YOUR MINUTES | FLEXIBLE SEATING
I would like to introduce a new series called Your Minutes that features YOU! Here you will see teachers and administrators sharing how they spend their minutes doing what they do best.
To kick it off, please welcome my friend April Emerson sharing her adventures with flexible seating. And, if you are interested in exploring this option in your classroom, be sure to check out our Resource page for free downloads!
Last year, I had this wonderful idea. I was going to lower all the desks and let my kids sit on the floor. It was a huge task, but more importantly, it turned out to not be a wonderful idea. In reflecting back, I know why it was not a wonderful idea. Kids need choice. In lowering all the desks, I took away their choice; so, within a few days of my wonderful idea, I found myself raising the desks back up and bringing the chairs back in.
I have been reading countless blogs and articles and done endless searches on Pinterest trying to figure out the best way to incorporate various seating options within my classroom. In the last few months, I have been able to obtain (mainly through donations) the following:
Set of old theater chairs
Pillows from IKEA
Throw pillows
A bar-height table with six bar stools
A coffee table with four slide-out ottomans
A recliner
Two side tables
Two gaming chairs
Some bar stools
coffee/end table set
A couch
A table and four chairs (I painted the top of it with chalkboard paint – SO FUN)
Another table and four chairs
I made the kids try the various types of seating at first. I wanted them to find what worked best for them and be able to tell me why. I have seen overall grades increase; some class averages have gone up more so than others, but they have all risen. While I have a few kids who try to get a little too comfortable, they are easily redirected and all know that their seating options are a privilege.
As a teacher, I love the seating options and cannot wait to find more for my kiddos!
Check out the below video featuring my friend and colleague, Ashley Luhr, who has also explored flexible seating.
Remember to check out the Resource page for tips on how to get started and a spreadsheet of research and resources for using flexible seating in the classroom.
MEET APRIL
I have been teaching in Frisco ISD for the last ten years, and before that, I was at a charter school in inner-city Dallas. I currently teach 8th grade Integrated Language Arts and serve as the ELAR instructional coach and department chair. I have known my whole life that I wanted to teach, and being the mom of a student with special learning needs, it is very important for me to connect with students on different levels. The relationships I create with them are super important to me, and I will never cease trying to make their learning experience different so that they remember it.