The Globe and Mail
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Sarah Wallace, Jacob Dubé
Teachers across Canada are sharing their creative approaches to decorating their classrooms for the new school year, aiming to make spaces that are welcoming and engaging for students. Ashley Campobasso in Aurora, Ontario, is setting up a Grade 5/6 classroom with flexible seating, plants, and an intentional focus on student creativity through open wall space for artwork. Marcus Kingston in Halifax has created a retro-themed “Rec Room” filled with vintage decor from the fifties to nineties, aiming to connect Gen Z students with analog life and simpler times. Josephine Spitale in Whitby emphasizes inclusivity by ensuring her Grade 6 classroom reflects diversity visibly through materials and decorations that represent various cultures and backgrounds.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
As kids say goodbye to summer and return to their classrooms, we asked teachers to share how they decorated their spaces and how they expect them to change over the school year.
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them → say → year
From a fashionable class goose, to a Paris getaway, to a vintage rec room, here are their responses, and how they’re still leaving space for student creativity.
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they → leave → creativity
This September I’m starting at a new school teaching a Grade 5/6 split.
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I → start → split
When I first saw my classroom, I loved the huge windows, high ceilings and all of the character that comes with an older school.
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that → see → school
I wanted the room to feel welcoming and comfortable, but still like a classroom for 10 and 11 year olds.
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room → want → olds
I added plants, flexible seating, a book nook and some simple systems to help keep us organized.
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us → add → plants
I also made a conscious decision not to fill every wall before the students arrived.
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students → make → wall
I really want the classroom to grow with my students.
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classroom → want → students
The empty spaces will eventually be filled with their artwork, our anchor charts, things we are learning and pieces of our classroom community.
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we → fill → community
I don’t think a classroom needs to be completely finished on the first day.
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classroom → think → day
I have definitely spent some of my own money getting it ready, especially because I was moving into a new grade and a new school, but I tried to use what was already in the room wherever I could.
uncertain
I → spend → room
Right now it feels ready for them, but I think it will feel much more like our classroom once the kids are actually in it.
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kids → feel → it
Marcus Kingston, Halifax
I’m a teacher that loves anything vintage or old-school.
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that → ’m → anything
When I went through school myself in the nineties, I remember colourful classrooms filled with character, charm and decorations made with love.
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I → go → love
When I became a teacher, I wanted to bring back the joy I experienced as a student.
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I → become → student
I call my space the “Rec Room” as it’s a blend of everything from the fifties to the nineties and it’s conveniently located in the basement.
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it → call → basement
It didn’t take too long to put together, but all of my signs are handmade and everything in the room is thrifted or second-hand.
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everything → take → room
My Gen Z students are so far removed from analog life, analog technology and a simpler time, so I wanted to strip away as much of modern life as I could.
uncertain
I → remove → life
It’s crazy how they react to a space that looks like it could have been their great grandparents’ basement.
uncertain
it → ’ → space
It’s complete with a TV cart, record player and vinyls, a Blockbuster full of classic VHS tapes and loads of vintage maps, board games, globes and school supplies.
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It → ’ → maps
It’s my little vintage oasis in a fast-paced modern world!
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It → ’ → world
I’m teaching Grade 6 this year, and am really passionate about students being able to see themselves in their classroom.
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students → teach → classroom
I don’t just want to teach students about diversity, I want diversity to be something they actually see and experience around them every day.
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they → want → them
I was an ESL student myself, so I know what it can feel like to be in a classroom and not quite feel like you are part of it.
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you → know → it
I want my classroom to be a place where every student feels comfortable, included and like they belong.
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they → want → ?
Goosie is our class mascot, and I change its outfits throughout the year to match the seasons, holidays and special events.
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I → change → seasons
In the spring, the students will even get to design their own outfit for Goosie.
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students → get → Goosie
Goosie was introduced at the beginning of the school year, and the students already love seeing little messages from Goosie pop up around the classroom.
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messages → introduce → classroom
I think it adds a little bit of magic to their day and gives them something fun to look forward to.
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it → think → something
Oh, and they will even write a “where did Goosie go?” mystery story – so much fun.
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Goosie → write → fun
I’m also passionate about reading, so I’m constantly working on expanding our classroom library.
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I → ’m → library
I love fun rewards, too, but I try to make them about kindness and being a good human, rather than only about academic achievement.
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them → love → achievement
For me, the classroom is never really “finished.”
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classroom → finish → me
I want it to grow and change with the students throughout the year so that, by the end, it feels like something we created together, rather than something I simply created for them.
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I → want → them
Vicki Sheaves, Newfoundland and Labrador
I’m currently teaching core French for Grades 4 and 5.
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I → teach → Grades
I chose a Paris theme because I wanted my students to feel transported the moment they walked in.
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they → choose → theme
For the 40 minutes a day they’re in my classroom, they’re surrounded by the Eiffel Tower and iconic French landmarks, immersed in a true French ambiance.
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they → ’re → ambiance
My hope is that this environment naturally encourages them to speak and embrace the language.
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environment → encourage → language
It wasn’t cheap and it does take time to set up before school starts.
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school → take → time
The cost doesn’t matter because for me it’s kinda like my home away from home and I want my all 140 of my kids to be happy and know they are in a safe and positive learning space.
When my students come in every year, I get them to count all the hidden Eiffel towers.
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them → matter → towers
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
