Towards the end of the pandemic, Illinois classrooms were allowed to continue schooling but had to enforce health mandates like the six-feet-apart rule, which also applied to how far away desks should be from each other. This was a justified and understandable action even though it was difficult for students. But the pandemic is over, so why do most LT classrooms still continue to have row-column seating instead of grouped seating? 

Now before I start explaining, the purpose of this staff editorial is to not criticize or shame any teachers who keep column-row seating in their classrooms, but rather to inform them of the negative effects it has on students while demonstrating the advantages of grouped seating. 

If you are a teacher and think that seating placement doesn’t make a difference on the mental health of students, you are wrong. School is meant to be a place where you socialize and interact with peers. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to teachers when students in their class are more likely to use their phones than engage with one another. But could you blame them? No eye contact, no physical communication, and most importantly, no verbal interactions.

Most students are too shy or too lazy to tap the person in front of them just to have a casual conversation. They’re also less likely to talk to the person next to them because they are spaced just far enough that it can make starting a conversation uncomfortable or awkward. So, instead, they opt to just go on their phones. Not only does column-row seating limit students’ ability to socialize, but it also forces them to rely heavily on the usage of their phones in social settings. 

But if you were to place students directly across from each other, they are more likely to start conversations, even if they don’t know the other student. Now, for students who are shy, it might push their social boundaries, but learning how to socialize is a crucial skill that students should learn throughout their high school career. But in case there are introverted students who won’t step outside their comfort zone by starting a conversation, it allows for extroverted students to interact and include them in the conversations. This would give them chances to talk to students that they would never approach on their own. 

I also believe that row column-row seating doesn’t increase productivity in classrooms. Many students are often tired at school, and when they don’t have any interactions with other students throughout their classes, it allows them to get tired, distracted, and bored. Having students sit in groups allows them to work together on schoolwork rather than relying solely on their own minds to stay focused on the subject for extended periods of time.

Teachers often argue that column-row seating prevents cheating on tests, and this is correct. But that is not what I’m arguing. I do believe teachers should do column-row seating for tests, because on test days there is no reason for a student to need to interact with others until they finish their test. So if teachers want to do column-row seating for test days, that’s understandable.

LT students are not industrial tools, and when we are confined to rows of desks for seven hours a day, that’s exactly how it feels. Makes it seem like LT isn’t crafting creative thinkers but instead obedient workers. Introducing grouped seating in classrooms creates a more productive and happy student for LT. 

Staff Vote: 16-7