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Classroom Desks: Do they really matter?

One of the most essential parts of a classroom is the desks. Students need somewhere to sit while they learn, and they usually need some kind of surface to use for working. Desk type and arrangement can play a big part in learning and student success. In a science classroom where students are going to be working together to do experiments and other projects, single desks may not be the best option. In a history classroom, where students will be mostly working independently, individual desks are probably the best choice. In a college classroom, where lectures are often taught in large auditorium type rooms, it’s beneficial to have seats with folding desks. Whatever the case may be, desks are crucial to a classroom. Let’s dive into some of the different types of desks.

First, we have a traditional open front or top-lifting desk and chair. These desks are great for elementary aged classes where students stay in one room for most of their subjects, as students can store their school supplies in their own desk. Typically, these kinds of desks have a free standing chair that is not attached to the desk itself. This is great for easily rearranging desks into any configuration that might be beneficial for the teacher and students. It also makes for easy cleaning for the custodial crew, as the chairs can be stacked at the end of the day. The in-desk storage is also a nice feature for students who are going to be in the same classroom all day. It gives them a place to store their things and have a little personal spot of their own. 

Second, there is the single desk with a chair attached. This type of desk usually doesn’t have storage options, and is often found in secondary classrooms. These desks are often cumbersome, as the chair and desk are all once piece. Moving these types of desks is a pain, and trying to figure out an arrangement with them can be tricky. They work great for teachers who don’t want to deal with chairs and desks all over their room. One downside to this type of desk is that they aren’t very “user friendly” for students who are taller, have smaller body types, or have larger body types, as they can’t adjust how closely (or how far away) they sit to the desk. 

Next, we have tables and chairs. These can usually fit 2-3 students a piece, and are ideal for science, art, or other creation type classes. They offer ample space for writing, working, and doing experiments and other projects. They allow for students to easily work together. They are, however, more cumbersome, and don’t allow for as many seating arrangements. 

Lastly, there are the chairs that have folding desks attached to them. These desks are great for college classes where space is limited and no storage is needed. However, they don’t offer a ton of surface space for writing and working. This can get tricky if a student needs to have a computer, notepad, and textbook out at the same time: there just wouldn’t be enough space to hold everything. 

Obviously, these are not the only types of desks that can be found. These ones, however, are the most common. Picking the type of desk for your classroom is an important aspect of student learning and engagement. What kind of desks do you have in your classroom, or what is your favorite type of desk for students to use?

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Hanukkah and Kwanzaa Book Reviews

As promised, here are some fun books that involve other winter holidays: Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. I really enjoyed reading and learning more about these holidays. I hope you will too!

Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Matthew Trueman

Simon sets out on a journey to get to America. He is lucky enough to get the last ticket on the boat, and sets sail. Tragedy strikes when the boat hits an iceberg and sinks. Simon finds himself stranded on the iceberg, alone, with just his knapsack. In his knapsack, his mother had packed latkes, fish, boiled eggs, a dreidel and a menorah and candles. Simon wishes for a Hanukkah miracle. He is found by a polar bear who brings him fish each day and keeps him warm. He is finally rescued and taken to New York, where he finds a job so he can earn money and bring his family to America.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? By Jane Yolk and Mark Teague

Another darling book in the How Do Dinosaurs… series, this books goes through what not to do and what to do during Hanukkah celebrations and how to properly behave and celebrate. Filled with fun illustrations, this book is engaging and fun for all ages.

Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington; illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Li’l Rabbit is feeling left out and useless during his family’s Kwanzaa celebrations. His grandma is sick, and he wants to do something to help her have a great Kwanzaa. He ventures out in search of the perfect things to make the Karamu extra special. He runs into several friends while he is out on his search. He comes up empty handed and is feeling defeated. When he arrives back home, he is surprised to find that all of his friends and family have pulled together to create a wonderful, memorable Karamu. 

Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis; illustrated by Daniel Minter

A family of seven brothers lives in a small village in Ghana. The are constantly arguing, and their home is never peaceful. After their father dies, he leaves them an inheritance, but with the stipulation that they must find a way to turn seven spools of thread into gold, and that they must never argue again. If they can do this by the time the sun sets, they will be able to divide the inheritance amongst themselves. If not, the inheritance will be given to the poorest villagers. The brothers head back home, determined to make gold out of the thread. They learn that they must work together to accomplish what they need to. Using the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the Nguzo Saba, they come together and create beautiful things with their spools of thread. They learn that working together in peace is the best way to work.

Happy reading, and Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to all who celebrate!

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Children’s Christmas Books

If you’re looking for a fun book to read with your kids (or students if you’re still in school!), look no further! When I was looking for books to review and share with you, I learned that there are a TON of Christmas books! I could never even come close to reviewing all of them. So, after reading several, I narrowed it down to just a few.

The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen; illustrated by Dan Hanna

Pout-Pout fish gets so caught up in finding the most perfect gift for each of his friends that he finds himself unable to decide what to get them. He soon learns that it’s not about giving the most perfect gift, but giving from the heart that matters most. 

Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story by Edward Hemingway

A Christmas sugar cookie is sad to learn that he tastes terrible, can’t run fast like the gingerbread man, and can’t build his own gingerbread house. He tries to “fix” the things that he thinks are wrong with him, until he learns what he is supposed to be. He finds his place and celebrates knowing who he really is.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore; illustrated by James Marshall

There’s nothing changed with this classic Christmas story, but the illustrations are darling and incorporate all the pets of the house.

