Right after my job interview for an Elementary K-5 STEM teaching position and coach, I started to cry in my car by myself. I called my teacher-honey and I told him there is no way that I was going to get this job, I did horrible, and they were definitely not going to hire me. 

I had taken a half day from my current Elementary classroom position that I had for 6 years. I had a little bit of time left, and I went and got a pedicure to calm myself down before I went back to my classroom. I got to call the next day and found out that I did get the STEM position;  here I am a current K-5 STEM teacher and coach 

Not only had I gotten the position, but I also would be getting a brand new remodeled classroom and a handful supplies. I was so excited for this opportunity! However, I had no idea where to start with this brand new position,  brand new-to-me school district, and brand new room. 

Based on my experience,  here are some things that I wish someone had told me to do back then (I definitely had learned the hard way!) 

Let's dive in and set up your STEM space with success today. We're going to be talking about 3 major things that you should do in your  STEM space. Especially if you teach multiple grade levels, these are things that will help you set a foundation so you can be successful all year long. 

#1-Create a space that works for all grade-levels; learn the flow of the classroom

The first is to create a space that works for all grade levels. Learn the flow of your classroom and definitely see what works and what doesn't. You are definitely going to make some changes along the way based on how things work in your classroom and based on where the furniture is set up. This will take some time to find a system that works best for you. 

Of course you want to think about if you have multiple classes coming to see you throughout the day, have a designated space for classes to line up before entering your classroom. This is extremely helpful and important because [if you again see multiple classes],  you will have an overlap of classes at times. Sometimes a class might be early, sometimes you might be a little bit late, sometimes the other teacher might be late picking them up. You definitely want to have that designated space for classes to wait until they are ready to enter the room.

Once they are ready to enter the room, think about where they are going to go when they enter your classroom. A lot of teachers like to have students sitting at their tables, but I actually don't recommend doing this. I have students enter my classroom, K-5

in our group meeting area and in this area. This is where our TV, our whiteboard and any other supplies and materials that students will need to be successful for the lesson directions. All of that is in the designated location. As students come into the room, the come and sit in the big open space. You could definitely, based on your classroom, have a large carpet, sit spots, or numbers for kids to sit. It is extremely helpful to get all the kids together and ready and excited for the lesson. 

If you have them spread out along the room at the tables you might have supplies that they're distracted by. They might be very far away. They might be more more focused on who they're sitting next to! Having them in that group meeting area can really be impactful for every single lesson that you teach throughout the year.

Also when you're thinking about the flow of your classroom, think about where the materials are going to be stored and have those accessible at kid-height. The more you can make kids' materials at their level and ways that they can access them on their own, this will definitely give them that independence and grab what they need to be successful. 

When you have your materials stored in the classroom, I highly recommend labeling your materials with words and pictures. This is helpful for all learners, and even us teachers so you will know where the supplies go when you find them on the floor. 

Also when you have the flow of the classroom, have a designated location for students to line up at the end of class. This should be a place where it's easy for them to get to, there aren't extra supplies that are around to distract them, or other students projects. That way, they will be ready for the other teacher who is ready to pick them up for the day. 

Really think about this flow that will work all year long for all grade levels. This will help set up the systems and routines (which we'll talk about in a little bit) that can be built on year after year.

#2 Build a community that promotes growth mindset

The second thing that I wish someone had told me when I was getting started is really focus on building a community with your students and promote Growth Mindset.

A big misconception that I had coming into this STEM space is that all kids are excited to be creative and build things wouldn't you want to do that as a kid. Well I found out quickly enough that this isn't always the case; a lot of students were actually scared of trying new things! They wanted to know exactly what the project was going to look like, and they were more shy about showing their creativity.

Promoting a growth mindset in your classroom is definitely going to take time and something to continue to build throughout the years. I don't necessarily teach a specific growth mindset lesson. I know a lot of classroom teachers like to do that, but in the STEM space, your time definitely is limited [with kids]. I like to promote growth mindset as it comes up in the classroom.

Sometimes, I'll even write a positive note for students to take home to share with their class and to share with their families. Some of the growth mindset sayings that I will say over and over again that are hanging up in my classroom are:

“We can do hard things.” Often I will hear kids say, “This is too hard! This is impossible! I can't do it!” Then I go back and give them a high-five and say, “Yup!It is hard! We can do hard things! That is why you're here and I am definitely doing my job! You are doing a great job of what you're working on!” 

I also really like to promote, “We are creators with technology not just consumers” and “We practice to make us better.” (Not perfect because perfect doesn't exist!) 

These are growth mindset things that I like to say over and over in our classroom. When it's being demonstrated by students, I will pause the class and shout it out to them and really help that encouragement and build that classroom community over the years. and this is.

You can find these and the 8 growth mindset sayings I use in my classroom here: naomimeredith.com/tptgrowthmindset

#3 Create systems & routines that can be used all year long, for all grade levels and lesson types 

The third thing that you'll want to do when setting up your classroom is to create systems and routines that can be used all year long. This is for all your grade levels and lesson types; specific materials and lessons will have their own systems. A lot of these are going to overlap with learning the classroom flow. These are those systems and routines that you're definitely going to need. Build that classroom management now!

If you are a classroom teacher before, (like I was), all of your Back to School prep when it comes to classroom management still applies. You're just teaching it in chunks and what is manageable for multiple grade levels. You definitely don't want to skip this step! 

It will take time to learn your classroom, but the systems and routines will help you create a climate and culture that students can thrive in year after year.

Here are some things to think about the routines in your classroom. These aren't a full list of things, but a lot of these same systems and routines mirror what you would do in the regular classroom. 

Think about: 

-how students are going to enter to the room

-where and how they're going to gather supplies

-how are they going to use classroom furniture (Some classrooms might even have flexible seating. Definitely model how to use that furniture and where students are going to sit) 

-what are the routines for how students need to ask for help for projects

 -what are some signals to get the class attention (You want to probably keep consistent for all of your classes and have a few tricks that you add in throughout the year because it does get loud, pretty quick. It is controlled chaos but there are times you definitely need to get the classes attention when you're in the middle of a project!) 

Recap

So again, we talked about things that are going to help you be successful and set up that foundation throughout the year. Here's our recap of those 3 major things to plan and think about before diving into that content: create a space that works for all grade levels, build a community that promotes growth mindset, and create systems and routines that can be used all year long for all grade levels and lesson types.