Teacher Says 'Personal Belongings' Including Decorations Are No Longer Allowed In Classrooms At Her School
“I’m prepared to get written up this year for having too much color in my classroom.”
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock We all remember the teachers who went above and beyond to make their classrooms feel like a second home. They lined the walls with carefully selected decorations and educational posters, set up cozy reading nooks, and added ambient lighting to make their students feel more comfortable.
One school, however, recently banned such decorations, upsetting its educators.
A teacher said that decorations and all ‘personal items’ are no longer allowed in classrooms at her school.
“We were told to remove all of our personal belongings from our classrooms,” she wrote in a Reddit post. “If it isn’t district-provided, we aren’t supposed to have it.”
The teacher shared why she believes this isn't just a bad idea in general, but a particularly bad idea for her school.
“Let me tell you, I work at one of the oldest school buildings in the country,” she said. “We have no windows in any of our rooms. The HVAC regularly fails. Our rooms are tiny, but I’ve made it work for nine years.”
Despite what the school building lacked, this teacher made the best of it and saw success with her students.
“My little room was a wonderful little quiet spot for kids, and they’ve often told me how nice my room is. I don’t over-decorate or have a theme. I just try to make myself feel comfortable and, by extension, my students,” she shared.
This year, the school banned decorations, preventing teachers from making such safe havens for their students through ambiance and visuals.
“We are being told our awful fluorescent lights must be fully on at all times unless we have a doctor’s note,” she added. “No color as it’s distracting. No shelving, no comfy chairs, and absolutely no tables.”
In case all the directives weren't clear enough, the teacher said, “They included that they’d prefer if all of our personal items were removed completely.”
“I’m at a loss for words,” she said sadly. “How does this help the learning process? How does this fix the issues of attendance and engagement?”
Some evidence backs the school's rule.
The thought of a drab, empty classroom feels depressing. However, it may be for the best.
According to research conducted by Carnegie Mellon University, classroom decor does have an effect on students’ ability to learn.
For the study, researchers observed how kindergarten students did on tests and how well they stayed on-task in both a “decorated” and a “sparse" classroom.
They found that "children were more distracted by the visual environment, spent more time off task, and demonstrated smaller learning gains when the walls were highly decorated than when the decorations were removed."
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It is important to note that this study was conducted on young children, while the Reddit poster teaches high school students. One would hope that those between the ages of 15 and 18 would be able to focus even with posters on the walls.
In the long run, this rule may be surprisingly beneficial for teachers.
A survey conducted by Study.com found that 90% of teachers pay for classroom supplies with their own money. Furthermore, “47% of teachers experience feelings of guilt or inadequacy about not being able to spend more on classroom supplies.”
While essential supplies like pencils and paper will always be necessary, banning decorations — which most teachers pay for out of pocket — would save underpaid educators a significant amount of money.
One teacher on TikTok admitted that she has spent $155 on decorations so far this year — a number she said was "pretty standard."
Then again, the feeling of comfort that comes from walking into a nicely decorated classroom must also be considered. A room with bare walls and no color does not sound inviting, especially for children.
Their need to feel safe, happy, and comfortable is integral to learning.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.