Cookiesaurus Christmas by Amy Feller Dominy & Nate Evans; illustrated by AG Ford

Cookiesaurus Rex is a determined Christmas cookie. He thinks he should be the cookie that gets set on the plate for Santa. With every other cookie that is chosen to be put on the plate, he finds a way to knock them off the plate, all while causing a mess and trouble each time. It’s not until the end that he discovers that the humans of the house have a special place, just for him, that is even better than Santa’s plate.

5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon; illustrated by Rich Deas

The excitement of the Christmas countdown is almost too much for one little boy to handle! As he counts down to Christmas day, he thinks that he is so excited to sleep each night as he watches the snow, thinks about what gifts he might receive, and more. The illustrations are darling and detailed in this fun Christmas book.

Holiday themed books are just so much fun. They bring an added element of fun and magic to any holiday! Next week, I’ll share a few books that spotlight other winter holidays. See you then!

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Is the Mess of Making Art Worth It?

This morning I woke up and came down to the kitchen to find my six year old and almost five year old happily painting and making sun catchers. There was paint all over the table, all over their hands, and other supplies scattered about. At first I was annoyed. I mean, waking up to a mess isn’t ideal, and it really wasn’t what I wanted to wake up and see first thing on a Monday morning. But… when I saw how happy and proud they were with their creations, I just couldn’t be be mad. And what’s more, when their little sister came down wanting to make one, and they happily worked together to help her do that, I really could’t be upset. It was a good reminder to me that messes are part of childhood and part of learning. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a mother and school teacher, it’s that messes can be cleaned up.

Hands-on experiences are crucial for developing minds and hands. It is so important for little hands to really get into what they are doing. Immersing themselves in the creative process allows kids to be more engaged and to learn from what they are doing. 

Think about a child playing with kinetic sand or play-doh. To get the full experience of playing with those things, a child needs to use their hands to manipulate and create. It’s not enough to just look at it. Creating art is, by nature, a hands-on experience, regardless of the medium being used. 

Creating not only inspires great thinking; it also helps develop a plethora of other skills. Coloring promotes proper pencil/crayon/marker holding. Painting helps develop hand control. Cutting with scissors and gluing small pieces are both great for helping refine fine motor skills. Thinking through the process of what to create and how to create it gives rise to creative thinking. If creating with other people, it allows for cooperative creation and learning. When the creating is finished, children can learn valuable clean up skills, and can learn the importance of picking up their messes and leaving their area clean and tidy. 

Another thing that stems from creating is a sense of pride and accomplishment. Upon finishing, kids are able to immediately see the results of their hard work. They can display their creations and can feel proud of themselves for what they’ve done. This feeling of accomplishment can help foster confidence that can carry over into other areas of their life. 

Creating art really is much more than just paper, scissors, markers, and glue. Sure, it entertains kids and is fun. But, really, it aids in so many other areas of development and life that it is a very valuable tool. 

So the next time your child asks you to let them create something, and you’re tempted to turn them down, take a minute and think about the benefits of creating, and maybe you’ll reconsider!

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Access to Technology: A Benefit or a Detriment?

Technology is both a blessing and a curse in classroom settings. When used correctly, it can greatly enhance and enrich learning. When it becomes a distraction, however, it can become a detriment to learning. In the poll I conducted, 81% of teachers polled identified access to technology as a major problem they see among their students. 

We live in a world where technology is pretty much unavoidable. We rely on our devices for so many things, and I don’t see that going away any time soon, if ever. Many students have easy access to various technologies, and recent trends show that kids are becoming addicted to screens at young ages. This addiction to screens isn’t a problem that stays at home; it’s bleeding over into school. We’re seeing students who have a hard time staying focused for more than a few minutes at a time, are getting bored with traditional instructional methods that don’t involve technology, and who can’t think for themselves. For students who have and bring a phone to school, it becomes a temptation when it’s in their pocket, and a distraction when it’s not. 

One teacher polled said, “Students are sleeping in class because they have stayed up all night on their phones, have shorter attention spans because they scroll, increased lack of desire and motivation to do work because it doesn’t give them that dopamine hit, and an inability to focus on a task for more than 5 min (and this is 6th grade!)”

Even younger grades are experiencing problems with this. A second grade teacher said, “I believe that access to too much technology has greatly impacted their “need” to get immediate rewards/stimulation. They have a hard time with giving things their full attention unless it is online.”

Since this problem isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, we have to find ways to rein it in and help our students focus and control their need for screens. Much of the screen time addiction starts at home. Too often, some parents use screens as a “babysitter” for their kids. That’s not to say that all parents do this, because I know that’s not true; there are many parents who do limit screen time and are very good about setting boundaries with it. Since the problem usually starts at home, the solution should also start at home, then carry over into school. If students can learn to control their need for screens, they are going to be able to focus more, learn more, and truly experience life more. 

In the classroom, teachers can limit how much work is done on computers. I understand that having students complete and turn in assignments online makes it so much easier than having a ton of papers sitting around. But there has to be a balance somewhere between too much technology, and not enough. 

It’s a tricky balance, for sure, and what works for one teacher may not work for another. However a teacher chooses to manage access to technology in their own classrooms is up to them. I don’t think technology should be completely eliminated from classrooms. It really can be an incredibly useful tool in instruction and learning. Because we live in such a digital world, it’s also essential that students have some computer skills, as they won’t be able to avoid technology in the “real world.” 

I think as long as teachers are doing their best to combat the over-access to technology, students will figure out that they don’t really need their phones 24/7. Technology is definitely useful, but it’s not the only thing that can be used.