Cristina Easton, a former Baltimore City Schools teacher and principal, can still remember the teacher’s lounge at one of her schools. “It was in an old Home Ec classroom that, for some reason, had a bathtub in it where we went and had lunch every day,” she recalls. “But nobody wanted to be in there, and what that meant was that over time, we ended up eating lunch alone in our classrooms. So we didn’t talk to each other about our struggles. We didn’t talk to each other about ideas. We didn’t get out of the classroom all day long.”
Today, Easton is the executive director of Educator Support Collaborative (ESC), which received startup funding from BCF fundholders and more recently a Stronger Schools Climate & Culture grant from BCF to create “educator wellness lounges” for hard working teachers and school staff. ESC was born out of COVID-19 when teachers were burned out from online teaching and crisis management, though the need for educator support predated the pandemic. A well-designed teacher lounge can significantly enhance school culture and climate by fostering collaboration, reducing burnout, and building a sense of community. When it’s a welcoming space that encourages rest, peer connection, and informal dialogue, it helps teachers feel valued and supported.
Easton explains that many schools do not have a teacher’s lounge—nowhere for educators to put their belongings during the day, to eat lunch or chat with peers in private and away from students—or the lounge is in an extra room that’s an afterthought. “Help for our educators often gets framed in resources and opportunities for students, and that’s absolutely critical,” says Easton. “But who is looking out for the adults? We know that strong teachers make strong schools, and strong schools make strong communities. So creating a space in a school just for the educators can have a meaningful impact on morale and culture.”
ESC spaces are designed with input from faculty at each school and brought to life largely by donations and the volunteerism of design, construction, and engineering professionals. (ESC has leveraged approximately $500,000 worth of pro bono goods and services in the execution of its mission.) One school may want a place for quiet, another for physical wellness. All lounges are havens for adult professionals that provide opportunities for organic mentorship, idea sharing…or simply a place to eat lunch in peace.
Kamala Carnes is the principal at Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts, one of the first schools to receive an ESC lounge. Carnes describes the former school lounge as dark and dreary, consisting of mismatched tables with limited seating. Teachers lacked a dedicated workspace to print or organize assignments, and the appliances were outdated. ESC held sessions with school staff to discuss ideas and identified priorities and then met with an architect to communicate those needs and wants, which included an area for staff to relax and connect with colleagues, with dedicated spaces for collaboration, quiet work, and meals.
The new space has created that warm welcome the school desired. “The space features comfortable couches that create a family-style seating area, with plants placed along the windowsills to add a warm, homey touch,” says Carnes. “It includes a spacious work area with new appliances and a designated dining section. Beautiful artwork by Baltimore-based artists is displayed on the walls, adding a local and inspiring aesthetic to the environment.”
Carnes adds that while the new lounge meets all the school’s practical needs, “More than just functional, it’s a healing environment—designed to support wellness, restore energy, and foster a sense of community.”
To date, ESC has worked with ten schools, impacting 489 educators working with 3,589 students and plans to complete at least 20 more school projects by 2027. “When we transform drab spaces to create beautiful and comfortable teacher’s lounges, we are directly addressing some of the factors causing a nationwide exodus from the teaching profession,” Easton explains.
Easton shared that ESC knows there is more to be done, “The lounges are only the beginning. We use these projects to build relationships between schools and our talented volunteer design teams, which gives us insight into other ways we can show educators they are valued beyond the lounge.”
