Have you seen this phrase: “Teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions “? Today, I’ve decided to list some of the physical learning conditions I would change for America’s students, if only I had the power.
Chairs – Almost every time I have taught adults in training sessions, using chairs from average classrooms, they have commented on the seating—unfavorably. I heard comments like these: “Oh man, these seats are hard!” “Wow, it’s hard to sit for two hours.” “ Ooh, I could use some padding.” I agreed completely with each comment, only the next thought I always had was, Then why are we using this furniture with our children? They too have nerve endings.
Production of office chairs is a million dollar industry. Piles of research goes into materials, adjustments, spinal alignment, comfort and good looks. Our children deserve some of the same consideration. Let’s get rid of those rigid, uncomfortable plastic and metal chairs that populate too many classrooms.
Desk and table heights – Tables in my house are different heights for different tasks that I perform—word processing, sewing, eating, sorting. I know from experience that I will get sore shoulders or a stiff neck if I work at a table which is too high or too low for the job at hand. Keep in mind that my height remains the same. Kids, however, come in all sizes and their size is likely to change from month to month during the school year. What a lot of discomfort could be avoided if table height could grow with them. Even more important, I think, is the subliminal message it would send: “You are unique and important and you belong here; see, we will make things just right for you.”
Ergonomic equipment - I was a school newspaper advisor for eight years. Three evenings a month, my staff worked late using leftover tables and chairs, donated mouse pads and some fairly old Macintosh computers. Every work session, as I worked alongside my students, my wrist smarted and sometimes got numb from the terrible angle at which I had to hold my hand. I thought as I worked, We are all going to get carpal tunnel here. I can now report that I was right; I do have carpal tunnel issues in my right hand, and I am pretty sure that is where it all began. I wonder how many of my former student staff members have the same problem. Maybe schools need an educational OSHA board to correct some of these predictable problems.
Lighting – Too much or too little light causes headaches, squinting or missed information. Glare on boards and computers screens makes seeing the information nearly impossible. Yet, there is a limit to what a teacher can do to correct the situation with the standard equipment: a bank or two of florescent lights and some old venetian blinds. If I remember my history correctly, researchers discovered in the early 1900s that improved lighting in factories led to dramatic improvements in productivity. It seems by now, a century later, we would have figured out that this should apply to school rooms too.
Crowding – When scientists pack experiment mammals, like rats, too closely into limited spaces, the animals turn on one another. I believe that humans react very badly to crowding too. I think that many behavioral problems in schools could be alleviated by just giving kids more room.
A middle school teacher from a nearby school district shared this anecdote with my sociology students: Our school was built for 600 students, but we had 900 kids and constant fights. We thought the fighting was gang-related. Teachers were required to stand at their doors during passing periods to maintain control. Then, second semester, the new school was finished, and kids were transferred. Suddenly we had two schools with 450 students in each. Fighting nearly disappeared overnight. We were all surprised to realize that the fighting was not gang-related after all.
Chemicals and Cleaning Products – A psychologist once warned me that under no circumstances should I ever spray a commonly used cleaner for desks in the presence of an autistic student. He explained that the cleaner would cause a very strong physical reaction in such students; an autistic student would likely become overwrought and completely out of control after smelling the cleaner. I vowed I would not. But the question I have had ever since is: Are such students like canaries in mine shafts? Is their reaction a warning that the product might not be so great for the rest of us either? And do we have any evidence about interactivity among such products? I hear that Great Britain tests all chemicals before permitting their use. Let’s protect our school children by doing the same.
So, if I were queen, the items above would be my agenda. I would change classroom conditions for the better to remove unnecessary impediments to learning. I don’t want anything to interfere with the learning of a younger version of Edison, Gates or Jobs because our students are the ones who will provide the next wave of American ingenuity.
