Oregon Teacher Creates A Unique Harry Potter-Themed Classroom For His New Elementary School Students
Kyle Hubler is a teacher in Hillsboro, Oregon who was such a big fan of Harry Potter growing up that he decided to give his new students a special treat by creating a Harry Potter-themed classroom for them. When Hubler learned that the 2017-2018 school year would see him settling into a new classroom, he decided to do something unique and spent 70 hours decorating his new classroom at Evergreen Middle School to surprise his new seventh and eighth graders.
Hubler has described how strongly the Harry Potter books resonated with him as a kid and how he felt they helped to guide him through his childhood, according to Huffington Post.
“I love Harry Potter because of the impact it had on me as a kid. Being a kid can be tough sometimes ? there were times when I felt weird and that I didn’t belong to any circle of friends, and reading the books was a way to escape that and feel like I did belong.”
The Oregon teacher also related how the Harry Potter books had imparted a deeply profound philosophy in him when it came to how he relates to others like his students.
“As I grew up, I became more skilled in socializing and developed stronger connections with friends, but the lessons in the books about acceptance, loyalty, and integrity stayed with me and inform a lot of the philosophy I have in my approach to teaching and how I interact with my students.”
Kyle Hubler has said that last year he threw a few Harry Potter items into his classroom, but since he would have to hold future classes in a completely new classroom felt that perhaps he could expand on the theme a little further. As he already owned quite a lot of Harry Potter merchandise, he transported this from his home to the new classroom and spent five weeks using it all to create his unique masterpiece.
All of the other items that the Oregon teacher felt were necessary to add the finishing touches but didn’t actually own himself he found online or at various hardware stores.
“Many of the supplies were purchased at hardware stores or online and the expenses were out of pocket, but I found creative ways to keep the costs down by looking for things second hand at garage sales and on Facebook’s marketplace.”
Teacher goes gives his students a “magical” school year by turning his classroom into Hogwarts from “Harry Potter” https://t.co/r9lYjRDEhW pic.twitter.com/ZZQ0ckfnBj
— ABC News (@ABC) September 16, 2017
ABC News reports that Kyle Hubler’s Harry Potter-themed classroom left his students slack-jawed when they first entered the room, something Hubler particularly enjoyed witnessing. Even the school’s principal was excited to see how the students reacted upon entering the Evergreen Middle School classroom.
“The best part was hearing the audible gasps. Their jaws dropped to the floor and they froze for second and then they rushed in and swarmed everywhere. Kids were in every corner of the classroom. They wanted to look at every detail.”
The classroom was decorated for the amazingly low sum of between just $300 to $400 and included creative effects such as black plastic garbage bags sprinkled across the ceiling and covered with paint, presumably to mimic the night sky with stars.
Hubler notes that one of his favorite aspects of the Harry Potter-themed classroom is that other students at the school will sometimes come and peek in the room on their lunch breaks and other students who aren’t in his class long to be in it now. And if there is one thing that he would like to inspire in others, it is the ability to make learning an exciting experience.
“If that can be my legacy, to inspire other teachers to make their learning environments more fun, that is fine by me.”
As Kyle Huber has demonstrated, those attending his Evergreen Middle School Harry Potter-themed classroom in Oregon may just be having the most magical and thrilling school year of their lives.
[Featured Image by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images]
