In Susanka's writings, one of the things she talks about is varying ceiling heights, and sheltered spaces. Well, fish need that too. They need low logs and caves to hide under. A space to feel safe that they can look out on the bigger world of the rest of their fish tank.
Another concept Susanka wrote about was light. How important it is to have "light to walk towards" to help make a house a home. Light is very important in fish tanks, but so are shadows. Fish need to be able to go in and out of light as they are comfortable.
Different fish have different needs. Some love wide open spaces where they can swim a lot, others like dark sheltered spaces where they can feel safe. My seahorses need "hitching posts" - things they can wrap their tails around and just hang out. In people terms, they need chairs and sofas.
What this teaches me about teaching, is that different students have different needs, too. There are guidelines that we can follow that will help most of the time, but we also need to be flexible, because we work with individuals. What works for one person, or even most people, might not work for another. This goes for interior design of a classroom, as well as in general teaching practices. What is compelling for one student, very well might not be compelling for another.
So even as I'm learning how to be a better teacher, I need to keep in mind that what I'm learning is not going to apply to every student. They're guidelines, that I may need to break on occasion.
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