Standing Up to the Demands of the Classroom
A teacher in the mid-West realized the obvious: that telling kids to “sit still and quit fidgeting” did not do much good. So, like bookkeepers in the era of Charles Dickins, she has the students using new, adjustable-height stand-up desks that don’t ever require them to sit still.
The teacher was Abby Brown, a sixth-grade instructor at Marine Elementary School in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. Frustrated by a lack of innovative workstations for youths, Brown designed her own stand-up desk and took the idea to a company called Sunway in Wisconsin. The company makes ergonomic office products for home and commercial use, but it had never designed anything for a classroom.
After a few tries to get the shape and mechanics right, the team at Sunway arrived at a model of a sturdy, adjustable-height desk that comes in two sizes. It also has a swinging footrest that takes the pressure off the lower back while also giving restless students the ability to swing their legs back and forth.
Other schools are exploring other types of arrangements including stand-up workstations in the classroom and stability balls (where you can steadily move on the ball and stay balanced).
It’s been clear for ages that having kids sit all day at desks is not a good idea. It’s amazing that the practice has continued for so long. At the same time, it’s great that options are being explored. Unfortunately, it has come at a time of severe budget cuts. Stand up desks, for example, cost about twice as much as a traditional desk and chair set. Nevertheless, it is a hopeful move.
