by Alex Mallozzi
Should schools mandate standing desks in their classrooms? Research suggests they should.
An article published on informEd from 2017 says that sitting too much can be disastrous for our health, and in recent years it has taken a toll on the health of students. Obesity, blood pressure, and cholesterol rates are common results of high levels of daily inactivity. Excessive sitting not only affects a student's physical health, but their academic success and even self-esteem. Students of all ages spend up to 60-70% of their waking hours stationary. Students in the US spend an average of 4.5 hours sitting in school, and an additional 7 hours in front of a screen. These habits develop in unfortunate students after years of inactivity and are carried into adulthood, increasing chances of obesity and other issues.
A recent study done in three schools in Texas attempted to monitor the effects of standing desks in classrooms. Two groups of students had their BMI (Body Mass Index) monitored, with the control group using sitting desks and the experimental group using standing desks. These two groups were monitored during their third and fourth periods. While the control group had an increase in their BMI of 2%, the stand desk group had a decrease in theirs of 3%. These results were consistent, regardless of gender or race. It was found that, on average, students burn 15-25% more calories when standing rather than sitting. The results are even greater in obese students, who burn 25-35% more. Standing desks also prove to relieve symptoms of ADHD by giving students more opportunities to fidget and spend their energy.
A parent and physical therapist, Kelly Starrett, noticed children were quickly tiring during a field day at their school in San Rafael, California. The concerned parent concluded a lack of activity during the school day was the root cause.
The wife of Mr. Starrett, Juliet Starrett, says “We left that day and that was sort of the first time we thought, hey, we’ve been recommending standing desks to every adult we work with in the corporate world or athletic world or otherwise, and yet there we are sending our kids off to sit there all day for six hours.”
The couple then went on to start the nonprofit organization “StandUpKids” with the goal of providing standing desks to schools across America.
The interview with Alex Benoit, an upper school English teacher who uses a standing desk during the school day, went as following:
AM = Alex Mallozzi
AB= Alex Benoit
AM: “Do you prefer your standing desk to your regular one? Why or why not?”
AB: “Absolutely my standing desk; I drive a lot for work and the reason I have a standing desk is so that I’m not sedentary for more hours of the day.”
AM: “Have you noticed any effects, positive or negative, that your desk has had on your health?”
AB: “A lot less back and foot pain, I have more energy, and usually after a long day of work I'm zapped of energy, but I find if I’m standing all day that’s much less likely to happen. Although I obviously sit [a bit] during the day, 90-95% of the time I’m standing.”
AM: “Do you think students should be able to use standing desks in a classroom?”
AB: “In an ideal world, yes, and desks are in a big “U” shape so they can see each other as well as me. I have a podium in the back of my classroom that students sometimes use, but it would be great if everyone could have the opportunity to stand.”
AM: “Do you think it's worth the school's money to invest in standing desks for all the classrooms?”
AB: “I think there are more important things to focus on at the moment, like the upper school building and making sure facilities are up to date. Eventually I think it will be a very worthy thing to spend money on, considering a lot of the data suggests that people who stand are more productive and lead healthier lives.”
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