We need nine Skypanels fluorescent light covers to bring a new dimension of professionalism and appeal to our classroom. We'd enjoy seeing the beauty of the sky in our learning space instead of harsh lights.
One aspect that I really like about teaching in a small school is that I have many of the same students year after year. I had my own daughter as a student for 10th, 11th, and 12th grades! I enjoy this because I get to know my students on a deeper level. Also, I can ask them for input on how they envision their learning and their classroom atmosphere for upcoming years. This past spring, students had some time after their final exam presentations to brainstorm for the upcoming school year. They were especially excited about the idea of adding Skypanels to diffuse our fluorescent lights. Tristen, Noah, Caliub, and Shelby took the initiative to create this project.
Many of my students have visited a local orthodontist who uses a light diffuser over the patient chair in his office. When patients look up, they see calming blue sky and fluffy clouds above them.
My tenth graders were talking one day about how much they like these light diffusers and how they could transform our classroom into a more appealing space. Some students are bothered by the harsh fluorescent lights and would appreciate making the classroom lighting more learner friendly. They believe this would help them focus better on their reading and writing in class.
Also, creating this project and seeing it through all the stages -- from researching ideas to writing the proposal to installing the light covers -- will provide students with valuable teamwork skills and a sense of accomplishment.
In Their Own Words
We have an awesome classroom with curtains, a rug, and a couch to make us feel like we are in a comfortable, welcoming space, but then there are the harsh fluorescent lights. Nobody likes to sit under such a glare all day. Sometimes we turn them off and open the curtains for more light, but it can be too dark in the room for us to read and write.
Our goal is to get fluorescent light diffusers. This will add more teen appeal to our room and hopefully take away some headaches, too.
Some of us in class led the research for this project. Others looked online and picked out which sky panels we like best. We picked eight with clouds and one with clouds and kites. We will be covering all nine light panels in our room. We also need a cutter to trim the panels and clips to attach the panels.
Those of us who filled out the essay forms stepped forward as leaders. Some students will take a more hands-on approach by installing the sky panels. All students in the room will reap the benefits, and the light covers will last for years for future students to enjoy.
This is kind of project is fun. We got to research about fluorescent light diffusers. We found that blue light is better for learning, so we chose a sky with clouds to filter our fluorescent lights. It can be especially helpful for some students with special needs.
We want our whole classroom to reflect who we are and how we like to learn, starting from the floor and going up to the ceiling lights! We like when friends from other classes come in and say, "Wow! I like your room!" This reflects right down to our learning and the pride we take in it.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Hollands and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.