Over the past two months, new types of desks and chairs have been available for students to try in the A-Pod. Now that it is confirmed that PCS will be moving to their new campus next year, PCS is deciding on new chairs and tables for the new campus.
Currently, each room at PCS contains different types of chairs, tables, and solo desks for students and teachers to use. Many of the metal chairs are rusty, bent, and uncomfortable yet still widely used throughout the school. Newer white and mostly plastic chairs have been bought to replace some of these metal chairs but these new plastic chairs are already deteriorating–many have ripped sides or backs, making the chairs uncomfortable and harder to sit in.
“A lot of the chairs, unfortunately, are in an almost unstable condition” said Junior Parker Dolton. “A lot of the chairs are falling apart right now. It really can be widened to a concern of student safety.”
PCS also has many solo desks available for student use in a few classes. While some classrooms only have a few in the back for extra space if needed, other classrooms have these solo desks available as the main writing surface for all students. Of course, there are the few comfy chairs scattered around PCS and various other types of other plastic and metal chairs used in some classes. But the majority of these chairs are old and damaged.
The condition of tables is no better than the condition of chairs in the majority of the classes. PCS has many tables with plastic on top with writing all over it and some of these tables are even bent at the middle or sides. But PCS does have some nice tables available for student use too. In a few select classrooms, the tables are newer and higher quality tables than the mentioned plastic tables. These ones are bigger and have hardtops that prevent inscription on their surfaces. Some of these tables are not even foldable tables, unlike the majority of the plastic and hardtop tables used at PCS.
“They’re not very smooth…They’re dirty and not sturdy,” said Math Teacher Trung Lai,. “I would prefer to fit at least three people [per table].” Mr. Lai emphasized just how unfit the table tops were for writing on.
Part of the chair problem that PCS has is that “there is no standardization of the chairs” across the classrooms, according to Junior Jason Zheng. If each classroom were to be emptied and all the chairs lined up, a very diverse range of chairs, tables and desks would be on view. At the new campus, PCS will eliminate this issue by buying hundreds of the same chair that has attributes that students have voiced they would like to see in a school chair.
“We should have the big, comfy chairs” said seventh grader Logan Cardoza when asked about the types of chairs he has tried. Cardoza said that it would be a bad idea to have wheelie chairs in classrooms because of the potential distraction they could create.
Senior Keshav Batish said that he thinks the new chairs should have some “lower back support” because students sit in these chairs all day. Having more ergonomic chairs would help the students maintain a strong back, he said.
To say the least; PCS has a “chair problem,” explains Dolton, “it always has since its creation.” This problem is one that PCS is hoping to fix by the time the new school year rolls around the and new building is remodeled and ready to use.