This project was very personal to me as it is the teacher’s lounge in my kids’ middle school where I occasionally work as a substitute teacher. Not only have I seen firsthand how hard the staff at this very diverse Title I school work, but I also have developed friendships with many staff members. When the PTA brought up the idea of surprising the staff with a renovated teacher’s lounge for Teacher Appreciation Week, I immediately volunteered to do the job, as I already had design plans drafted.

The first task was relocating the boxes and supplies being stored there into actual storage rooms, followed by a deep clean. The biggest challenge was that the PTA had an extremely small budget for this project, so nearly all the furniture was donated or thrifted and I donated my time. The biggest joy was seeing the looks on the teacher’s faces when they came in for the first time–several shed tears of joy! Teachers report using the lounge much more frequently now, which is all the payment I need. They know that they now have a dedicated space to spend time outside of their classroom that was designed with them in mind!