Students, teachers adjust to mobile classrooms
October 20, 2016
The new building rises like a shining testament to months of dusty construction, and it’s easy to forget that there is still much work to be done. Next project: revamping M Building and consequently, the relocation of the resulting displaced classes to mobile classrooms. In the near future, many classes currently held in M will sacrifice space and convenience of location for the betterment of M building.
Mr. Jurasas, history teacher extraordinaire and current resident of M building, is one of the teachers who will have to make the move. Walking into Mr. J’s classroom, I am struck by the barrenness of the walls, stripped of the usually colorful world flags decor. A lonely teddy bear sits in a Chinese hat atop a file cabinet, evidently one of the few survivors of anticipatory packing.
When asked to predict the greatest challenges of moving to a mobile classroom, Mr. J acknowledges that it is difficult to decide what to bring along and what to pack away, especially after inhabiting one classroom for many years. As he puts it, there’s only room for the “bare necessities.” A colorful Simpsons poster leaning against the wall is identified as among the select “necessities” Mr. J will be bringing to the mobile classroom.
Additionally, Mr. J cites space as a potential challenge. For example, his thirty student CWI class, which fits quite comfortably in the current classroom, will inevitably be packed sardine-style into the smaller space of a mobile classroom. Also addressed is the challenge of winter in the Chicago suburbs and the struggles of traipsing outside in order to reach the mobile classrooms, which Mr. J reassures is, “…not the end of the world, just another thing to deal with.”
And who knows? Along with the struggles that the mobile classrooms will inevitably bring, there may be some unforeseen benefits. A change of scenery and break from the mundane may excite rather than irritate students. After all, Mr. J identifies his classes as collegial, and asserts that “everybody gets along pretty well,” so at least we don’t have to worry about cabin fever.
