There are multiple doors through which I cross before entering my current office space. My hope is that everyone who comes to my office feels welcomed as they make their way in, rather than excluded or deterred. I think about this quite a lot.
Recently, I watched a documentary about New York Times reporters covering the White House in 2017. It’s an interesting lens into that year. However, the thing that captured my attention wasn’t any particular news story, but how the Editor-in-Chief and Washington Bureau Chief each approached their workspaces. They both had offices but rarely seemed to be in them. Instead, they spent their time out on the news floor, borrowing open computers where they could find them, right in the middle of the action.
I really like this approach to offices (and the doors that lead to them) because it fosters collaboration and communication as well as inclusivity. It also begins the work of removing the hallmarks of hierarchy at a large institution like a college. As we work together in the same spaces, no single space becomes a privileged space, exclusive and reserved for only a few.
Perhaps the way to model inclusive education is to remove the doors entirely. What do you think?
Having spent a good number of years in news rooms I would have to concur with the idea that even having doors, the editors rarely closed them, and they did spend a lot of time on the news room floor. I have to say that working at two major Metropolitan Newspapers, one in Denver (it’s still around), and one in St. Paul, MN, (also still around) was a very exciting time for me because I met such wonderful people who were interested in everything. They wanted to learn about things, write about things, and it was so much fun. I would take those moments and create a parallel of those people with the people at GCC. My friends here at GCC are similar. They love to learn, they love to teach, and, again, they are so much fun. But I will say this – you’ll find most musicians prefer doors (closed) so that they aren’t bothering others with their writing or their practicing, or their teaching. I guess that would be the exception. Thanks for a great idea!
Anne, thank you for sharing your experience working at newspapers. I’m a bit jealous. I truly enjoy collaborating with people who love to learn, teach, and enjoy working together – that’s why I’m so thankful to be here at GCC. And yep, I think we probably all need private space to work. I usually schedule my work reading time away from my office so that I have the best chance at focusing and reflecting. But I always look forward to my “news room floor” time.