This year, Dr. Erika Brown’s 11th-grade English class relocated from the Fishbowl to the old Writing Center. The Fishbowl, a windowed room located in Schoolhouse 119, is positioned on a lower level than the rest of the first floor, allowing students to look into the classroom from the hallway.
The old Writing Center, located in Schoolhouse 109, is situated in a nook next to the sophomore lounge. With this now being the English 11 classroom, many students feel the new space, with its tiled floors and lack of windows, doesn’t measure up to their former classroom.
“I would prefer that it was not in that room because, you know, I liked using [the Fishbowl] last year,” Devyn Slaughter ‘26 said. “It kind of feels like we’re in a closet, not a classroom. The atmosphere is not right in there. I wish we were in the Fishbowl.”
Other students feel like they’ve missed out on a key experience of taking 11th-grade English.
“We always saw the upperclassmen in there, so I wanted to be in there too,” Sophia Chen ‘26 said. “But that didn’t happen this year.”
While students express their frustrations, Dr. Brown maintains an optimistic outlook, seeing potential in the new space and its benefits as a classroom. She pointed out that in the Fishbowl, she had to hang curtains to prevent distractions from people walking by, whereas the new room’s layout eliminates this issue.
“Hopefully, it will improve engagement because students will focus more on me, the projector, and the subject matter,” Dr. Brown said.
Dr. Brown added that both rooms share some positive features, such as their secluded locations.
“Neither has immediate neighbors, which is useful if you’re loud,” Dr. Brown said, a key consideration given her lively teaching style and role as advisor for Baldwin’s film club.
To make the space feel more welcoming, Dr. Brown added personal touches like student work and posters. Students have also noticed these changes, and appreciate Dr. Brown’s efforts to improve the room.
“I actually kind of like what she has going on; I like her candles, I like the ambient lighting,” Melina Intzes ‘26 said.
As Dr. Brown continues to customize the space and involves students in making it their own, the new room will become a cherished part of Baldwin’s English 11 experience.