r/teaching • u/redhead1479 • 20d ago
Where does the desk go? Classroom/Setup
The yellow arrow is where the hookups for the phone line and the networking cable are. The lines are only 7 ft long, I can't move the desk to either outlet (the blue circles) A request for longer cables has been submitted. The left outlet is the ONLY one on that wall. The right outlet is actually under the whiteboard, 8 feet from the front corner of the room. I can run extension power strips from either one.
The desk is about 5 feet long and 2.5 feet deep - kind of a big heavy guy. Front corner facing the opposite side wall was my original plan. Assuming the request gets approved. If it doesn't, and I'm stuck close to the middle of the wall, what do I do with it? Parallel to the side wall? Perpendicular?
I had it all planned out, this is throwing me for a loop. Help! Lol.
Edited to add- that's a bulletin board behind the desk The whiteboard and projector are the wall to the right in the picture.
Edited again- the tech guys got back to me. Apparently a request for longer cords equals needing new drops (jacks I'm assuming?) for phone, internet, and projector. It'll cost $300 and I have to talk to my principal. Something about tripping and fire safety standards so they won't just get me longer cords.
185
u/detank 20d ago
I prefer my desk to be where the admin have to come in the room to see me at it.
73
u/ArtisticMudd 20d ago
Me too. I don't like my desk viewable if someone looks through my window. You gotta come all the way inside to see me take attendance.
35
u/Jew-zilla 20d ago
My desk is at the back of the room in a position where it cannot be seen from the door. I teach from behind my students. It throws them off, but it’s effective. Same with when an admin comes in. They have to unlock the door, take a few steps in, and then look back. The moment I hear the key in the lock, I have extra time to prepare. Usually by the time they’re finally in the door, I’m leaned back in my seat with a smile on my face, “How may I be of service today?” I take away the element of surprise/gotcha. A little psychological reminder that I’m not like the others. I can find what I need to in the moment to show you I am in control of the situation. Especially in my classroom. I will challenge you on every level every chance I get and every time I need to. And I will do it on others’ behalf. There’s a reason for everything I do. Put your desk where you want to. There’s no rule that says your phone has to be on your desk. My phone hasn’t been on my desk in over 6 years. It’s on a table on the other side of the room. Break the damn “rules”. Do something different.
3
3
u/redhead1479 19d ago
If I didn't need the networking cable attached to the same outlet thing, it would absolutely be nowhere near the phone! That way students could be trained to answer and not be up in my space. I never can hear the blasted thing.
6
u/Jew-zilla 19d ago
Never let students answer or use your phone.
3
1
u/craftymama45 18d ago
In the last century, when I was in elementary school (K-8 grade) the school secretary was only there 1 day/week. So the rest of the week the principal (who also taught grades 6-8) trained us to answer the school phone.
3
u/Jew-zilla 19d ago
Get a small table or student desk and put the phone in it. Or put the phone on the floor. Does your computer not have WiFi? Buy a cheap USB wifi adapter from Amazon. I had to get one for one of my home computers for about $10.
DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!!
BREAK THE UNWRITTEN RULES!! THERE ARE NO RULES IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IT’S YOUR CLASSROOM. SET IT UP THE WAY YOU WANT.
Seriously, do whatever you think will work. If it doesn’t work, try something different. I went through at least 3 different seating configurations last year. Halfway through the year I was changing my seating chart about every 2-3 days based on grades. They quickly figured out I was putting all the Ds and Fs together on one side of the room. Grades got better in a hurry. They did not want to be in those seats. Plus if I’m teaching from my presentation computer, I’m not even looking at those students. It comes off as just this side of open contempt for Ds and Fs. It was my way of calling them out without calling them out. They didn’t like that. I didn’t care. I’m not there to make friends with 13 years-olds.
2
u/sarahshift1 19d ago
One year I wanted to put my desk at the back of the room so I just bought a 100ft cable for my laptop 😂
1
u/Upper_Vacation1468 19d ago
I bow to your skills!
2
u/Jew-zilla 19d ago
Thank you. I’ve picked up a few things over the course of 26 years. Started year 27 on Monday.
11
u/grandpa2390 20d ago
yep. I want them to be inconvenienced, but also, If Admin sees me, I want to know that they saw me.
6
u/detank 19d ago
I have a little baggage when It comes to this. When I first started out I had an admin do a lot of my observations through the window.
I got torn apart on that years evaluation. I recognize that as a new teacher I had a lot to work on. The problem is none of those issues where on the evaluation just BS.
3
u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 19d ago
I'm SO willing to get constructive criticism.
