New Furniture Means Happy Teacher & Happy Students

In March of 2014 I was lucky enough to become the third 1:1 class at my site. We have come a long way since then...all 3rd - 5th grade classes are 1:1 to this year and the whole site will be next year.

As I incorporated the use of 1:1 devices in my classroom I started to call their desks workstations, I allowed students to sit where they like as long as they were working. I brought in flexible seating and removed all "teacher"

furniture except my reading table, a book case, and file cabinet (which I want to remove soon). Yet we were still limited in what we could and could not do since we had to have the student desks in our room. I wanted to get rid of them so badly. This year with four more students, and therefore four more desks the room felt even smaller and things were hard to manage in flexible groups. I needed furniture that would allow movement and I began to look at all of the modular furniture on Pinterest with envy. I wanted it so badly.

In August I found out that my school district was starting to purchase mobile trapezoid tables and chairs along with NeoRok stools. A friend didn't want this furniture in her room and I tried to get permission to have the furniture traded out with the furniture in my room but we were not allowed to move them between sites. I even begged via Twitter! Seriously!

After tweeting my desire for the new furniture several times and tagging the superintendent
I was told that each site would be piloting the new furniture in one classroom. Knowing that I had tried so hard to get this furniture before school started my principal asked me if I wanted to be the pilot class at our site. YES! There was no doubt I wanted this new furniture. Well it finally came a few weeks ago and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

 

We have 12 tables which seems like a lot but once we get them moving around the room it actually works very well for us. We are constantly moving the tables around to accommodate what we are working on. They are easy to move - well at least for the students who have suffered no injuries, whereas their teacher has run over her toes 6 times and it HURTS to have these tables roll over your toes. I am in love with the change these tables have brought to my classroom, and to my class. It will be interesting to see what happens when they remove 1/2 the chairs to replace them with the NeoRok stools (we have 8 Hooki stools so I know they will like these stools). I think this will be a great addition to our flexible seating, particularly since a few of my kids can't stay still with the caster chairs.

The only downside of the new furniture is that some of my kids have become the people from the movie wall-e...they never get out of their chairs and just roll everywhere. We are working on that. I wish I had had this furniture for years but I am just so thrilled I have it now. #21stcenturylearning is happening here!

Do you have modular furniture in your room? If so, how do you maximize its use? If not, how do you create flexible seating in your room? I love learning how others arrange their rooms so if you can, share photos of your rooms too.