When you walk into a building lit by windows on all sides, what do you feel? Joy? Connection with nature? Peace of mind? Well, you shouldn’t. Various studies have proven that windows are, in fact, very harmful to students’ learning, especially that of girls. First of all, they are completely transparent. Who decided that was a good idea?! What if someone was standing outside your floor-to-ceiling window, staring at you, watching as you picked your nose or fished a piece of food out of your teeth?
Next, windows create distractions that hinder students’ learning. Remember that napkin you saw blow across the road, that crushed soda can rolling around in the parking lot as you stared out the window? Those distractions only served to remind you of the terrible effects humans have on the planet. No one needs to be distracted by feeling guilty when they’re trying to work or learn. It is much better to block it out, perhaps with a wall, or even a wooden board if you’re low on time. Save yourself the trouble of having to think about anyone or anything other than yourself. Afterall, Agnes Irwin is striving to nurture its students’ wellbeing this year!
How would you feel if our own Gus the Owl was enjoying a flight around the school, only to crash straight into these transparent death traps? Would you feel grateful for “natural light” then? Would “natural light” bring Gus back to life?
Windows are just providing us with a false connection to the world around us, which no one really needs in the first place. The dangers that windows pose to our school’s safety and learning environment far outweigh the benefits. If we replace ALL windows with gorgeous sterile walls, just think how calm and beautifully narrow-minded we could all be.
