Dare to Un-Chair: Challenge Accepted

In October I received an email about a new blog post from my favorite website, "The Art of Education". This blog post was titled, " 5 Compelling Reasons to Get Rid of Chairs in Your Room". This title really intrigued me, so I decided to check it out. After reading the 5 reasons that removing chairs from the art room, I decided to give it a try with my next fifth grade class. At first, the older students complained about having to stand but then they began to really enjoy not having chairs. My younger students immediately liked it because they are able to reach their projects much better than when using tables and chairs that are big enough for the upper-grade-level students but not small enough for them. 

After four months of having a chair-less classroom this is what I have noticed:

1. Behavior problems have decreased, attention during lessons has increased. 
• Many of my students are paying better attention by standing and listening to me because they are able to move and stand comfortably in awhile that best suites them. This limits student distractions. I have watched some of my more difficult students strive in my class ever since I have taken away the chairs.
2. Project quality has increased.
• Since the removal of chairs, I have found that the quality of work students turn in has dramatically increased. I don't really have an explanation for this. Maybe they are getting more blood flow to their brain or able to work at an angle that is better, I'm really not sure. All I know is that the work has been so much more creative and at a higher quality. Which at an elementary level, is hard to achieve. 
3. Your colleagues will either walk into your room and think you're a genius or walk in and think you are crazy. 
• Whenever someone who doesn't know that I have decided to remove the chairs from my room walks into my room, one of two reactions occur. They are either horrified and worried that someone must have taken my chairs and I should try to get them back, or they think its a really cool idea. When my principal walked in the first time without students I think he was skeptical, he did the infamous, "mm hmm" and walked out. Now that he has watched the students in progress and has realized a set-up like this is the pure definition of differentiation, he is a believer and supporter of the idea.  

It was definitely a risk to remove chairs from my classroom, but I am definitely glad that I did it. Now, I let the students have a choice. Some students will grab a chair but usually they prefer to work without one. I have enjoyed the creativity that has come from my students in this classroom setup. I'm looking forward to what's to come. I encourage you to take a risk in your classroom, you never know what may happen.