By: Trump Vang

Imagine a school environment. What do you envision? A white board? A teacher? A computer? While those are parts of the school environment, you may be forgetting a common object that’s found within a classroom. Whether it be long lectures or taking tests, the common school desk plays an important part in our education today.

Over the years, school desks have developed alongside youth education. Originally invented in 1880, the desk was created by John D. Loughlin in Ohio. The first iteration created by Loughlin was known as “The Fashion Desk”, and was quite popular across the United States due to some of its aesthetic aspects. The American Desk has evolved since then, becoming the wraparound desk and the simple chair plus table set.

As of today, school desks have evolved in their own way to accommodate students and teachers needs. Across the world, students and teachers require different needs, and this is evident within their school desks. For example, in Finland, their classroom furniture is unlike the hard tables and chairs that we’re used to. Instead of the rigidity of the wraparound desk, schools in Finland mix a combination of comfortable chairs with movable tables. These aspects of their classroom allows for an easier collaboration between students and simpler applications of planned activities. Compared to American Education, Finland has a much more relaxed approach to learning, and this is reflected by their choice in desks and collaborative tables.

Taking a look at another country with different education standards, India is on the other side of the spectrum. In their classroom, students are expected to listen and follow their structure without interruptions or questions. To accommodate these standards, Indian school desks are made up of a long table accompanied by two school chairs. These desks are always made to face the front of the room and teacher to allow for more concentration. Through this, students are able to place their focus on the teacher and their education as a whole.

While being common throughout many classrooms, not all classrooms come along with desks. Many countries around the world face economic problems and are unable to properly provide facilities and school furniture. Some of the countries, such as Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda have overcrowding issues in classrooms, and these problems only become more exasperating. Though, not everything needs to have proper school furniture to function. Youth are still able to learn through the efforts of their teachers and their own efforts towards their education. In this instance, desks aren’t a necessary item and their absence in this instance shows that a classroom only requires a teacher to function.

Desks are an important part of the classroom and they help reflect on the style of education presented by their teachers. Though no matter the type of desk, the atmosphere of the classroom and the teaching style of the teacher, this is always true: Education is always prevalent no matter the environment that surrounds it. School desks are just a small part of a student’s days that help accommodate them towards the needs of their education system.

For more information, please visit: 

• https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2012/10/visual-history-school-desks
• https://www.irnsurplus.com/wp/2016/03/14/school-desks-and-chairs-the-simplest-most-important-resource
• https://toolbox.finland.fi/life-society/teachers-in-finland
• https://schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net/india/academic-administrative-matters/in-the-classroom