If you are in charge of decorating the teachers’ lounge bulletin boards at your school, you know what a daunting task it can be. Not only will all eyes be on the board for an extended period of time during lunch breaks, but those eyes will belong to your peers and co-workers. So, how do you come up with a bulletin board that brightens the room while also creating a sense of community? Try some of the ideas below to get you started.
Teachers’ Lounge Bulletin Board Ideas
Baby Face
Get to know your co-workers in an unusual way with this baby face bulletin board idea. Ask teachers and staff to submit baby pictures of themselves to you. Cover the bulletin board in a baby print fabric and use cut-out construction paper rattles and pacifiers to line the edge of the board. Mount each baby picture on a piece of construction paper and randomly number them. Create a simple answer form and attach a file folder to the board to store the blank answer sheets in. Have co-workers guess who is who and submit their answers. The person with the most answers correct can win the Golden Rattle (a cheap, dollar store rattle spray painted gold) or other joke prize. It is a simple way to break the ice and get to see a different side of those with whom you work.
Collaborative Story
Let’s face it, bulletin boards in teachers’ lounges and staff rooms can be boring. This year, get your co-workers involved in creating a collaborative story on the lounge’s bulletin board. Cover the board with plain white paper, fabric or a white sheet. Cut up sentence strips in varying lengths. Begin the story by putting up a story starter phrase such as, “It was a quiet morning at Roberts Elementary School, when all of a sudden there was…” Include a small set of directions on, or next to, the board that explains that people should take turns adding a sentence, word or phrase to the story. Your co-workers will look forward to seeing what has been added and adding their own input.
Get Inspired
Sometimes all it takes is a dose of inspiration to make you remember why teaching is one of the most important jobs there is. Give your fellow teachers a boost with a bulletin board designed to inspire them. Start by covering the board in a bright, cheerful color fabric or paper. Type out inspirational quotes in large fonts, print and cut them out. Hang the quotes randomly on the bulletin board at different angles. Have blank cloud-like shapes next to the board in a folder and invite your co-workers to add their own favorite quotes to the bulletin board.
Designing interactive bulletin boards is not just for the classroom. Teachers’ lounges and staff break rooms are a great place to build a strong sense of community among co-workers. Have fun designing a board that will inspire and lift the spirits of those who see it.
What are some of your favorite lounge bulletin board ideas? Do teachers in your school share the responsibility of decorating the break room displays?
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