Numerous students have expressed discomfort with some of the school’s chairs and desks, primarily in Ms. Wilson's classroom. As opposed to those in most classrooms, the chairs and desks in her room are connected by a metal bar on the left side, prohibiting students from adjusting the distance between the two.
The desk-chairs are specifically designed for right-handed people, thereby restricting the mobility of left-handed students. As one left-handed student states, “I always have to readjust my position, which is very distracting.” This situation increases slouching, promotes bad posture, and limits flexibility while working.
Additionally, this issue particularly impacts plus-size students. Some of these students remark, “I don’t fit in them,” and “I can’t concentrate when the desk is that close to me.” For history classes, it is especially irritating that the chairs “restrict flexible seating opportunities, which is irksome in a classroom that has a lot of debates,” according to another student.
Moreover, these desk-chairs present a potential hazard, as Ms. Wilson herself has noted. As said by a student in her World History course, this is because students frequently “push their seats back” to make their arrangement more comfortable, which tips them and the table backward “because they forget the chair and desk are connected.” This endangers both students and school property.
The majority of sampled students have highlighted their annoyance with the school’s decision to not replace the desks, and feel that the desk-chair hybrids are ill-fitted for our classrooms. Where will the school go from here to address these concerns?