The importance of decorations in the hall

I've said this once, and I'll say it again: first year residents are like my elementary school students. In the classroom, it's so important that we display student work, give students a place to put their stuff, label their things and their spaces, etc. We have a birthday wall in the classroom, we have their pictures up, we have everything that a student could possibly need to feel like they belong there.

Residents are similar, especially first years. When thinking about door decorations, a lot of the time, it's easy to want to print something out and be done with them. It's just a name on a door - why does it matter?

Well, it does. Big time. Residents want to feel like they belong in the hall, and they want to feel like they're valued in their living community. Making well thought door decorations is important because it shows the residents that you care about them, and about their residency in your building.

I put up decorations everywhere, too. Not just door decs. I hang up banners, I put up posters, I string up lights, and I do this to create a more "homey" feeling to the building. I want residents to feel like they're home. In the common room, I made a birthday wall for all of them, so that we can know when it's their birthday. We set up a whiteboard in the kitchen so residents can write down what is theirs in the fridge. We even made a hall rules list on easel paper and I hung it up, for everyone to see.

These are important because residents should feel like they belong. Putting up these things that they've made, or decorations that are welcoming, tell residents that they are wanted in that community. In the past, I've had a proud mom fridge, where residents can put up work that they're proud of. It's always worked well in the past, and residents get to feel proud of their hard work. I've also had bulletin boards with pictures that residents have sent me that promote their community in the building.

Door decs are just one way we as RA's can make residents feel at home in the building. My third graders are the same; I've made all of them cute name tags to put on their table seats, so that everyone knows where they sit, and they can be proud of their seats. We've put up student pictures in my third grade classroom as well, helping students feel at home in their school classroom.

Do the same with residents, and you begin to see a huge shift between just a residence hall, and a home. And, if you go to my main blog, you can see all of the door decs that I've made in the past that are all made by hand, and are all made with love.