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East Central Junior High Teacher Gets Revamped Classroom

An East Central Junior High teacher is this year's recipient of a classroom makeover.

Eighth-grade algebra teacher Emily Partridge walked into a freshly painted room Monday with a now-permanent number line, an upgrade from one she hand-wrote on note cards.

Partridge said a big chalkboard wall will get students out of their seats for better learning.

"They're going to feel more excited to be able to do that in a clean space, in a space where it's designed in a way to support their learning, just like the interactive activities, which is exactly what I talked to these guys about in July when we met," Partridge said.

KSQ Design picked Partridge out of several applicants this summer and met with her before planning the classroom makeover, which happened over the weekend. The firm also brought in better storage and a variety of university pennants.

Partridge said she's been pushing her students to believe they can be the first in their families to attend college.

"The college emblems were really exciting, just to kind of see what I've been trying to do for two years here really, like, executed in an awesome way," Partridge said.

This was KSQ's fourth classroom makeover but was the first time they've made over a classroom at higher than elementary level.

"We thought it was an interesting design challenge to think about how could we bring design and energy into an eighth-grade algebra classroom," Roberts said. "We all know eighth-graders are a tough crowd to impress."

Partridge is a third-year teacher who came to Tulsa from Pennsylvania through Teach for America.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.