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Children Without Chairs - A Standing Room Only Classroom
Filed under: In The News
In traditional classrooms, educators teach the three Rs and do it with three rules: Sit down. Be quiet. Sit still. But Minnesota teacher Abby Brown knows that kids are noisy when they're learning. She believes moving around doesn't just help her students stay engaged, it might just help them keep fit, too. Michelle's fourth grade students at Lily Lake Elementary School are on their feet all day, literally. They work at standing workstations that come complete with swinging footrests for fidgeting feet (and stools for sitting, if they choose). These aren't your standard issue desks -- Brown had them custom made by a local furniture shop. And they're a big hit with her students.
"I felt like a goldfish, basically, a goldfish sitting in a desk," fourth grader Raissa Rottich told ABC World News, "And now I feel like a wild wolf." Class clown Zach Knox says his behavior has improved, even if he still gets called on it "a little bit."
Modern teachers know that noise and movement allow for teamwork, creativity and flexibility in a classroom, but could this standing room only arrangement also help fight childhood obesity? Scientists recently discovered that when people sit, it's a signal to the body to stop burning fat, and that standing can burn an extra 60 calories an hour. Another study found that lean people move around more during the day -- up to two and a half hours more -- than people who are overweight. So all that fidgeting? It really should be encouraged.
Sitting in on my kindergartner's class recently, I noticed how the kids sit in their chairs -- even my rule-abiding daughter. They tip them up sideways on two feet and then try to balance them that way while they work. Inevitably, they fall down, of course, but it's easy to see what they're trying to do: Move. Move. Move.
Rather than being the one who's on her feet all day teaching, should teachers get their students to stand up?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-24-2009 @ 9:41AM
Jenni said...Finally a teacher that not only understands children, but has made her classroom to meet their needs. Yeah for her for thinking outside the box and doing what she knows is right.
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2-24-2009 @ 10:02PM
hall monitor said...They must have the strongest calves!
Hall Monitor
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2-24-2009 @ 12:08PM
John said...Now this is interesting. I'd have to say the parents of this teacher should be rather glad to know she is willing to do things differently. I seem like a lot of how we teach kids and what we expect of them is off in many areas.
I'm sure these kids will always remember this teacher and her room.
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2-24-2009 @ 12:29PM
momofone said...My son has ADHD and I think that would be perfect for him..since it would let him move around more.
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2-24-2009 @ 4:08PM
Jan said...This is a great idea. It seems to go with a child's natural tendencies to move. I wonder how it would work in other schools. Minnesota isn't known for it's cultural diversity. . . I wonder how it would work in the inner city schools where you have students of all different kinds of backgrounds and generally more discipline problems. Hmmmm.
Love it, though. Great concept! And what a wonderful teacher to put all the work into getting those desks made!
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2-25-2009 @ 9:36AM
LS said...I love this idea. I think it's an absolutely reasonable solution to the "wiggles" that so many kids have, from preschool on. It's hard enough for full-on adults to sit at a desk all day long... how many of us would be able to just sit quietly for HOURS at a time, not able to get up and refill our coffee cup, check a file, or any of the other myriad little 'errands' we run each day? And yet, we are stuck in this rut of "sit down, be quiet, and pay attention while I lecture you" that is the basis of our public education system.
Alas, I fear that it will be found detrimental, damaging, lacking in educational basis, racist, discriminatory, or any of a hundred other stupid problems that the NEA throws around to keep their stranglehold on the public schools.
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2-25-2009 @ 9:37AM
LS said...oh, yeah... and where can I get a desk like that for myself? I absolutely LOVE the swing bar!!!!!!
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3-01-2009 @ 9:31AM
Deb said...This teacher deserves "TEACHER OF THE YEAR" award!!!!
It is about time that we get to see or hear about a teacher that takes a true intrest and puts forth an effort to ensure a better education for her students....("OUR FUTURE LEADERS")
This would also be a GREAT tool for many schools to use for various reasons such as my son whom struggled so hard with school and received a very poor education because he had A.D.D. this would have been great for him.
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