The Culinary Inn: I'm truly sorry that the little observation I made about the lovely Mr. Ironwood took away the focus from your question at first. Good to see that we're all back to business :-) Good luck with your cooking school. I'm sure that with the help of all the lovely Houzzers who know what they're talking about, it will be a lovely kitchen. I don't know much about kitchens, so I can't help. Sorry.

This is one of the more difficult design dilemmas I've seen on here! I certainly feel for you and wish there were some easy solutions. I think there's way too much stuff on display and wonder if you could remove some of the shelves and any equipment that's not going to be used. There's an area in the second picture where it appears there are beige walls with some repairs on them (?) so I'd suggest painting them. If you can repaint the room, I'd suggest a light golden yellow to give a feeling of natural daylight in this window-less space. If you used Sherwin Williams SW 7685 WHITE RAISIN you'd be picking up the colour of the wood furniture and making the furniture blend into the whole room colour scheme (less colour contrast means more cohesion and it will be more restful for the eyes). If you can do anything about the lighting, I would recommend changing it. You may have a local program that would cover some of the expense of upgrading the lighting with new more energy efficient fixtures that would give you a better quality of light and lower operating costs. I can practically hear these lights humming when I look at the pictures! So my best advice is to pare down the visual clutter. If you can clear out a significant amount of it, you can add back some things like posters for inspiration and amusement, showing a bit of your own personality.

This is old school since I am 51, but I remember when I was in 5th grade, my teacher was also an artist on the side. Needless to say, I still remember her bulletin boards. One of the "prizes" for doing the best academically, was to be able to stay after school and "help" her with the bulletin boards. Although things have changed, she always said "less is more" and she would changer her 2 large boards monthly, but she would not go outside the bulletin boards like the other teachers. Her one exemption, is that she would post academic work outside the classroom in the hallway. Somehow, I still remember the times tables, the writing rules, and science articles. I now teach adults, but I try to remember her rules. I try not to overload my classroom with charts, maps, or photos.

I am a high school FACS (home ec) teacher. My principle is interested in possibly investing in a 3 D printer for my high school interior design class. This is something that would be purchased with grant funding that is to support industry standards. ( something that would be used out in the work place by interior designers/design firms) Is this something that would be a valuable piece of equipment to use in my classroom? Why or Why not. I am not sold on its educational benefits(and I lack the knowledge of what the benefits would be). What quality of 3d printer would need to be purchased to replicate what is being used in the real working world? Any suggestions on a particular printer versus another. Cost will most certainly be of a concern, is the supplies needed to create the 3 D image expensive. Please be honest, there are many other educational items I need and I do not want to invest in something that would have little educational value in the long run. If from my research and advice from professionals can show me the benefit of the investment and maybe some suggestions of how I could use it in my classroom then I am all for the purchase. Any and all help/advice would be greatly appreciated and price estimates if you have any would be great too. Thanks Deb