Classroom without windows

[Anonymous]

My child and his best friend are starting K this year at the same school, but they weren't put in the same classroom. My friend is kind of freaking out b/c her son was put in a classroom without windows. All the other little kids are in the rooms in the same hallway with windows, but her son's class is in another part of the building. According to her, a number of parents are very unhappy that their 5 & 6 year olds will be in the class with no windows. Our principle has told them that it doesn't matter and, from my friends' report, is acting like they are silly for even caring about it. I'm a bit surprised b/c I had heard on;y positive reviews of the principle, but the reports I'm hearing from my friend aren't too great.

So, does anyone have any experience with this? Is the principle right that it won't matter to have the little ones in a windowless room or is he just trying to brush off a bad decision?

[Anonymous]

Tip: the principle thing to remember about the principal of the school, is that the principal of the school is your PAL.

[Anonymous]

I teach in a school where several of the rooms don't have windows (home w/ a sick child today). Fortunately, the kids rotate out and go to rooms w/ natural light. I don't have that luck and so I spend 10 months a year in a windowless environment. As a result, I suffer from seasonal affective disorder and take antidepressants to counter the effects. I also have bright, full-spectrum lights at my desk, but it only does so much.
The problem I see in your friend's case is that the principal can't do anything about it. No windows will appear and there won't be additional window-filled classrooms appearing. I'm not sure what anyone thinks will happen if they complain. Some kids will still need to be in that room. I would be more concerned about making sure there was adequate escapes in the event of a fire. Is there more than one door? If not, then your friend may have a case (but I'm not a fire marshall).

[Anonymous]

There are other classrooms, but he isn't wiling to move the kids. I believe the other rooms are lacking bathrooms, but do have windows.

There are multiple doors to the outside in the hallway, but only one door to the hallway. Is that an issue?

[Anonymous]

Agree with these postings. Don't get on the principal's bad side about this. He or she can't fix it easily at least for this year. I don't think it's desirable, but I don't think it causes huge problems either. Our preschool has a room without any windows. Perhaps the teacher can teach outside for one of the subjects. I wish more would do this anyway.

[Anonymous]

I've been in classrooms without windows. I'm not sure what the big deal is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are other classrooms, but he isn't wiling to move the kids. I believe the other rooms are lacking bathrooms, but do have windows.

There are multiple doors to the outside in the hallway, but only one door to the hallway. Is that an issue?

I'd rather my kindergartner have a bathroom in the classroom than have windows. The "public" hallway bathrooms can be scary for a little kid. Ideally, yes, the classroom would have windows, but it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me, and I certainly wouldn't expect the principal to relocate the classrooms, based on parent complaints.

Also, "moving the kids" is not simply a matter of lining the students up and walking to their brand new classroom. It means completely re-setting up the classroom--moving the furniture, everything on the walls, connecting the technology, anything with nametages (cubbies, hooks), the supply closets, etc. It's a BIG job, and short of the classroom becoming inhabitable, I don't know why anyone would do it. If your friend was really up in arms (which I wouldn't be) the best they could do would be to push for a change next year. But that seems like a whole lot of effort for what's not really a big deal.

[Anonymous]

There are multiple doors to the outside in the hallway, but only one door to the hallway. Is that an issue?

I don't quite understand what this means. Do you mean there is only one door to the classroom? Why would this be an issue? Or are you concerned that there are multiple doors to the outside from the hallway? The school needs doors.

Honestly, it looks like you are looking for things to be concerned about, and there are none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There are multiple doors to the outside in the hallway, but only one door to the hallway. Is that an issue?

I don't quite understand what this means. Do you mean there is only one door to the classroom? Why would this be an issue? Or are you concerned that there are multiple doors to the outside from the hallway? The school needs doors.

Honestly, it looks like you are looking for things to be concerned about, and there are none.

Actually, I was just responding to poster who mentioned egress from the classroom itself. Of course the school needs doors.

I've told her that it will be OK, but I don't know how much that means coming from me since my son is in a regular K classroom. It is something that some of are thinking about, though, even with our kids in other rooms b/c there will be one extra class of rising 1st graders next year.

[Anonymous]

My daughter went to Apple Tree for preschool (full day) and the classrooms are in the basement with no windows. She did great, and it really wasn't a problem. They went outside, and the eating area was on the ground floor with lots of big windows and natural light. Your child will be fine. They don't spend every minute in the windowless room.

[Anonymous]

The kids won't notice. Relax. My school has no a/c and it's awful but what are you gonna do?

[Anonymous]

My child was in an interior classroom for a year. I actually think it was good for the kids in some ways b/c they weren't distracted by rain/snow/clouds. Whatever was happening outside -- they were unaware.

I'm sure it's more pleasant to have daylight, but for the purpose of learning, it might actually be a plus. The kids DO see daylight when they go to lunch, recess, etc. Plus they leave the room for specials like music and PE. So, really, it's not a big deal.

And as others have said, it's not something the principal can easily change. So, cut your losses on this complaint and move on to helping the teacher.

[Anonymous]

I'm with OP's friend, I'd be concerned about this, and would definitely raise a big stink about it. While it might be a pain to do it, I would suggest that the kids rotate rooms every __ weeks so no one set of kids had to be in a windowless room all year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with OP's friend, I'd be concerned about this, and would definitely raise a big stink about it. While it might be a pain to do it, I would suggest that the kids rotate rooms every __ weeks so no one set of kids had to be in a windowless room all year.

You can't be serious.
How on earth would that work?
That would be an enormous burden on the teachers, and extremely disruptive to the kids.
They go outside for recess every day. Your snowflake will survive.

[Anonymous]

I think I'm going to tell my boss that it is unfair that some of us have windows and others don't, so we should rotate offices every month!!!! OMG, you are a nutball. Your kid is not going to be able to deal with anything as an adult.