Elementary School Teacher Has An Unconventional Seating Chart For Her Classroom, And It's Been A Game-Changer
Elementary school teacher Kathryn Prouse admitted that this seating chart has helped her better understand the needs and personality of her students.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock For teachers, there's probably nothing more annoying than having to deal with a class full of students who might not necessarily vibe well with each other. But one teacher in particular seems to have it all figured out. In an exclusive interview with People, 28-year-old Kathryn Prouse explained how she let the stars guide her when planning a seating chart for her students, and it has worked wonders.
While teaching the kids is fundamentally the most important part of schooling, creating an environment that gives kids an optimal space to learn makes it much easier. Prouse's seating chart might be unconventional, but it's been a game-changer for the elementary teacher.
An elementary school teacher uses astrology to create her classroom seating chart, and it's been a game-changer.
Prouse, an elementary school teacher, told People that she's been seating her students based on their astrological signs, or more importantly, the element associated with their star signs.
"It was my second year teaching and my first year designing my own classroom — I think at the time I was so overwhelmed [and kept thinking to myself], 'Where do I seat them on the first day?'" Prouse told the publication. "I was teaching third grade at the time, and we could always get information from their second-grade teachers or look at their reading level, but I didn't want [my seating chart] to be based on academics."
Prouse, who first discovered astrology in high school through her best friend, wanted to avoid having her students feel stressed in the classroom or seated in a way that made them uncomfortable. So, she decided to text her best friend, who suggested the idea of seating them by their zodiac signs.
"My best friend was like, ‘Do it.’ So while I was sitting through a teacher training, I started looking at all of my kids’ birthdays and making a chart," Prouse said. "I ended up with an Earth-sign table, a Fire-sign table, a Water-sign table, and an Air-sign table."
The teacher said that the astrological seating has allowed her students to feel extremely connected.
Elemental signs are designated as follows: Fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius; Water Signs are Pisces, Scorpio, and Cancer; Air signs are Libra, Gemini, and Aquarius; and Earth signs are Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus. By grouping her students under each element based on their star signs, Prouse said she was able to create more harmony in her classroom.
"I wanted to get to know them in a way, before deciding where to sit them for the rest of the year," she continued. "A lot of veteran teachers will tell you not to go off of what the previous year’s teacher tells you about a child, because you'd be approaching the student with a preconceived notion."
Prouse noted that her Earth sign table is usually the one where students finish their assignments first. Rather than just staying in their seats, these students walk around the room and help some of their classmates. She said her Fire sign students are typically the ones who keep things entertaining, while her Air sign students were... up in the air most of the time. It got to the point where Prouse would have to remind them to focus. She said the Water sign table is usually composed of calm, go-with-the-flow students, which adds to a great balance with all the other personalities.
Classroom seating is more important than most people realize.
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Classroom seating is so much more than a fun way for teachers to arrange their rooms. A 2012 study found that it is actually an integral tool for teachers to use to help manage everything from behavior to cohesion. Researchers noted, “Student seating is one of the easiest, most cost-effective classroom management tactics available to teachers.”
By leaning into her students' personality traits and strengths, Prouse created a classroom environment that benefitted everyone. She was also able to learn more about her students in the process.
"Honestly, it was such a good way to get to know them," she said. "A week into the school year, I could already spot the criers, I knew who I needed to check in with in the morning, and I knew that Air-sign table had to be up front with me so I could redirect them regularly."
It might definitely seem unconventional, but Prouse has been able to find something that works for her and her students. And as the icing on the cake, it's helped her better understand the students sitting in front of her day in and day out. That makes both teaching and learning more efficient and effective.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
