The harsh lighting is causing a headache, your seat is uncomfortable, the classroom is freezing, and your teacher’s mood is bringing you down. The aspects of lighting, seating, temperature, and mood all impact a student’s learning environment. We believe that a student needs to be comfortable in order to excel in the classroom. 

In most classrooms, teachers rely on fluorescent lights for their main source of lighting. According to MakeGreatLighting, these types of lights are proven to emit UV radiation that can harm a person’s eyes. They have also been linked to causing headaches and fatigue due to the flickering rates in especially lower ranges. Bright lights have also been shown to cause reduced productivity, alertness, and even anxiety. Us students should not be expected to perform at our full academic potential when we are experiencing these feelings.

As far as seating goes, an article in Spaces4Learning explains that in order to make everyone comfortable, thinking about all factors for seating is important. Some students tend to have sensory issues and soft fabrics may make them feel uncomfortable so avoiding that material when picking seats out is important. Also making sure a student is not too high up off the ground is an important element. Students’ feet should be touching the ground and their chairs should have high backs. As well as adjustable seating and chairs that curve to the natural shape of their spine are all great options.

Feeling physically comfortable when retaining information can increase focusing abilities.

Being too hot or too cold can be just as discomforting. According to Sitelogiq, excessive hot and cold temperatures affect students’ ability to learn. During a study in 2014, students scored an average of 76 percent when the temperature was 61°F, 72 percent when it was 81°F, and 90 percent when it was at a comfortable temperature, 72°F. In other words, when the temperature drops, our grades drop. We can relate this to our school because if you have not yet noticed, it is pretty cold in just about every classroom. We feel that we would perform better on tests and work more efficiently if the school’s temperature was regulated at a comfortable degree.

When a person is experiencing thermal discomfort, their brain will be distracted by signals from their body. If someone is too cold or too hot, maintaining homeostasis will become a person’s body and brain’s main focus. This causes it to be very difficult for a student to concentrate on their work. We want to be able to concentrate on every assignment and every lecture we are given.

Whether it be feeling cold or having a teacher act cold, both will make just as big of an impact. Fordham Institute makes it apparent that when a student feels valued they will learn best. If a student feels endangered, worries about being made fun of, or even if they sense their teacher does not have high expectations for their performance in the classroom, their willingness and ability to absorb information will be hindered.

Students need to feel a sense of belonging and build a positive relationship with their teachers. Having a good relationship with our teachers and feeling that our teachers actually value our presence is something we want to experience everyday. When feeling unwanted, it does not make us want to attend school at all. Feeling comfortable in our classrooms is very important to us.

If we continue to not feel pleasant in our classrooms, our academic performance will suffer. We want to be at our full potential while at school. Since we are present at school for 8 hours a day, we want to feel secure and cozy while learning. It should be the school’s and teacher’s main priority to make all pupils feel snug. Especially while in high school, the information we learn is vital and we want to be able to fully retain and focus in our environment. Without making students detect a sense of coziness, they will not enjoy themselves or care about the topics they are grasping.

Acting now on this issue will make us better off. Avoiding fluorescent lighting and replacing it with LED lighting is a great alternative. A classroom will still have just as efficient of a light source but without any of the negative consequences. There are multiple classrooms in our school that have lower lighting, LED lighting, and a comfortable setting which we benefit from and appreciate.

Getting seats that can adjust to student heights is a great solution. Offering a variety of seats and materials will be helpful in order to accommodate everyone. Keeping the room between 70°F and 76°F can ensure no one will be too warm or too chilly.

Lastly, making us students feel appreciated is crucial. Establishing rules and normal behaviors inside the classroom will provide us with structure and optimism. A teacher’s attitude and mood will affect a student, so keeping that in mind while teaching is essential. We want to enjoy our environment at school.