I tend to be hot in my classroom when I’m teaching. I rarely sit at my desk and am instead up and down and all about. I cannot, for example, even think of wearing a sweater to school (and I live in Alaska) because I know I’ll be a pool of sweat by lunch. But my daughter’s fourth grade teacher on the other hand, (at my school) is always cold and wearing cute sweaters. . .go figure. If given the choice I’d much rather always be cold because you can always put on more layers but there’s only so much to take off.
Because I often get warm, I open a window to let in some cool air. What I’m doing to regulate my own body temperature is an idea Thomas Walker suggests that I didn’t really think about. Open a window and let in fresh air in order to keep a balance between the oxygen we need to breathe in and the carbon dioxide we breathe out. In other words, it’s good for your brain.
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| My dream classroom window! |
Finnish people in general feel that cool or cold air is good for you. Walker observed, for example, parents leaving their babies sleeping in their strollers outside on their balconies (even in freezing temperatures) and he and his wife ended up doing the same. It’s an acceptable part of Finnish culture.
The temperature of a classroom is one of a few factors that can lead to academic achievement. A study was done in 2014 that found “that student learning and achievement are deeply affected by the environment in which (this) learning occurs” as proven by “a plethora of scientific evidence.”
When I open a window to regulate temperature, I always feel some degree of calmness wash over me. It’s like a natural stress reducer.
So opening a window to let in fresh air can not only help academic achievement because it’s good for your brain, but stress (yours and your student’s) can also be reduced.
Next up: Get Into the Wild
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