Some of the classrooms at Taft Elementary in Santa Clara, California, have one disadvantage in common: They don't have windows. That's true for Logan Earnest's fifth grade classroom, and he felt it was affecting his students.
"Most of the day, they're inside," Earnest told CBS News. "And they don't really get to see any trees, grass, or the blue sky." He said the gray walls could be depressing to the kids and may affect their attention and even their attendance.
This was confirmed by former school psychologist Ernesto Rodriguez, who said the lack of windows does affect kids, because research shows being in and around nature eases anxiety and benefits students. Though no longer a practicing psychologist, perhaps he knows now more than ever the impact nature has on mental health. Rodriguez became a park ranger（公园管理员）on Southern California's Catalina Island and began focusing on his passion —landscape photography.
It was during his training to become a park ranger that he learned a fact that kids who have views out windows to trees do better academically, emotionally and creatively. So an idea to bring nature into rooms occurred to him: Why not bring landscapes in classrooms—via the ceiling（天花板）, because teachers don't typically use them.
Rodriguez took 360 degree shots of tree canopies（树冠）using his photography skills, then he printed them and fit them onto the classroom ceiling of Earnest's fifth grade. "Beautiful," one student said as she entered the room. Another student said the trees brought him peace, "When you look up, it feels like you're sitting under a tree."
Earnest said he thought there would be many positive effects on his students. "I think my attendance is going to go up. The kids are going to want to come here more frequently. Overall, I think the kids are going to be happier," he said.
