Neither of the following categories address why I get up for school. But they address the bare necessities needed to survive and thrive at EPS. Balancing assessment load and welcoming visitors in my class is about as important to me as the lights are to Canlis. I’ve not been to Canlis, but I don’t think it’s because of the lights (if someone would like to prove me wrong and take me out to dinner there- I’m in). Now, I don’t disagree that Canlis should have lights. In fact, lights are necessary for everyone to move around in the restaurant during dinner. Actually, lights are essential to any room in any building- including the bathroom. Just like grading assignments is important for any class.
Further lights can control the mood of the room. Much like email communications to colleagues, students, and parents can control the mood or perception of your teaching. When done right, like any design element, they go unnoticed. If Canlis had white fluorescent lights or flickering lights, you’d notice. And if I had a major assessment due every week or ended every email with “LOVE STEVE”, you’d notice or at least hear about it.
And so like the lighting is not a priority to Canlis, the Professionalism and Executive Functioning and Assessment Practice categories are not a priority to me. However, Canlis has put thought into how they use lights to create the mood they want. And the longer I work at EPS, the more I try to tune the lights to fit the mood I want. And that mood, as mentioned in other categories, is aiming to be eager, positive, and a little playful.