’ll ask students. I’ll go to swanky cafes, look at pictures online, YouTube it, ask tweeps, Kayla Delzer, Google, maybe even the Nate guy from Oprah. And, I will be flexible to changing it up during the school year if better options come up. If I’m building a flexible seating classroom it only makes sense that I keep my mind flexible as well.

Q: I dreamed my parents were looking for friends on Craigslist. Thanks to @focus2achieve, I'm now trying to Starbucks my parents, too!

A: That is called commitment. Dude, that is weird. And that’s why it’s awesome! You know what’s up @Mister_Mathis! ‘Nuff said.

Q: I teach in a 1:1 school and minute they sit somewhere else some of them are on games because I can't see their screens.

A: What can I say? The struggle is real brother! I have 20 chromebooks so more like a 2:3 than 1:1 but still - students becoming distracted and playing slither.io (click the link at your own peril!) is always a possibility. One way to alleviate this concern is to “be with them” - walk around the room and engage students by asking questions about the project they’re working on and to give situational feedback. Another way is to build in deliberate breaks during which you allow students 5 minutes of gaming, social media, or whatever. The benefit in that is that students get to have a little “goof-off” time while their prefrontal cortexes gets a much needed break as those things get tired super fast.

Q: I'm excited to try this. First year teacher though, so I'm pretty nervous! May start small with just my "library?"

A: Yes! Please do. Small steps forward keep you moving forward. I don’t know if I’d have the courage my first year, so you’re way ahead of me. Not sure if your principal has a “walk-in” policy or not, but this might be something to run by your teacher induction mentor. And, if a suitable furniture piece happens to come along you decide :).

Q: I’m in! Can’t Wait! Great Idea!  

A: Those kinds of responses dominated, Thank you, thank you, thank you!

If you want to but are still hesitating lean on us, check out the #StarbucksMyRoom hashtag for ideas and inspiration, and remember that it will benefit your students and yourself. They will love it and so will you. The game will change for everyone involved. But you have to take the leap. Then a teeny tiny step toward your goal. Maybe tell your significant other and ask for support. Call someone you trust and tell them. They will be there for you. Build on it. Gain momentum. Ride it.

I have doubts too. Sometimes, a thought creeps in. What if I won’t be able? It’s real. It’s valid. It’s scary at times. Many things worth doing push us out of our comfort zone. But that’s how we grow. That’s how we level up. That’s how we change the world.

Remember the Excitement, the Curiosity, the Faith, and the Trust.

They Will Guide You.

They Will Help You.

They Are In You.

So Keep Calm And Starbucks Your Classroom.

Thanks for reading! Check me out on BAm! Sign Up for my Newsletter on the science of learning, teaching and learning strategies, and finding inspiration in the little things. And, you can always count on me to encourage others to ask questions, look for answers, and gulp (not sip) life.

Remember: You Have the Power to Change the World (and Starbucks Your Room). Use It Often!