Connections to student productivity and behavior in the classroom can be made due to changes in sports, work load, or weather. 

“I would definitely say there’s an influx [of students in need] as we anticipate the holidays. In early to mid December, and really from that point to the rest of the school year, we definitely see an increase [of students in need],” said school psychologist Robby Harris. 

Some students may not even be aware their emotional state due to changes in their environment.  

“I don’t know if every student is attuned to, or is aware that they are being affected by the seasons. I think for some people, they may just feel less tapped into their own experiences or feelings, and it’s harder for them to label or express how they are emotionally affected,” said Harris. 

Feelings similar to discouragement caused by the change of seasons are relevant in the classroom, where teachers notice it. How students feel during the darker months can also tie directly into what classes they are taking. 

“In my [IB standard level] biology class, I definitely do see a decline in class average over the year. I’m not sure if that’s correlated to the difficulty of the course or the attention span of the students,” said biology teacher Patricia Tremaroli. 

As teachers learn more about their students throughout the year, it’s easier for them to pick upon an individual’s changes. 

“I feel any teacher that cares can see a shift and a change in a students behavior and weather that’s attributed to time of year, or just something that’s going on with the students themselves,” said Tremaroli. 

Tremaroli also made a connection to hyper active behavior and misbehavior in the classroom ahead of breaks. 

“Right before break, we definitely tend to see, as teachers, more disruptive behavior, more rambunctious behavior,” said Tremaroli. 

Some students may also begin to feel mixed emotions about school over the year depending on whether or not they play sports or participate in clubs. 

“I’m generally the happiest in fall and spring. It’s the beginning of the year and the end of the year, so all academic competitions are not in that time frame. Those are the two main sports seasons,” said freshman Mehek S. 

Mehek S. also said that mental stability may be affected by the amount of school work at a given time, as well as the structure of playing a sport in school. Some teachers feel this too. 

“When the winter kicks in and activities do change, being in school gives me that routine. When things seem to be spiraling out of control, having a schedule and having certain projects that need to get done, give me a very easy tangible goal that I can accomplish,” said Tremaroli. 

This goes for other adults as well. 

“I know that sunlight and warmth very much positively affect me. Now that I have a window in my office, I think it is going to make me more attuned to the outside weather now that there is natural light in my office,” said Harris. 

According to a study of the National Library of Medicine, “Among depressed participants, a dose-response relationship was found between sunlight exposure and cognitive function, with lower levels of sunlight associated with impaired cognitive status.”

“Longer periods of daylight are associated with positive feelings and more positive emotions. There is a concept of hope, and for some people it is harder to hold onto those feelings of hope and positivity when there is less light,” said Harris. 

Harris also noted that some grades have a higher need for support at certain times of the year versus others. 

“In the middle school level, grade seven in particular feel that the academics can be more challenging,” said Harris. 

Always remember, if emotional or psychological help is needed , feel free to visit our guidance and school psychologist department.🔳