Some of the classrooms at Taft Elementary in Santa Clara, California, have one flaw in common: They don’t have windows. That’s true for Logan Earnest’s fifth grade classroom, and he felt it was affecting his students.
“Most of the day, 7/8 of the day, they’re inside,” Earnest told CBS News. “And they don’t really get to see any trees, they don’t get to see grass, the blue sky.” He said the drab, beige walls could be draining on the kids and may effect their attention span and even their attendance.
Link to CBS News article featuring the benefits of trees in the classroom. There is a 3-minute video in the first photo that plays after the commercials.
CBS News Features Nature In The Classroom at Taft Elementary
Logan Earnest gives a 1 minute tour of his classroom and how the tree ceiling has transformed his room.
CBS News documented 5th graders response to seeing their tree ceiling for the first time. It will be a featured segment in their show “The Uplift” on January 26, 2024.
A fifth grader’s observation: “It was surprising to see a tree where the roof is and it makes me calm and grateful for nature to keep me calm and I love nature.” – Octavio
Ernie says with a wry smile. “Having been a school psychologist, you don’t touch a teacher’s walls. You do that and they cut your hand off, both of them. So I thought, well, let’s use the ceiling, because, you know, they don’t, they don’t typically use a ceiling and started developing a, catalog of, of images, of trees.
“So when you walk into the classroom, it feels like you’re sitting under a tree and it has all those elements. Of the science that helps, you know, calms you down, uh, helps you focus and communicate.”
He’s worked with 10 school districts so far. We were there when he revealed the canopy to Mr. Earnest’s fifth-grade students.
It is surprising to see because anytime you’re. Inside of a school, you mostly don’t see plants or like, or trees, but not surprising to see that there’s trees here. I would say that’s, um, pretty like gray and beautiful.”
Mr. Earnst says, “I think the effects are gonna be more than just one thing. I think we’re going to have, I think my attendance is going to be good. I think kids are gonna want to come in here. More frequently, I think, um, overall I think the kids are gonna be happier.”
