Making learning fun with Super Mario Bros.
There is one classroom at Margaret B. Henderson Elementary School that stands out in the district, and it belongs to prekindergarten teacher Angel Cano. To make the foundational learning process more engaging for his students, Cano decided to transform his classroom into a Super Mario Bros-inspired wonderland.
From the door to the wall, each inch of the classroom plays homage to the popular Nintendo game. Covered with red and blue construction paper, the door and wall adjacent to Cano’s pre-K classroom features cutouts of Mario riding Yoshi, a rainbow LED tube light winding from Yoshi’s fist; Mario sitting on an illuminated cloud; and Starman and other characters from the video game. Large, colorful block letters–-on both the wall and the door—spell out “Mr. Cano” and “Level PK4.” The decor continues inside the classroom: green, yellow, and red walls, Starmen hanging from the ceiling, Mario Bros figurines standing on the windowsills, a large rainbow play rug, and the main attraction of all, a giant plush toy of Luigi.
Cano got the idea for a Mario Bros theme after watching videos of teachers decorating their classrooms with Disney or Pixar themes. Since Mario is not necessarily the go-to theme, Cano thought it would appeal to preschoolers in more ways than one.
“I’ll grab the large Luigi doll and put it in the library, and I tell my students to grab a book so we can read to Luigi,” he said. 
When students stand before the large Luigi plush toy, each with a book in hand, it makes reading an exciting and interactive experience, Cano said. He has also connected other lessons to Mario.
“When I tie a lesson, like something in math, to something familiar, like Mario, they get a little more excited. It improves engagement a lot,” he said.
The transformation was not without challenges, Cano said. Turning an old, glossy classroom into a vibrant Mario-land before school started in the fall required patience.
“I had to paint each wall four times just to get it to look normal. The old paint wouldn’t absorb the new coat, which was incredibly stressful because I was working against a deadline and needed to finish the job,” he said.
The hard work has paid off, Canos said, as he notes that students feel safe, seen, and celebrated in the space where Mario is merely a teaching aid to build a love of learning from day one.
“I love it because you get to see the growth of the kids throughout the year, and especially for it being pre-K, you kind of set the foundation for them as far as learning and opening up the horizons to what school is,” he said.
Cano’s efforts have even inspired colleagues, who are now considering their own creative classroom makeovers.
“I actually had some teachers asking me what I did and what the process was. I think they were considering painting their own walls next year,” he said.
Cano is eager to keep bringing joy and innovation to education, hoping that his legacy will reflect this commitment.
“I want my legacy to be one where I was able to bring innovation and new ideas to the profession. You have to change and adapt, and be creative and change the way that classrooms run,” he said.
