Teachers’ classrooms are their second home. They put effort into making them function, but many people do not know what goes behind the scenes. There are 3.2 million teachers in the U.S. today (according to the National Center for Education Statistics). They all have to use some of the most complex design techniques to make their room the most suitable environment for learning. These classes need to be designed for education because teachers can have over a hundred students who use their classroom for knowledge, and failure to do that can jeopardize the student’s school grades and performance.
“It would be nice if they gave everyone a 1,000-dollar check for this kind of stuff.” Said high school science teacher, Mr Amen. Amen brings up the fact that teachers solely fund these school environments. Costing teachers for this when classes are places where students take comfort in. This is costly when 51% of students feel like they don’t belong in their classes (According to Qualtrics). Freshman Ethan Matsinger indicated that empty classrooms were boring. As a high school student, I can confirm. I know that a barren classroom can feel oppressive and stressful, making learning harder.
The opposite is also true: too many decorations can be overwhelming and distracting. In Youki Terada’s “Dos and Don’t of Classroom Decorations” article, they state “Heavily decorated classrooms can bombard students with too much visual information, interfering with their memory and ability to focus.” Teachers must make sure that they don’t put too much on their walls. Some examples of this are poor lighting- difficult to see material and weakens participation, Data walls (Walls where tests/assignment scores are in front of the class)- cause bullying and disappointment/stress, and Heat- which causes lower test scores (Edutopia).
There is a middle spot though, a Goldilocks zone for interior design. One where there is enough visual stimulation to keep the students engaged but leaves enough space not to overwhelm them. One where students feel like they belong. This is what the standard should be. If teachers strive for this it can cause a massive grade jump, as big as 25%! (Educational Blog, Smith System). However, exceptional classrooms go beyond that standard to provide the best learning environment. Gsineducation states that an example of this is the display of student artwork. This gives them a sense of pride and makes them want to work harder. Something else that Gsineducation confirms is that the classroom should change according to the students. Whether that be changing the seating arrangement, or placing cushions on a common sitting area. High school Art teacher Mrs. Migliore remarked “The perfect classroom is a balance between form and function.” Migliore’s statement means that the ‘form’ means that the class bends to what it is needed to do. And the ‘function’ is that it works as a learning space. Those are the two subjects that make a perfect classroom. Form and Function.
People don’t pay attention to this complex part of student development, which can harm educational growth. It also can cause stress and anxiety for students. There is no payment for the teachers who take this seriously, which costs them both time and money. These classrooms affect every single student who enters them. Next time you’re in a classroom, take in the effort that they put in and thank them for their work.