Your Teacher Desk Is Holding You Back

One of the best decisions I made as an educator was to get rid of my desk.My pedagogy and my relationships with students were hugely impacted by this small change.As I think about the key shifts that educators must make in order to enact a learner centered and/or Montessori paradigm, I continue to see how getting rid of the teachers desk is a requirement.I haven’t had a teacher desk in many years, after getting rid of it early on in my career. It fundamentally changed how I interacted with students in my classroom, with clearly visible results to any observer.Yet, despite these clear upsides, there are still many who are attached to the prestige of the teacher desk: the shrine to the power of the all-knowing teacher.A more ideal environment allows for flexible work spaces for all. You can’t tell where the teacher will be working when students arrive, and that’s the point!Kelly Jonelis and I dig into teacher desks, power, trust, and learning to let go in this most recent episode. Enjoy!Breaking News for Breaking the Paradigm!I am so excited to announce that Kelly Jonelis is officially joining me as a Co-Host of Breaking the Paradigm! Kelly brings incredible insight, expertise, and wisdom to our conversations and I am grateful that we will continue our (many) conversations about education on this podcast!Breaking the Paradigm of Traditional Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a paid or free subscriber.Join The Enlightened Educator Project!The Enlightened Educator Project is on a mission to to develop mindful, reflective, and resilient educators to make education more humanizing and sustainable for all.If this resonates with you, we are looking for schools and individuals to join our cohort of educators who are building community and resilience together. Cohorts start in the Fall and Winter.Check out our website at www.EnlightenedEducatorProject.org and learn more about our school cohort model here!https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lE1Z3lQFkiZ9YZtPlvkSutdverMrBcz_/view?usp=sharing This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breakingtheparadigm.org/subscribe

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