Ten points for Gryffindor! It’s early in the school year, but Stephanie Stephens is already a strong candidate for the Teacher of the Year award at James L. Capps Middle School. The Oklahoma City eighth grade special needs teacher surprised her students with a Harry Potter-themed classroom that they will get to enjoy all year round.
Stephens took every cue from J.K. Rowling’s creative imagination for the impressive setup. Some of the highlights include a 9 3/4 sign upon the classroom door, a fireplace bulletin board to mirror the letters that Harry received at the Dursleys, a three-headed-dog stuffed animal, a place to hang everyone’s wizarding cloaks, and even an entire “potions” area.
Stephens’ clever decorating began to go viral when her husband posted the classroom photos on Reddit last week.
“I chose to keep with only the first book [Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone] regarding decorating. I made a list of things that I could decorate the room with,” Stephens told ABC News. “I thought of all the magical things Harry saw and experienced and put myself in his shoes and picked the things that I could pull off in a classroom. I never got to a broom or mirror, but I plan to add that to my room at a later time.”
The educator’s props will also help to discipline her students in the upcoming months. As in the beloved books, she plans to split everyone into different houses where they will earn “house points” for good behavior. (Are Slytherins allowed!?)
“Once the house points jar fills up they get a class reward,” Stephens explained. “My students mean the world to me and I hope my enthusiasm for reading will transfer to each and every one of my kids.”