When walking around campus during these cold months, there is no doubt that you will see someone bundled in a blanket. This is a trend that has spread widely across campus, and you can see it throughout all divisions. But what caused this trend to spread so widely? How does this have an effect on the learning environment in the classroom? These are both questions that we are going to be answering.
For this article, I went around campus and asked students for their opinion on blankets at school, and why they think it’s so popular. There was a wide spectrum of answers, from people who tend to wear blankets, and people who don’t but have seen it around campus. The first person I asked was a 7th grader named Alexa. When I asked her for her opinion, she said that she usually wears a blanket to school. Alexa said that this was her reason why, “I use a blanket because sometimes I just want to be warm, or I don’t want to wear a jacket to school.” This quote resonates with the majority of people I asked, as it highlights two key points. One, that blankets are cozy and warm, and in many ways, are similar to the warmth of a jacket. Two, that they are cute and comfy, making them, at times, more appealing than a bulky, restrictive jacket, which might ruin an otherwise cute outfit. Another response that I found interesting was from a 9th grader, Lucy. When I asked her for her opinion, she said, “I don’t usually wear blankets to school, but I don’t find them distracting at all.” This opinion highlights the opinions of many of the other people I interviewed.
The first teacher I interviewed was Profe Cruz. When I asked her what she thought about the trend, she said that she thought it was cute and didn’t find it distracting at all. This was something that surprised me because many students I had asked had said that they thought teachers might have a negative opinion of the trend. This, however, is not the case. I got the same opinion from Mr. Nash, an English teacher in upper campus. When I asked his opinion on blankets in class and whether he found it distracting, he answered, “I don’t find it distracting. If students are prepared for and engaged in class, that is what matters to me.” This quote adds on to the earlier statement made by Profe Cruz. Blankets are not a distraction unless you make them into one, and besides this, they have no detrimental effects on the learning environment.
Overall, the trend of wearing blankets in classrooms is driven by a want for comfort and warmth, and it is agreed upon by both teachers and students that blankets have no disruptive effects on the classroom environment. Students use them as a warm alternative to jackets as well as an extra way to stay warm. Teachers, on the other hand, don’t mind as long as it’s not affecting their learning, which is often not the case. As the trend continues to grow around campus, it shows how comfort for students can coexist with the productive learning environment of teachers. Showing that blankets are a harmless comfort rather than a classroom distraction.
