Doors

You can find doors in most buildings.  We have hundreds of doors in our school, both exterior and interior.  You have several doors in your home. Your vehicle has doors.  Office buildings have doors.  Did you ever stop and think about the purposes of doors?  Yep, I didn’t think so.  I’ll do it for you.  The first purpose of a door is that it gives identity.  People may even identify you with the color or design of your front door to your home.  Think about that – haven’t you said softly something like this, “I never would have used that color.”  Another purpose of doors is that they give access.  When unlocked, doors provide entry in to the building.  A third purpose of doors is that they give security.  Doors help keep the things within the building safe as well as keeping the bad stuff out.  The last purpose of doors is to divide.  If you don’t have the key or the business is closed, you are simply on the outside looking in.  At that point you wonder which side of the door you should be on.

How do students see the door to your classroom?  Just beyond the door is your classroom.  How do students see your classroom?  Is it a welcoming place or is it a sterile environment where they may not feel welcome?  What is your identity as associated with your classroom?  Is  your classroom functional or an educational disaster?  How about the type of access that is provided?  Do kids have access to many resources including the greatest resource – You!  Can they move about or are they conceptually tied to their desks?  What about security?  Do you provide a safe place for them?  Not in terms of protection against fires and intruders, but a classroom where they are free to ask questions without being made to feel like a fool.  Are they safe to explore on their own and to do some individual projects?  What about division?  Is your classroom open to ALL of the students.  Better yet, are YOU open to ALL of your students?  Do they know that you care about them and really want them to succeed.  Remember that it really doesn’t matter if you like all of the kids under your direction. It does matter if you love them.  Kids need to feel somewhat like a door in your classes – they need to have their identity, they need to have access to much, they need to feel secure, and they need to know that they are on the right side of the door and not on the outside looking in.