Anyone ever had to teach in a portable classroom?

Question

I just got hired on at a local elementary school and found out I will be located in a portable classroom. I am just wondering what this is like. I have never been in a portable before. What are the pros and cons? How do they compare in size to most standard classrooms? Thanks!

Answer 1

Im not a teacher myself, tho, when i was in grade 6, my classroom was in a portable. I thought that it would really suck cuz in the summer there was no a/c for us, and in the winter there wasnt really much heat either. I had to wear my jacket for some days in the portable! Just make sure you have a/c and a heater system. However, having to spend grade 5 and grade 6 in a portable, i wouldnt say that it was that bad, coming from a student. A portable is also smaller than regular classrooms. I dont think theres anything wrong with having to teach or to have a classroom in a portable. I lived through it, and you will too. But, dont worry, portables can be fun too.. oo, another thing: make sure no skunks get under your portable. They can really stink up your class.

Answer 2

I didn't have to teach in one, but I did have to learn in one for a year.

In ours, the AC and heating were a little unreliable, so there were times that the room was colder or warmer than comfortable.

The size was smaller than a regular classroom in ours. We used tables(the regular white plastic ones you might buy for home) instead of desks because the long, rectangular shape wasn't really conducive to desks, and the school also didn't want to buy desks as they were much more expensive(we had the mobile because we added two grades). We certainly could have used desks if we wanted to, though.

If you don't share the mobile, or only share it with one or two teachers, you won't have to worry about entering a large building; you'll only have to go straight to your classroom.

Be aware that you will have to get kids outside to get to specials, because they're more than likely in the main building. That isn't a huge deal, it would have been bigger if you were in a middle or high school setting. I remember having to wait outside for hte other class to empty out(our bells were watch alarms through a walkie-talkie system and were really temperamental, and most teachers just went by the clock instead of having the bells sound in their room) in the snow, rain, excessive heat, etc. If you're down South, you won't have to worry so much about the cold and snow.

Also, if you don't like the other teachers, you probably won't see them as often as you would in a permanent room. :P

It's not so great, but it does have a few perks. Hopefully, you'll be out in a few years and you'll be able to upgrade to a real classroom.

Answer 3

I love teaching in portables!!! My experience is you have the best controlled A/C and more autonomy than other teachers because people don't want to walk all the way out there. I also had more room whenever I taught in a portable. It should be the classroom of choice. I think you will enjoy it!

Answer 4

I've taught in a portable classroom for 10 years now.  My classroom is about the same size as the ones in the main part of the school. A pro would be that the walls can all be used for bulletin boards so there's a looser structure in how you do your walls.  My school is very old and the regular classrooms are actually quite quaint--which the portable is not.  Other than that, I don't see any cons.  I like my classroom just fine.

Answer 5

It's not so bad, actually!  You have your own space;  you don't have to deal with hallways which means the kids get to relax a little when going from their classroom to resourse classes or "specials" (you won't be disturbing anyone), and some of the newer portables have private bathrooms and are indeed larger.  Good Luck!!

Answer 6

Ha!  I was in a portable classroom when I was in 4th grade.  I never gave it a lot of thought then; I just thought we were away from the rest of the 4th graders.  But in retrospect, I think it was probably pretty neat...you get this air of being like the 'different' class (even though it's just a matter of location).  My teacher probably enjoyed the greater amount of autonomy and not having people just "walk in" (or near) too often.  Now that I think about it, I think I probably had the most qualified of all the 4th grade teachers that year.  She certainly was older than the others, but not so old as to be out of it or ineffective.  She probably was given that 'stand-alone' classroom because of her quality as a teacher.  

Answer 7

It all depends on where the portable is. My portable is right across from the other classrooms so as stated before, I never feel "left out" from the other teachers. From where I am, I can see anyone coming to my classroom, administrators included :) so I am well prepared and not surprised.

As for the bulletin board space on mine, it's less than the others but only due to having many cabinets for storage. I like my room but would LOVE a "regular" room.  

Answer 8

I taught in a portable classroom for years and enjoyed it. You have more control over your heat and air. On cooler days we would open the doors and students would buddy read on the steps. We even planted our own garden outside the portable. The downside is rainy days and cold weather. Always keep extra umbrellas.

Answer 9

the good thing that you will have air conditionar which is really good; i think the disadvantage is that you won't be involved with other teachers as much as if you were inside the school in the same hall... other than that i think it will be ok..

Answer 10

I was a student in one in 3rd grade. I subbed in many portables. Fortunately, I always taught at schools that were not crowded enough to have portables. Unfortunately, there are schools in my area that are. One school that closed down in June had more portables than classrooms. One high school in our border city has 2200 students and 36 portables. Imagine taking art or shop in a portable. Some schools have portables due to poor planning on the school board's part. The last two elementary schools that opened in our city had to have portables the year after they were erected!! The con is you're away from the building. The pro is you don't have a lot of people peeping in your door.