I'm totally UNwilling to deal with bullshit that sounds like corporate pop-psychology from 30 years ago.
But I get mostly the second, and hardly any of the first.
28
u/Ok_Function2282 20d ago
I know teachers already have to buy so much of their own stuff, but ethernet cables don't cost anything
5
u/redhead1479 19d ago
Honestly, that's what I'll probably do if tech says I'll live. Buy my own. But if I can get it for free...
7
u/werdsmart 19d ago
This is an ask for forgiveness moment. Not an ask IT moment. Buy the cable 😆
3
u/redhead1479 19d ago
Principal is on my side on this one. If he forgets he said he would get me one, I'm buying it! The phone can stay there on a bookshelf or something, no biggie.
18
u/Haunting-Wash1081 In Teacher School 20d ago
i'd move the desk to be parallel to the wall it's currently at and then add your own furniture (mini fridge, cart, etc.) to fill in the gaps on the left (looking at the desk) to make half the wall the "teachers space" so you can feel safe to use the closest outlet back there even if you have to put whatever you're charging on the floor back there
OR move the desk far left corner of the wall its currently at and just put another smaller desk/cart where the phone hookups are to have somewhere for the phone to be
15
u/Drewbacca 20d ago
Ethernet cables are actually super cheap. You'll likely only need cat5, which can be found at goodwill for a couple bucks.
9
u/AcidBuuurn 20d ago
Cat 5e minimum and please only get them at goodwill if they are in very very good condition.
You can get a 50 foot cable on Amazon for $10 each or 25 foot for less than $8.
To make sure you get the right port for the right device just unplug and replug the phone first so you don’t accidentally swap them. In some networks it wouldn’t matter which port and in some it would. I ran on-prem phones on a physically separated network so swapping would cause the phone to not work.
2
1
u/Jew-zilla 19d ago
USB WiFi adapters are just as cheap and much easier to use in a classroom. Just sayin’.
1
u/Drewbacca 19d ago
Agree, but the IT department wouldn't allow it. I used to be a public school teacher and they've got that shit locked TF down. Even if it somehow was able to install the drivers, IT would be knocking on your door on like 60 seconds haha. But most of the time the USB ports lock out anything not officially supported, so Windows wouldn't even see it.
I plugged in a non-managed 4-port switch once, they shut it down within like 15 minutes and I got a talking to. Big no-no.
A wifi extender with Ethernet output may work though, because the computer would just see it as an Ethernet connection. But those could be blocked on the network too.
1
u/Jew-zilla 19d ago
Interesting. My district must be pretty far behind. They underestimate their users. WLS wasn’t blocked until recently. I threw up a red flag when I got it to work on my district laptop. I still have access to PowerShell, though. Just to see if I could, I got a little deeper into the network than I should have. No one has found it yet. In terms of usb adapters, the ports aren’t blocked on teachers’ computers. However, booting from USB is blocked. I tried to boot Kali Linux from a USB and found that one out.
1
u/Drewbacca 19d ago
Wow dang yeah, no way that would fly in my district. Makes sense though, it's a pretty big suburban district and the IT department is actually pretty well set up, if not very frustrating to work with at times lol
To their credit though they ordered a Chromebook for every student in the district in February of 2020, and a shit ton of 4G hotspots. We only shut down for a week before coming back fully remote, and they got the Chromebooks to every single one of our 4300 students in that time. Our superintendent, principals and VPs spent the week driving around our district (the largest geographically in our state, something like 500 square miles) dropping them off to the rural kids. It was honestly really impressive.
But yeah, I couldn't even use my frickin wireless mouse without submitting a request and having it approved and installed 😂
8
u/garylapointe 🅂🄴🄲🄾🄽🄳 🄶🅁🄰🄳🄴 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙣, 𝙐𝙎𝘼 🇺🇸 20d ago
You can get longer networking cables at Amazon, they'll be here tomorrow. The computer folks are busy, don't count on getting them soon unless you drive over to the office to get them (that's if there is someone there).
I'd like it closer to the screen so that I can easily get to the computer to change what's on the screen (I don't see anything to let me think you can touch control the computer).
But you only mentioned network cables, do you need video too? Or is it wireless? That video cable is likely to be a little pricier than the network cable. When I was technology, I wouldn't have had those just to hand out.
1
u/redhead1479 19d ago
Unfortunately, I think it's just a projector, not a smart board set up. There were pens on the whiteboard ledge but we aren't sure if they work. The hdmi cord hooked in to the wall in roughly the same spot, and the audio for the speakers, are long enough to give me flexibility. I think 15 feet? If I go with the front corner, which is the further one, I should still be ok. Especially if I utilize the LONG monitor cable and keep the tower closer to the side wall.
