Students at the Vallecito Elementary School in San Rafael are literally standing up for their education, as the school is now using standing desks for several classrooms.
Chairs have been removed from four of the school's classrooms and students spend the day standing at their desks. The standing desks were purchased using money donations from parents who were increasingly becoming concerned about how sedentary kids have become.
For some teachers such as 4th grade teacher Maureen Zink, the standing desks are the wave of the future. Another teacher, Gina Roberts said that the desks allowed the students room to "wiggle," while maintaining their minds and focus on her.
However, most of the students thought the change was weird and some even suffered sore legs for a couple of weeks. But the kids soon overcame this initial reaction and most have grown to like it. According to the students, the standing desks stretch their bones out, are "fun," and make them more focused.
The standing desks do not tire the students out; instead, students get to burn off all their excess energy. They even come furnished with a swinging foot stand, appropriately called a "fidget bar."
The grown ups are more than convinced. The teachers say the students are attentive in class, while the parents say the children sleep better at night.
