Teacher based classrooms

Today we began teacher based classrooms at Al Hayer Boys School and so far it's all going pretty smoothly. In the past the boys have stayed in the one classroom for their core subjects. This classroom is like their home room, they stay in it all year and only move out during the day for breaks, science, ICT sport, art and music. The teachers come to the class and leaves at the end of each lesson. No subject teacher takes responsibility for the room, therefore there is no student work on the walls etc and the rooms look awful and bland.
Today we began teacher based classrooms where the teacher has responsibility for a room, teaches all their classes from that room, just like a NZ secondary school and the students move to them. The hope is that the teacher will then create a learning environment. If you are a maths teacher the room will be full of maths work, maths language etc. Early days but I think the students are really enjoying the flexibility they have and are fronting up to classes quite quickly.
However this idea of TBC did meet with some resistance from most of the staff who have never worked in a TBC environment. The students would be out wandering around in the open verandahs . It’s not as if they aren’t now! The students will have to carry their books with them. Like they cant manage, they don’t have any self management skills, the books are too heavy?
After quite a lot of consultation and much planning from Mike our behavior adviser, it all happened. Thursday was change over day, the students were to go home early, we were to have a staff meeting and then shift furniture and begin making the classroom their own environment. I’m lucky ICT has it's own room anyway, so we weren’t involved too much. Word got out early and the senior students didn’t even front up to school, and the students that did, left at 9:30. Surprisingly many of the staff then got in behind the change, laying carpets on the floor, bringing in group tables, re arranging desks into groups, etc etc before the staff meeting. The Emerati staff of course took the opportunity to leave early, not bothering to attend the staff meeting or shift furniture. Shift furniture!!!! Not likely.
And in some classrooms some things don't change. The students will still be sityting in rows, the walls will still be bland.....