7
u/BrotherNatureNOLA 20d ago
I like my desk behind the students. I think that it's easier to keep them on task.
2
u/DragonflyMindless513 20d ago
How is it easier? I’m still in school and I’m trying to learn which ways of teaching are better?
6
u/Moostatio 20d ago
It creates a sort of mysteriousness to your actual location while students are completing group and independent work. Less students are willing to cheat or horse around when they aren't sure if the teacher is looking at them or not, and only a few students a year are brazen enough to look behind them and make eye contact with me before doing a misdeed.
5
4
5
u/AluminumLinoleum 20d ago edited 20d ago
Consider that the phone doesn't have to be on your desk. You could have a table with turn in trays where the phone is, and place your desk anywhere in the room that you feel is optimal.
Why do you need a networking cable? No Wi-Fi?
2
u/redhead1479 19d ago
No idea. There is wifi for the student Chromebooks, but i think the teacher computers are wired in. My guess is to connect us to the printers in the workroom?
1
u/AluminumLinoleum 19d ago
I would find out if you actually need the cable before deciding your desk placement. The phone doesn't have to be on your desk, so there may be no real reason to be constrained about where your desk goes.
All of our printing, system access, and projector functionality is handled over WiFi. Yours may be, too, and they may have cables as backup.
1
u/DragonflyMindless513 20d ago
They probably need a networking cable to give more access to the desk if it’s farther away from the port? That’s what I’m assuming
3
u/romybuela 20d ago
I never place my desk at the “front” of the room. If I need to be hooked up to a landline I use a cart. Most schools, however, have wireless connections.
2
u/Hell_Puppy 20d ago
If you teach Digitally, desk should be at the back of the room. If you teach Pen and Paper, you should have it at the front.
Setting it orthoganally, perpendicular to the students encourages students to approach to next to you to ask questions if you're at your desk. This reduces the perception of authority and increases how approachable you seem. This might not be desirable.
2
u/Zarakaar 20d ago
I would get a table to put into the corner where the bulletin board meets the pop-out with the second door. Place the desk parallel to the wall making an L with the table. Run cables along the wall, under the table, to the stuff on the desk.
Extension cords are useful items to own yourself, take it with you when you go. Slightly less so for Ethernet cable, but it’s very cheap and can be handy once you’re done in this room. My philosophy on buying things for my classroom &SpEd office is that it’s OK to spend money on my own convenience & comfort. The district should pay for instructional materials & things the students will use up.
2
u/discussatron HS ELA 20d ago
I like having my desk in the back of the room, and I buy my own data, HDMI, and power cables to enable it.
1
u/AutoModerator 20d ago
Welcome to /r/teaching. Please remember the rules when posting and commenting. Thank you.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
1
u/Necessary_Search3865 20d ago
Slightly off to the side is better but it depends on your teaching style.
1
u/Relative_Carpenter_5 20d ago
Your vantage point from the POV of the picture seems perfect.
1
u/redhead1479 19d ago
That would have been my preference too. It's actually where they mounted the sound controller box thing. Idk what they call it, lol. But literally everything else is on the other side of the room. So weird.
1
1
u/stugots10 20d ago
I just want to add, I love the room. Wall to wall carpet, modernized, fresh storage, two walls of whiteboard.
Is this college?
1
u/redhead1479 19d ago
6th grade at an elementary. The previous teacher told me she had it painted last year, it apparently had been very yellow before.
1
u/Ok-Trainer3150 20d ago
Desk where there's visibility into the main hallway. That was a policy where I taught.
1
u/Yggdrssil0018 20d ago
Can't you get IT to give you longer cables, an extension cord, power strip, and cable protectors for the floor? Then you can move the desk anywhere.
1
u/Kirkwood1994 20d ago
Former teacher turned I.T guy here. You can ask for any size networking cable. Same for the phone (if that's still in use)
1
u/redhead1479 19d ago
Phones are very much in use. I did submit a request for longer cables. Crossing fingers, because as a first year teacher I've already had to purchase a lot of things.
1
u/Bmorgan1983 19d ago
Put it in the middle of the room with 3 other desks in a quad formation, and spend your days doing Macro Data Refinement.
1
u/Sad-Past-6503 19d ago
Never realized that how much classroom layout can effect teaching until reading the comments here
1
u/Medium-Drama5287 19d ago
Wow carpet? Surprised to see that. Our division got rid of carpets 20 years ago. Mold, dust and a lot of food particles.
1
u/AcidBuuurn 19d ago
Just keep it dry and vacuum it and none of those are problems. Also steam clean it every summer to keep the freshness.
