Classroom Wars
Classrooms: everyone’s least favorite place to be with all of the boring white brick walls and intense fluorescent lights beating down on unmotivated students. However, some teachers use their classrooms to inspire, dedicate, and delight. Thankfully, some of those teachers are here at Bacon Academy.
A recent study done by the University of Salford shows that the environment of a classroom can affect a student’s learning and progress by 25% or more. Many teachers in Bacon Academy have their rooms decorated with fake plants, posters, furniture, and more. We decided to ask students which room in the building they thought was decorated the best, and why they felt that way.
Mikayla, a senior, said that Ms. Parkinson had the best decorated room in the school. She stated that, “her room is literally the best because she has so many items from different countries and cultures that you can only find in those places.” Mikayla went on to say that, “her room is so homey and always smells so good-- like incense. It’s my favorite room in the entire school.” Parkie also makes sure to avoid using fluorescent ceiling lights. She has multiple floor lamps set up throughout the room for lighting. When asked about why she organizes her room in this way, she said, “part of it is that in college I did research and I had a gut feeling that fluorescent lights affect learning, and I researched it and it was true.” According to World Lifestyle, dim lights reduce stress in the workplace, and therefore, it can also reduce stress in the classroom environment.
Two juniors, Jade and Vivian, both said that KC has the best decorated room in the school. Jade said that, “her room is interesting to look at,” and Vivian said that “her room feels like a second home.”
The Robert Half International Company did a study that concluded, “the work environment is the most crucial factor in employee satisfaction.” Therefore, students are going to be more satisfied with a more “homey” environment than a loud, bright, and bland one. With more satisfaction comes better work.
Overall, it seems very clear that students prefer a classroom with more visual stimuli than a blank room. While a consensus about whose room at Bacon is the best, it is clear that having a classroom that not only is decorated, but is decorated with items that excite, seems to be the most beneficial classroom setup for students.
