Students in Mr. Carney’s high school geometry class are taking a stand — at their new, standing desks, that is. And so are students in his Algebra II, Statistics, Pre-Calculus, and SAT Math Prep classes. Instead of spending some 40 minutes in class sitting at a traditional desk, up to eight students in each of his classes can choose to stand and do their work. Mr. Carney can already notice a difference. “It’s helping students be able to concentrate and focus better,” he said. Some research also indicates that test scores increase with this innovative alternative to classroom seating.
Mr. Carney first heard about the health and educational benefits of standing desks a year ago at the NEXUS teachers’ conference sponsored by the Association for Christian Schools International. An accomplished carpenter who also teaches a woodworking class at ACS, Mr. Carney decided to build his own desks. He installed two, 8-foot-long standing desks in September and had his woodworking class sand and stain one of the them. If all goes well, he plans to add a third standing desk in January, which would give up to half of the students in his classes the option to stand. “The students who have tried it so far seem to like it,” Mr. Carney said. “It’s a healthy alternative and if it helps them do better at math, then the desks will be here to stay.”