There’s one prevalent issue at DGS that exceeds all others. Every student is affected by it. It’s not access. It’s the garbage chairs.
At least, those classical ones that probably haven’t been replaced since the 90’s.
Those old school desks are possibly the worst design for a chair ever thought up. They feel designed to cause maximum discomfort and annoyance. First of all, the actual chair part is awful after about 10 minutes.
The chairs age me every time I sit on one. Ergonomics is thrown out the window from step one.
Secondly, there’s also those tiny, useless desks. A Chromebook can fit, but that’s about it. Trying to take notes from a textbook is simply impossible.
The notebook and textbook can’t coexist on those awful tan desks. Some of these chairs also have their desks tilted up from age. Placing and using anything on the desk is an absolute nightmare due to the extreme angle.
Let’s talk about that angle for a bit. Most items won’t fall off, but pencils absolutely can and will. I’ve had countless pencils fall off the desk, and picking them can be a hassle too.
Depending on where they fall, it’s possible that one might have to awkwardly contort their arm around the metal bar to pick up the fallen pencil. Even if it’s just a standard pick up, the act of bending over is made all the more annoying by how these desks expertly murder your back.
It’s no secret that these chairs are old, and it shows in the absolutely brutal squeaking noises. If I dare try to move to get comfortable, some of these chairs are impossibly loud. It’s embarrassing when the chair squeaks or groans because everyone hears it.
It’s a megaphone of the most annoying screeching noises. It’s probably from the souls of the people who’ve had the displeasure of using these truly awful creations.
These chairs are also heavy to carry and a pain to move around. Setting up discussions is a five minute process at the very least because of how awkward these desks are to move. Of course, since no one wants to pick the desks up, they screech.
It’s a chorus of pain that can only have originated from Satan himself, and it’s displeasure to everyone that has ears.
Additionally, the setup of these chairs is rough. Since they’re so large and clunky, there’s only a limited number of ways that these chairs can actually be configured. There’s two ways that are the most common: rows and groups.
The row setup isn’t efficient and is just frustrating to use. Firstly, moving around the classroom can be extremely difficult depending on how small the room is. I’ve had rooms where I’ve been crammed into the corner of the room, and it’s a nightmare to move around.
One has to expertly avoid the sea of backpacks that’s on the ground, and bumping into someone is almost a certainty. The whole classroom environment just feels cramped. Then there’s the issue of making a configuration for discussions.
As one can imagine, the issue of these desks being clunky is exasperated by how crowded everything is. Trying to coordinate a whole classroom to create even just a simple shape as a circle can be a pain. The whole operation can be thrown off if someone is absent.
Moving the desks back is also frustrating, and can often last into the passing period to the annoyance of all involved.
The group setup with four desks pushed together is better, but it has its own set of issues. The main one is the fact that everything gets crowded quickly. With Chromebooks, notebooks and water bottles the desks become cluttered, and one wrong move can send a metal water bottle screaming towards the ground.
It’s just inefficient and clunky.
Therefore, the solution to this problem is clear. Instead of these outdated and useless desks, tables with plastic chairs are desperately needed. Words cannot express how glorious this change would be.
