Sometimes Kids Say the Brightest Things…

February 9, 2017

Teachers and parents are always looking for ways to improve student engagement and performance.  That’s why we’ve been out talking to them about tunable white lighting, which allows a teacher to “tune” the color of the light - warmer or cooler- to be just right for the classroom activity. Research shows it helps improve student mood, behavior & focus.

As we’ve done classroom demonstrations, we’ve found that when principals, teachers and parents find out about the benefits of tunable white lighting, they want it in their schools. 

But what about the kids?  We wondered if they’d have something to say, so we launched a campaign called Lighting for Pupils, which featured an essay contest in which K-5 students wrote about “What Light Means to Me.”

It turns out they absolutely had something to say. We received 135 essays from across the country.  Judging was tough, but we narrowed it down to eight winners. We pulled some of their best comments, which ranged from practical, to poetic. Every one of them was wonderful.

“Light can be colorful. It can be all white or blue, red, yellow, green and orange. I like light because it helps us see toys, clothes and walls.” Second grader, Morris Brandon Primary Center, GA

“Bright light makes me feel awake. Warm light makes me think of warm things like being under blankets in my bed and fun stuff like popcorn. Normal light makes me think of the sun. No light makes me feel scared. Cold light makes me feel like an ice cube in the freezer. Brrrrr!” Third grader, Cascade View Elementary, WA

“My favorite flowers and plants like sunflowers, daisies, roses and trees wouldn’t be able to grow without the sun’s light. In my class, we do Flashlight Friday – it’s when we read with flashlights on Friday.” Third grader, 3rd George Walton Academy, GA

“I like being able to control lights from my ipod so I don’t have to find the light switch in the dark and because it always surprises my friends when I do it. When people come to our house a lot of times they notice that we can dim all our lights and make them feel more comfortable and calm here (and a lot of my friends are kind of crazy so that helps!).” Fourth Grader, Cossitt Elementary, IL

“When I’m reading I want it to be peaceful and quiet and I want the light to be a warm yellow orange, like I’m in an old attic in the afternoon in the fall with the sunlight shining through the window.” Fourth Grader, Glacier Ridge Elementary, OH

“I am very active and like to play sports like volleyball, basketball, and dance, but if we didn’t have light I probably couldn’t do those things.  Without lights it would be chaotic!  And Christmas would be rather boring too.” Fifth grader, Albemarle School, NC

“Light means to step out of the darkness and go into the light filled world.  You should look around and see the light around you and be glad you have light and not let the littlest things take the light out of your world.” Fifth grader, LeHigh Valley Academy, PA

A special note – in Dr. Yolanda Patterson’s kindergarten class at Morris Brandon Primary Center, GA, There was not a single winner…the whole class won!

These brilliant young people not only won the contest. They won a plaque, a class pizza party and tunable white lighting installed in their classrooms!

No doubt, they’re on their way to a bright future!

Learn more about tunable white lighting in the classroom here.

 

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