Would you rather spend the whole day indoors or outside in nature? Most people would agree that a day outside in nature would be much more enjoyable. However, spending the entire day outdoors is impossible when students have to go to school. Plants are essential in classrooms, and teachers at Lafayette should try to display various plants in their rooms. Having plants in a classroom environment can be very beneficial for many reasons. A few of these benefits are the improved air quality that plants allow for classrooms, the possibility of reducing stress for students, and how plants enable students to connect to nature during the school day.
Having plants in a classroom setting can significantly improve the air quality. Having higher-quality air in a school setting can be important for some students with medical problems like asthma. The plants in the classroom absorb the carbon dioxide that we breathe out and produce more clean and fresh oxygen for us to breathe in. By doing this, the plants can remove the toxins that could pollute the air (such as carbon dioxide) and act as a natural air purifier for the classroom.
Also, having plants can reduce the amount of stress that students have. Plants could reduce stress because of the calming atmosphere that surrounds them. A National Library of Medicine study found that “active interaction with indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress compared with mental work.” Additionally, The Lafayette Times interviewed sophomore Ava Gentner on whether she agreed with plants’ ability to reduce stress. “Yes, it makes me feel more at home. The classroom doesn’t feel like ‘factory plain’ with no color if that makes sense, and it feels more welcoming,” said Gentner. Gentner makes a great point. Adding plants to a classroom can add greenery and make the classroom feel less like a “factory.” Students and teachers can feel more welcome and willing to learn because of their calming environment.
Another benefit of plants is that they can help students connect to nature the whole school day, even when stuck inside. As Gentner hinted, an average classroom with no plants can feel dull and unwelcoming. Students can spend more time around nature by including plants in a classroom, even when stuck inside all day. The Lafayette Times interviewed freshman Kendon Wilson on his thoughts on this benefit. “Yes, definitely. It makes me feel more welcome, and I don’t feel so bored in class because of the plain space around me.” The surroundings of plants could make students feel more willing to come to school because they wouldn’t feel stuck inside and bored to death. They would be around nature, which could motivate some to complete their work.
Although having plants in classrooms can be very helpful, there are a few unfavorable aspects. Having certain plants could require specific requirements. For example, some plants need sunlight all day, which is only possible for classrooms with windows. Also, certain plants attract insects, such as fruit flies. There are a few ways to fix these issues, though. Artificial light (like a grow light) could be bought for classrooms without windows to replicate “the sun” and still provide light for the plants. With the bugs, places like Amazon and Walmart sell fruit fly traps that can catch these pesky bugs.
Altogether, having a variety of plants in classrooms can be highly beneficial to students and teachers and improve productivity in a school setting.
