Teacher Sanctuary
Providing a place of peace and calm
What if we ENABLED TEACHER SUCCESS by providing them OPPORTUNITY AND SPACE to recharge and refuel?
What if we made it easier for teachers to stay MENTALLY BALANCED AND PHYSICALLY HEALTHY by injecting peace and calm into their chaotic day?
What if we demonstrated our appreciation for TEACHERS’ LEADERSHIP ROLE in the development of our children by providing teachers with additional SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
This is precisely what teachers, staff, and administrators at Bruce Vento Elementary school set out to do in collaboration with University of Minnesota Extension’s Children, Youth & Family Consortium (CYFC).
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Aside from the building itself, teachers are probably the most visible school resource. And of course, they have significant impact on student achievement. The challenges teachers face daily are substantial, especially in a school like Bruce Vento Elementary, which has a high percentage of low-income families and budget constraints that limit access to resources that meet students' needs.
Teachers need a break periodically to recharge and refuel for their important job of leading the development of our most precious asset: our children.
Design and Development
In 2016 a longstanding vision to create a sanctuary space for teachers and staff at Bruce Vento Elementary school came to life. The planning team, consisting of administrators and employees at Bruce Vento along with CYFC staff, wanted to create a space that served a similar purpose to the calming room at the school, but with all the amenities that teachers, paraprofessionals and other support staff might need during the day.
The first step in the design process was to engage teachers to understand their wants and needs. They shared their perspectives in face-to-face conversations, in an online survey, and in an informal focus group conducted in the teachers’ lounge space they were using at the time. The team learned that many teachers simply did not use the current lounge — the environment was unappealing and the amenities, like the sink and cupboards, were not functioning properly. The lounge also lacked a sense of permanence with frequent changes in physical location.
The teachers’ needs drove the strategy and execution for the new lounge. Three guiding principles paved the way for transformation:
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Start small; add more later.
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Build for multiple uses: community, relaxation, eating and refueling.
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Accommodate both teachers and teaching support staff.
Implementation
Key milestones underscored the execution process, but the process itself was nonlinear and fluid, allowing the team to pivot as new opportunities arose. And they did arise — often, as the community came together to create something meaningful for the teachers of Bruce Vento.
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The entire project unfolded over one year, with construction intentionally scheduled during the summer break. Upon return to school in the fall, the teachers were surprised and delighted to learn at a launch event about the new space created expressly for them.
Naturally, the design of the space was key to execution. The planning team engaged Abimbola Asojo, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota College of Design, who worked previously on designing the calming room and other transformational spaces at Bruce Vento. Asojo was joined by two students from the University of Minnesota Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program to design the sanctuary space. The design group took several considerations into account:
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Infusing natural light through lamps.
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Creating distinct spaces with partitions.
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Adding a communal table to facilitate communications.
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Maintaining computers in the room for staff needs.
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Creating ample space for meal prep and easy clean up.
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Improving overall appeal with colored walls and few, but high impact design touches.
By collaborating with the design school, students were able to put what they learned about culturally sensitive design theory into practice.
“The University is a leader in global learning,” Asojo said. “University students who have worked on these projects [like the Bruce Vento teacher sanctuary] are learning about culturally sensitive design. The more we reinforce that through curriculum, the more successful we can be. Students are able to gain disciplinary knowledge while achieving civic and community consciousness and cultural competency.”
The proposal to create a lovely, inviting space for teachers could not have materialized without the generous contribution of the furniture and home décor retailer, Room and Board, whose staff were inspired by the project and its purpose. The company’s donation of furnishings allowed the design team to deliver on the teachers’ request for a space that served as both a kitchen and a living room.
The Bruce Vento Teacher Sanctuary Proposed Design
“Build staff community.”
“I would love to see nature inspired colors and themes.”
“Relaxing lighting, comfortable seating, food preparation [space],[piped-in] music, wall decorations, [a] staff kudos board, places for information to share with staff. So much opportunity!”
