It was 10 AM. My heart rate was skyrocketing, and my hands were dancing in my lap, scurrying across my legs in different, weird contortions. Likewise, my entire body was shaking, but not for the reason you’d expect it to be. My grade depended on this test and I’d spent the whole night before studying for it, yes. But rather than test nerves, I was shaking because of how cold the classroom was.

In a study, at Westview High School it was revealed that students scored significantly higher (90%) when the temperature was in the 70’s, with their scores dropping to 76% at a temperature of 61 degrees. This is especially troubling, regarding a highly test oriented school like Carnegie. Classrooms and other areas should have comfortable environments for students to study in, ones that also facilitate the best student test performances possible.

Junior Esha Bhavsar expresses similar concerns stating “It’s kind of distracting because I’m in my head focused on staying warm and shivering all the time. I can’t really fully focus on my work”

Knowing this information, teachers and administration should aim to sustain comfortable room temperatures throughout various areas in school. As a temporary fix, however, here’s my list of some of the most comfortable places in terms of temperature around the school.

5) The History Hallway

If you’re the kind of person who would thrive in Antarctica, you would probably love the history hallway. If you enjoy taking ice baths, face planting in heaps of snow, or even constructing igloos in your spare time the history hallway is a must stop for you. As a word of advice, never ever go to class without bringing  a jacket with you. No jacket is a no go, but no jacket and no pants is a kind of torture I don’t wish upon anyone.

Bhavsar expresses a similar opinion stating “ A lot of the history classrooms are like frigid and I feel really annoyed because I’m not in a comfortable environment”

Out of ten, I give the history hallway a negative 600, just like the degrees the classroom temperatures normally are.

4) The Math Hallway

The math hallway is the history hallway to a lesser degree. I have experienced an unbelievable amount of circumstances where I didn’t bring my jacket to math class, and hated myself for it. I’m not sure if it’s problems with the ventilation system or simply teachers’ preferences, but test-taking or studying in any area there is definitely less than ideal. However, I will say that if you have the class in the morning or just got minimal sleep the night before, the temperature will always keep you awake during the lessons.

I give the math hallway a three out of ten.

3) The Library

The library is up there with one of my favorite spots. Occasionally, there will be times when I have trouble focusing on my work because of how cold it is , but more often than not the library is set at a perfect room temperature. On those days, there is nothing better than going to the library during lunch, resting up on one of the many bookshelves, and doing your work. It’s a different kind of safe haven when there’s not that many people in there too or you have your airpods to block out the noise.

Bhavsar similarly agreed saying “The library isn’t too cold, which I think is pretty important because it’s important to be in an environment where the only thing you’re thinking about is the content and coursework.”

I give the library a seven out of ten.

2) The English Hallway

The English hallway is arguably the best area in the school. But I think that my perception might just be skewed because of Mr.Houghton’s class. There hasn’t been a single time where I felt uncomfortable in his classroom. I think a big contributing factor are his cracked classroom windows, which let some of the Houston humidity in and ensure that it never gets too cold. On top of his forest-like decoration and serene music, his classroom alone makes the English hallway one of the best areas to work in around the school.

I give the English hallway a nine out of ten.

1) The Courtyard

Go outside, enjoy the crisp air, the fall temperatures, and the spacious area. Even though the Texas heat is sometimes overbearing, going outside after a long day of being freezing is like thawing out your troubles. I find that going to the silver tables with umbrellas along the sidewalk are often the most perfect places to enjoy my lunch or study. I think that the best way to keep the classroom ideal is by incorporating outside temperatures: keep your classroom windows open!

I give the courtyard a ten out of ten.

In the end, we should start aiming to make classrooms a more comfortable place to do work in. It is important that we understand the effects that an unideal environment can have on student performance because it’s easy to get tripped up when your mind is focused on other things. I think that the magnitude of the effect is a lot more shocking than most people would think, and that we as a school should aim to take note of that.

As Bhavsar said “Set it to a normal 70 or 69 degrees because I think that whatever temperature the school is at right now is just way too cold.”

One final piece of advice, I can leave you with is always, always, always bring a jacket to school and start aiming to wear sweatpants or pants. Wearing your favorite outfit is not worth catching a cold (pun-intended). 🙂