When students walk into English teacher Stirling Korte-Murdoch’s classroom, they are transported from the stark overhead lights and loud chatter of the hallways. Honeycomb mushrooms and paper lanterns dangle from the ceiling, crisscrossed by strings of fairy lights. The space is whimsical but calming, with natural light flooding in from the windows and a digital fireplace often flickering on the front whiteboard.
Over the years, Korte-Murdoch has noticed that students feel different in a more inviting and calming classroom than one with bare walls and piercing white lights that glare overhead. One of her favorite parts of her classroom are the windows.
“It makes a huge difference to be able to see outside,” Korte-Murdoch said.
When Korte-Murdoch first started teaching at ELHS, her room was bare. She had little money to buy decorations, and she didn’t know much about writing grants to get them. Now, her classroom is a favorite among students.
“Kids that I had my first year, when they come in, they’re like ‘why didn’t you have this for us?’” Korte-Murdoch said.
Kimoni Guidi (10) thinks classrooms should be decorated in a way that makes students feel comfortable, like Korte-Murdoch’s.
“Dimmer lights, not a big overwhelming space [with] a whole bunch of colors,” Guidi said.
Lexi Hagan (11) agrees that Korte-Murdoch’s classroom is more relaxing than very bright classrooms. Hagan believes that a teacher’s classroom often acts as a window into their personality.
“Some classrooms can be bland and [feel] like you just came here to learn,” Hagan said. “Ms. Korte’s classroom [is] more inviting.”
For Korte-Murdoch, the decoration choices reflect her own desire for a peaceful classroom.
“I try to make my space very calming, because I have anxiety,” Korte-Murdoch said.
Korte also adjusts the environment based on student feedback.
“I’ve had students that get really bad migraines,” Korte-Murdoch said. “So we try to keep the lights off.”
Since she started with much less decor than she has now, Korte-Murdoch was able to observe the effects.
“I do think it makes a big difference in behavior and how calm the students are,” Korte-Murdoch said.
In a Portrait Instagram poll of 51 people, 92 percent responded that how a classroom is decorated affects how they feel in the class.
“I do it because I like to do it,” Korte-Murdoch said. “But also because over the years, I’ve noticed it does make a difference, and I like it when my students get excited to come [into] the room.”
