Principal Saunders, Tear Down That Wall!

**Disclaimer: The very clever, very funny, CHO of Convex Consulting, Claire Mooney, thought up this marvelous headline, giving credit where credit is due**

Convex Consulting had the pleasure of working with teachers from Baker-Butler Elementary School to think of creative ways BBES can incorporate our speciality, design thinking, into their classrooms everyday. We had the pleasure of working with third-grade teacher Sarah Fagan. Sarah came to us with a great idea looking for some guidance and vision, and after 90 minutes, endless post-it notes, and taking on the mindset of 9-year-olds the four of us made some pretty exciting breakthroughs.

When Sarah walked up to us and told us her goal, Nick, Claire, and I all tilted our heads half in confusion, and half in intrigue. Sarah casually explained how she's hoping to tear down a cinderblock wall in Baker-Butler Elementary School to turn two classrooms into one. Her excitement was palpable and after a few seconds of explanation, we were excited that fate paired us up that day. We took to the wall with bright colored pens and post-its, and the rest is (soon to be) history.

Sarah, and her fellow third-grade teacher, Lindsey, want to combine their classrooms, classes, and teaching for the 2017-2018 school year. The two teachers hope to have more opportunities to implement design thinking with more space and more creative minds coming together on a daily basis. Even for her 9-year-old students, Sarah thinks long-term. She explained to us the importance of getting kids used to developing unique solutions to problems through group work at a young age. Sarah pointed out, "There aren't many jobs where people work alone all day, and I want my kids to be ready for the real world when they get there."

We took that concept and ran with it. Granted, some a little more literally than others. I won't name names (*cough cough* Nick Rupert *cough cough*) but the some members of the firm even went as far as drawing inspiration from the idea of small children dressed in business suits. What started out as an idea as simple as turning two spaces into one became an elaborate design after working through Sarah's needs and ideas.

In collaboration, we came up with a few ideas. First, BBES would still tear down the wall, but only part of it. Rather than turning the entire space into one large room, we envisioned a space that flows more easily, but still has the clear boundaries that some young students need. One side will be the creative hub of all of Charlottesville. With desks inspired by the UVA Architecture School drafting stations, this entire half of the large space will be designed for collaboration and sharing ideas. There will be "makers stations" with craft materials, technology, and space to store as well as display projects throughout the room.

The other half of the space will serve as a more calm, relaxing area. Sarah really wanted more variety in seating and furniture, this side of the room will involve comfortable couches, and pillows to enjoy reading, and calmly discussing new ideas. In third grade, some students struggle with understanding how the same space can host rowdy indoor recess one moment, then be a space for quiet thinking the next. In talking with Sarah, the firm decided that the two spaces could serve as a helpful physical cue to make the concepts of energetic and calm more concrete.

By the end of our session, all four of us were excited for the school year to come. Sarah gathered her co-workers and Principal Saunders to pitch the many ideas we developed and placed on the wall. We loved working with Sarah and hope to visit BBES next year to see how design thinking has changed her life as a teacher and her student's lives forever!