| When I was in the fourth grade all of us children | | | | the potential eraser melee that could erupt in the |
| had those little kiddie sort of desks. You know the | | | | classroom. |
| kind that's a chair attached to a desk with screws | | | | 3) The chair/desk combo (what is this thing's |
| so that you have this sort of immovable chair | | | | name?) encourages order. Why? Because there's |
| desk combination? Well, as I kid I always | | | | limited desk space for disorder. In regular desks |
| wondered why we had such inflexible desks in | | | | there's such an expanse of desk space that you |
| school in the first place when we were all so | | | | could have pencils going one way, papers going |
| accustomed to eating at tables that had movable | | | | the other way, and still have enough room to put |
| chairs. I mean, why force children to sit in such | | | | your head down for a quick pre-lecture nap. In |
| cramped, fixed furniture? What guides the school | | | | the chair/desk combo (seriously, what's this thing's |
| district's decision in propagating such stringent | | | | name?) the desk space is cut down by half, |
| furniture? I thought about these questions for | | | | forcing you to choose between paper/pencil |
| awhile (because apparently I don't have a life) and | | | | space and nap space. I usually opted for nap |
| I came up with a few reasons for such desk | | | | space or let the paper/pencil space substitute as |
| dispersion: | | | | my nap place, but you could just play around with |
| 1) Fixed desks keep children fixed. In movable | | | | it. But the lack of available spaces forces students |
| chairs children can move around readily and adjust | | | | to utilize the space that they do have more |
| their positions frequently. Now that sounds like a | | | | wisely. |
| good thing, and it is. We don't want to take away | | | | 4) There's really no fourth reason because I |
| a child's mobility. But the freedom to move can | | | | couldn't think of one. |
| be a huge detriment as well, especially in | | | | So what am I saying here? Am I encouraging the |
| elementary schools. Teachers would have to put | | | | forced homogeneity of school furniture? Am I |
| up with the constant scooting the chair back and | | | | endorsing a stringent culture of immobility and |
| scooting the chair forward. There's the ever | | | | inflexibly in the classroom? It seems that way, |
| precarious urge that children have (don't we all) to | | | | but not at all. I'm not denying that the chair/desk |
| lean back in their chairs and risk their heads to | | | | combo isn't a great tool for the elementary |
| cement floors. Then there's the noise factor: the | | | | school setting, but I have to share an alarming |
| constant squeaking of chair, the nose that's | | | | fact with you guys now: people are actually using |
| generated from people constantly scooting their | | | | the CD desk (that's what I'm going to call it-new |
| chairs back and forth, and the loud bang that | | | | name!) in the college setting as well. |
| occurs when Tiltee finally does crash to the floor. | | | | Seriously. I'm fourteen years older, X-amount of |
| So having such inflexible chair forces kids to | | | | pounds heavier, and two-and-a-half feet taller than |
| remain still. There's no scooting, no squeaking, and | | | | I was in the fourth grade, but I am in my fourth |
| no tilting, which means, ultimately, no falling. | | | | year of college and am still sitting in chairs similar |
| 2) There's a certain homogeneity that | | | | to the ones I had in the fourth grade. Is that not |
| accompanies the chair/desk combination that | | | | ridiculous? Are you not as outraged and |
| could be beneficial to the classroom. Have you | | | | embittered as I am? Okay, maybe outraged and |
| ever noticed that when you have desks that | | | | embittered are too strong of words, but I am |
| have removable chairs, all of the chairs are | | | | miffed about the whole situation I tell you. I'm |
| different somehow? You have the one chair that | | | | tired of the inflexibility of the CD desk. I want |
| has only three legs (probably the result of a | | | | space to move around in. I want, and desperately |
| fateful tilting). You have the chair that squeaks | | | | need, more leg room. I don't want to be fixed (in |
| unmercifully every time you move in. You have | | | | any kind of way). I want the freedom to scoot |
| the chair that, no matter how much you try to | | | | and squeak, and yes, the freedom to tilt my chair |
| balance, tilts at an odd angle. And then you have | | | | oh so precariously. I want elbow room and nap |
| that lone, plush, very comfortable-looking chair | | | | space and the opportunity to nose-dive for any |
| that you have no idea where it came from, but | | | | available lush, comfortable-looking chair. |
| that everyone wants and fights over. You've | | | | I'm 22 years old people, and I want a movable |
| experienced this before right? Well in a school | | | | desk. I want it! I want it! I want it! I want it! I |
| setting, the diversity of the chairs could spell | | | | want it! Hm. Hm. Sorry about that. My outrage |
| chaos as nine-year olds throw pencil sharpeners | | | | and bitterness is showing. But in all honesty |
| and chalkboard erasers and nose-dive for the lone | | | | people, I think it's safe to say that most people |
| plush chair or grow frustrated and hurl the | | | | (especially people over the age of ten) would |
| squeaky chair out of the window or somersault | | | | enjoy a little more freedom and flexibility in their |
| dangerously out of the ever-tilty chair. Okay, I | | | | furniture. I know I do. The CD desk is great for |
| know it's never that bad, but I have seen a guy | | | | pre-pubescent kids who don't know any better. |
| throw a chalkboard eraser. But with the chair | | | | But for the rest of us, we know better. And we |
| desk combination everyone would have the same | | | | want better. We want it! We want it! We want it! |
| desk and you would never have to worry about | | | | We want it! We want it! |