What should a classroom look like?  How should it be arranged?  And what belongs on the walls?  Is it the teacher’s responsibility, or should students have some say in creating the “learning environment” they like best?

Many educators today will give you one of two answers: The classroom either belongs to the students, or it should be about the students.  And so, modern classrooms are full of either the things students like: references to pop culture, what is trendy, what is entertaining; or they are full of things that focus on the students themselves: personal affirmations, examples of student work, inspirational quotes. 

The same is true for how classrooms are arranged: Centers or pods catering to student interests and setup to maximize fun; and couches, lounge chairs, and screens designed to make learning more comfortable, less demanding, more like leisure.

These choices are not neutral, nor are they arbitrary.  As G.K. Chesterton recognized, education always imparts a worldview to students.  Yet it often does so not by explicit, didactic instruction, but rather by “suggestion, implication, and atmosphere.”  The way you set up a classroom has profound implications for how and what students actually learn.

Classical education recognizes that children come into this world without knowledge or virtue.  They must learn those things from those who possess them.  And so, the teacher’s place is at the front of the room.  Students face the instructor as they sit at desks that facilitate the fundamentals of reading and writing.  The décor of the classroom is balanced and beautiful, designed not to stimulate the senses but to engage the heart and mind.  It turns the child’s thoughts not to himself or his favorite athlete or singer, but to the knowledge and virtue that his lessons impart.

Next time you visit a school, walk into the classroom, look at the walls, examine the setup.  Chances are it will tell you much more about what the children are learning than any syllabus or curriculum guide ever could.