Tomlin, D. (n.d.). The Importance of Classroom Structure.

In a piece from DruTomlin…Don’t let anyone fool you. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. To create an “inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive” environment for students, desks matter. I know this fact firsthand, because one day at school could have gone very badly if it weren’t for the desk arrangement in my classroom. In fact, one singular moment for me and an eighth grader named Tim could have gone horribly wrong if I had chosen a different way to set up my desks. The head counselor had warned me about Tim the day before he arrived. It was already the middle of the first week of school when she told me, “Now, Dru, Tim is a strong-willed student and he may be a little tough, but I’ve gotten good reports from the reform school.” She slid a plain, one-inch manila folder my way, and it was filled with white, yellow, pink and blue papers of various sizes. Read more.