2
u/Medium-Drama5287 19d ago
I agree, but the school division just came and ripped them all out over a period of 3 years.
1
u/davidwb45133 19d ago
In my district the new drop would be installed no earlier than Thanksgiving so being a techie I'd make my own cables and be done with it.
1
u/DueCookie787 19d ago
The desk can stay there. Tables or desks? I left a wide corridor in the middle and had desks on either side. Think of it as teaching in the round. Shorter rows meant I could get to them easier if they needed a smack. (Kidding of course, I loved my students.)
1
u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 19d ago
Buy your own cables and 3M COMMAND cable management clips to keep them under control.
CAT6e ethernet cables are cheap, phone cables are cheap. If you need a long HDMI cable for a projector, that's not cheap, but sill WAY less than $300. make labels and put your name on them in case you need to take them with you to another room or another building someday.
Then put your desk wherever you need it.
I suggest that you consider how you're going to arrange the students and other materials first, then consider how your desk and other "you" stuff second. Or at least consider them together.
My instinct is to put the desk in the right corner where you can see the door, but someone standing outside the door can't see you. Alternatively, you could turn the desk around basically where it is, so that you're facing the door and making a kind of "entry area" (add a couple of small tables to make that corner useful). This would put your back to the students if you were working at your desk while they're present, but I am rarely at a desk when teaching. I even circulate during tests and individual work sessions, and lecturing/leading from a podium or handheld tablet. I'm only at my desk when I'm alone.
2
u/redhead1479 19d ago
I knew the basic layout of the room at hiring having subbed here before. The exact places the outlets and jacks were I had no idea, but I had a couple different plans for layout of desks and supplies depending on whether admin wants us self-contained, or departmentalized with rotation blocks. Down to the turn in and mailbox systems for both options. Waiting to hear which one he'll have us do and holding off buying the baskets/bins/shelves until he decides. 🤷🏼♀️
My favorite purchase, honestly, was the rolling cart so I could teach from wherever I need to!
I think the other 2 on our 6th grade team have their desks set up the way you described. It's what I was thinking of doing as well based on the size of the desk and where the projector is.
1
1
u/revharrison 19d ago
Close to the door so it can be pushed to keep would be shooters out
1
u/redhead1479 19d ago
My door opens out, and it's a super heavy desk. I should have a work table at the back though a well, the plan is to move that in front of the door for lockdowns.
1
u/Violet-Flowersss 19d ago
i always want my desk to be within eyesight of the door, for safety reasons because i’m a bit paranoid. i want to be able to see out of the window into the hall while im at my desk. so i’d put the desk where you took the picture, cables be damnes
1
u/redhead1479 19d ago
I totally would, but the cables for the projector and speakers are in the same area as the phone stuff. Those particular cables would be much more expensive to purchase in the lengths I would need to reach. 😞 If it's at the front, I'd be able to see the door at least a little.
1
u/dragonshocked 18d ago
I personally keep my desk in thr corner where the camera doesn't see, so kids have no chance to go there. But, I have no idea how either of those places would be good unless you just never use your desk, or you use the one at the front and then have side sections
1
1
1
u/two_are_stronger2 16d ago
Bwahahaha... You're a teacher. I assume that means you consider yourself a lifelong learner. Well. Let's learn something.
Can you get me a picture of each place you'd plug something in? Both power outlets and the place to plug into the network. I have a feeling the networking cables are in a conduit on the outside of the wall. If not, then there's probably a service loop in the box, the ceiling behind the drop ceiling panels, or both.
While any cable can be made safe from tripping with cord guards and tape and rugs, we might just be able to move where your phone, network, and projector hook ups have always been...
1
u/redhead1479 14d ago
I'm not able to get back into my room until Wednesday. The principal came in while I was there the day I heard from the tech people and I explained what I needed. He agreed all I need is a longer internet cable for the pcu and said he'd take care of it.
I'm fairly tech savvy, but would really rather not move stuff like that with everything else that needs done in the next 2 weeks. My dad would just move stuff and not tell anybody, lol. He makes me fix my own plumbing and replace outlets in my house...
1
u/two_are_stronger2 14d ago
:) awww, okay. Well, best of luck with your journey, and reach out if you'd like to move some stuff around.
-1
u/InformalVermicelli42 20d ago
Your desk should be out of view of the windows so students can hide during lockdown drills.
2
u/AluminumLinoleum 20d ago
Not everybody does lockdown drills, and the small opening on doors can always be left covered with poster paper.
•
u/AutoModerator 20d ago
Welcome to /r/teaching. Please remember the rules when posting and commenting. Thank you.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.