#OA Thankful: New Teachers Lounges
Finally, our beloved : new vibrant and comfortable teachers lounges at both campuses. The OCC used $13K to update both lounges in 2019 and teachers are thrilled to finally have pleasant and private spaces for meetings, casual conversations, and lunch breaks!
The old lounges were bleak, cluttered and uncomfortable. So teachers Mike Benson, Ana Lopez and others approached the OCC about updating the lounges to give teachers a place in which to rest, restore, convene and collaborate! Next we gathered feedback and design ideas (including design advice from Annie Elliott of Bossy Color and former OA parent) and OCC Chair Andrea Egan did her MAGIC. She had the vision, sourced budget-friendly but wonderful pieces, oversaw the contractors and managed deliveries. Thank you Andrea!
Amanda Ripley, former OA parent, author of the bestselling book “The Smartest Kids in the World,” says that “teacher collaboration is the secret sauce in the smartest countries in the world, but teachers need the time and space to make the magic happen.” In Nordic countries, she says, teacher lounges are lively, pleasant, well-used spaces. American lounges are too often empty and depressing. Collaboration and career fulfillment increase when teachers have a place to gather and organically share ideas and problem solve during planning and lunch periods.
