ADAMS TOWNSHIP — The impression so far this school year is that the new flexible seating has been a very positive option to introduce into Clinton-Massie Elementary classrooms.
Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Columbus Foundation, young students who struggle with attention deficit disorder or just have trouble sitting in a seat that long now can have something other than a standard student desk.
There are some seven or eight different choices for flexible seating, ranging from flexible yoga balls, to pillows on the floor, to a “tray” that sits across a lap so children can sit in seats and just use the tray for a desktop, said Clinton-Massie Superintendent Matt Baker.
“The kids seem to be taking to it really well,” the superintendent said after Monday night’s board of education session.
Shelley Bailey, Clinton-Massie Elementary School assistant principal, said the district purchased about 40 exercise balls this summer at a Dayton store for $5 each.
“In some cases, we’ve just taken the legs off student desks,” she said in detailing how the grant amount can me made to serve a number of students.
Clinton-Massie Local Schools Board of Education Vice President Chris Harrison said when his son was younger, he stood in class.
“So I know there are things that definitely help them to be able to concentrate more on what they’re working on,” said Harrison.
Bailey responded there are a couple standing desks in fifth grade.
Overall, Bailey said she sees more engagement now with the flexible seating in use, with fewer students looking around during class.
If a student can get a little bit of a bounce on the ball, he or she will be able to concentrate more because they will release a little bit of energy, according to Bailey. Moreover, it does not appear to bother other students.
“The student has to use it correctly or has to go back to a regular desk,” she said.
Baker said he thinks the district may be able “to outfit pretty much every [elementary] classroom” with flexible seating for those students who can benefit from it.
The grant is especially targeted to help small rural schools, said Bailey.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.