“A place with an alarm clock to lay down and rest during class prep, or when exhausted”
Lessons Learned
When it came to the redesign of the former teachers’ lounge at Bruce Vento, the planning team believed it was critical to engage teachers and other staff so the design would align with their specific needs in their specific school context. The design of the teacher sanctuary was based upon an explicit understanding of users, including how teachers’ job duties and work environment influenced their wishes for a sanctuary space.
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The planning team consulted teachers and other staff throughout the design process to ensure that plans reflected their needs and wants. This user-centered approach allowed the team to deliver a space that met the functional, aesthetic, and environmental needs of teachers and staff. In addition, team members gained insights they would not have otherwise obtained had they not made the extra effort to connect with teachers.
Progress occurred at different rates during different periods over the year the sanctuary was conceptualized and developed. To maintain high levels of interest and engagement, communications were frequent and varied. The team wanted to convey to teachers and staff that, even during lull periods, their commitment to bring the project to completion had not diminished. Not only were communications frequent, they were also transparent — sharing status updates — large and small — every step of the way.
It was important to the planning team that they demonstrate tangible change to the teachers. The teachers didn’t need or want ultra-fancy; they simply wanted a functional, appealing space that they could utilize throughout the day. This required that the team remain flexible and open-minded as new opportunities presented themselves. For example, another school offered gently used cupboards and a sink to the Bruce Vento team. They jumped on the opportunity and adjusted their designs slightly to accommodate the new items at no cost.
Rather than forge entirely new relationships and build new partnerships, the planning team leveraged as many of the existing CYFC-Bruce Vento partners as possible to design and execute the project. Existing partners included Dr. Asojo from the U of M design school, graduate students, and maintenance management at the school. These individuals had contributed greatly to earlier CYFC-Bruce Vento projects. The result? They were ready to jump in quickly, apply their deep expertise, and make a far greater impact than a new team would have.
1. Apply the principles of user-centered design.
2. Communicate often.
3. Stay open-minded.
4. Leverage existing relationships.
The Research
Ben-Peretz, M., Schonmann, S., & Kupermintz, H. (1999). The teachers’ lounge and its role in improving learning environments in schools. In Freiberg, H. J. (Ed.), School climate: Measuring, improving, and sustaining health learning environments (pp. 148-164). Philadelphia, PA: Falmer Press.
Hydon S., Wong M., Langley A. K., Stein B. D., & Kataoka S. H. (2015). Preventing secondary traumatic stress in educators. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 24(2), 319-333.
Mawhinney, L. (2010). Let’s lunch and learn: Professional knowledge sharing in teachers’ lounges and other congregational spaces. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 972-978.
Shapiro, S. (2010). Revisiting the teachers' lounge: Reflections on emotional experience and teacher identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 616-621 .
Replace with what is here
The Outcome
Early feedback on the teacher sanctuary has been positive from teachers, staff, and administrators at the school.
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During the launch event, one teacher was so overwhelmed with emotion, she exclaimed, “This is for us? This is a sanctuary for us? No one ever does anything like this for teachers.”
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In the weeks following the launch, teachers have embraced their new space. Some teachers have stocked the cupboards with staple items, others have provided needed utensils, and one teacher donated a second coffee machine because one wasn’t enough for everyone’s use.
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There is no question that the new space is markedly different from the previous teachers’ lounge in design, layout, and overall environment. As with the other Bruce Vento initiatives, CYFC has conducted a study to evaluate the impact of the teacher sanctuary and measure its success against objectives.
Early feedback from the study has been positive, indicating that the outcome is in fact aligned with the initial project objectives. The teacher sanctuary, like all the initiatives undertaken at Bruce Vento Elementary School, will continue to evolve as users’ needs and circumstances change.
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“It's a welcoming, calm environment that provides some solace in the midst of a sometimes challenging day.
[The new space supports staff community-building because] “there’s more people, more connections, and higher morale.”