Teaching, Learning and the Heat.

Teaching a class of twenty-five teenagers around the age of sixteen in oppressive heat, with no air conditioning, and the classroom feels like a sauna, actual learning is an impossible outcome, a fantasy, a dream, like pigs flying over my front porch…it simply cannot happen. To even attempt a unit of work under such conditions, particularly last period on a Friday, is pure, unadulterated lunacy.

Authentic learning can only occur under bearable conditions. From my experience, the better the conditions, the better the student's receptivity because they are less distracted. A hot, stuffy, and untidy classroom is not conducive to real learning. This simple fact has been proven to me time and time again.

An example:

One’s environment affects one’s state of mind.

During the early nineties, New York City’s transit system, specifically their subway, looked like a war zone. The crime was at an all-time high; commuters were getting mugged at an average of ten a day. In addition, there was so much graffiti covering the trains and the walls of every station that there was literarily no space for the vandals to paint their tags…the place had become Dante’s ninth level of Hell.

The city’s government had had enough and thus poured millions of dollars into fixing the problem. A small army of uniformed security was hired to patrol the subway and trains; an upgrade of all stations, refurbishing everything from the walls to the turnstiles, the lavatories to the platforms, and of course, the trains themselves had been cleaned of all graffiti, including a more ‘crime safe’ ticketing system. New York’s subway had been reborn. So what happened?

One writer has called the phenomenon, ‘the broken window syndrome”, that is to say when people are in a dirty, depressing environment…broken windows, graffiti, garbage everywhere, their attitudes match the surroundings.

Crime dropped in New York City subway’s from ten mugging’s a day to once a week. This is a significant drop in crime. Adding value, not only did the crime drop, but more people used the subway to move around the city… tourists began using the system again, and the company quadrupled its profits.

How does this relate to learning and the classroom?

If a classroom is neglected, where the paint is peeling, the desks have been etched, or carved graffiti that cannot be removed, and the overhead fan does not work, the children will match their surroundings, and chaos on a hot day ensues, learning becomes a lost dream.

Putting the “broken window syndrome” to good use, one year, I decided to refurbish a classroom, painting the walls in a fresh, light blue, replacing the damaged desktops with new ones, rearranging the room giving the impression of more space; replacing the blinds and purchasing a new whiteboard.

What happened?

My students returned from their holidays and, when coming into that particular classroom for the first time, sat down and said,

“Wow, this doesn’t look like the same room. What did you do, Mr. Middleton? This is pretty awesome, man.”

A typically rambunctious group of students, we had the best lesson in years and continued to do so for the remainder of the school semester.

Other teachers, in fact, commented how changed the space had become and that they now did not regret having to teach in “that” room.

The environment is everything when attempting to teach a group of hormone-inflamed teenagers. It is difficult enough to manage a classroom and run a lesson under “normal” conditions. Still, in an environment of intense heat and disorganization, the task of teaching becomes challenging, if not absolutely ridiculous.

Today was hot, and a Friday lunchtime break became volatile as a few fights occurred…the children were tired after a long week of unrelenting heat and school work.

As a few teachers called in sick that day, I was given an “extra” to watch over a classroom during the last period on a humid and hot Friday. As it turned out, I knew these kids and told them to sit back, chat amongst themselves, and plan their weekend.

The overhead fan creaked along though the heat remained oppressive. I ordered them to chill…and they did…but no work was accomplished. So they sat back and chatted, trying to relax under the heat, but at least left the school somewhat relaxed, leaving the classroom saying, “Have a good weekend Mr. Middleton. See you Monday.”

There were no fights, arguments, or angst, and all seemingly wanted to return to school after the weekend break.

Although no learning occurred, I figure this to be at least a small accomplishment.

The classroom environment is everything.