Selecting the right height school chair for your classroom can be tricky. Many teachers find themselves asking, "what size school chairs do I need for my classroom?". Classroom chairs and school furniture typically don't come with a size printed on the side or bottom, so how do you know you are ordering the right size chair for your school classroom? Worthington Direct has put together several helpful aids to get you the correct school chair you need.
Most school chairs for 5th grade through high school use a standard 18" chair. Some manufacturers, like Scholar Craft offer a 17.5" or 17 1/2" student chair instead of an 18" chair, which is also considered a full size chair. 5th Grade students through High School, to Adult size student chairs are typically 18" high - the de facto standard chair height. Worthington Direct recommends only 18 inch size for High School Chairs and Middle School chairs.For preschool through 4th grade it is best you measure your existing school chairs or reference our chair size table to choose the best height classroom chairs for your school. This helpful Wikipedia article goes in to great depth about school chair dimensions and ergonomics relating to chair size.
An important rule of thumb is that you can always fit a student in to a larger chair, but you should never seat a child in a chair too small for them. Students in too-small school chairs create antsy, fidgeting, uncomfortable students who are more likely to act out and be disruptive. A larger chair will be more comfortable and fit the student best as they continue to grow. The breakdown of school chairs is generally 12" chairs for preschool and smaller kindergartners, 14" chairs for larger kindergartners and most 1st graders and smaller 2nd graders, 16" classroom chairs for larger 2nd graders, most 3rd graders and fourth grade students. 18" Chairs fit the tallest 5th graders and are an excellent choice for middle schools, high schools and colleges. 12, 14, 16 and 18" chairs are made by popular manufacturers such as Virco, Scholar CraftRoyal and more.
To measure a school chair these steps should be taken. Place your existing school chair on a flat surface. Find the tallest point on the seat (not the backrest) of your student's chair. Measure from the floor to the highest point. This should give you the correct height for the chair you need to order.
Some manufacturers build chairs smaller than 12" high. It is tempting to order these 7, 8, 9 and 10" chairs for your students, especially when the prices are lower cost than a 14" or 16" chair, but it is important to note that children ages 3 and up cannot sit in such small chairs for very long. School chairs as small as 7"-10" are generally designed for 12 months to two years and will quickly outgrow them. Such small sizes are thus only recommended for early childhood centers that specialize in the age range of 12-24 months.
Ever wander down a long hallway at a school, church or conference center, searching for the room you were supposed to be in 5 minutes ago? Wouldn't it have been nice to have a directory or an informational sign to speed you along to your destination? Many educational centers and places of worship have hallways that span in many directions and for guests or new comers, this can be confusing.
Greet your guest with a welcoming sign or a easy to read message board that will give them instant orientation and confirmation that they are in the correct place. There are several options when it comes to getting your message read. If you have frequent special events, you may need a portable sign that can be moved for location to location. Wall mounted message centers have a professional look and offer a reliable point of contact for visitors.
Wall mounted message centers are usually lockable and are enclosed in clear acrylic to protect messages from being tampered with. They usually have either aluminum frame or oak frame trim to compliment any decor. Customize your enclosed bulletin boards by opting for a header that promotes a particular school club or company name. Mounting them to the wall is a simple process and models are even available for covered outdoor use.
Keep safety in mind and post portable caution signs when there's construction or provide safe crowd control with clearly marked directions. Avoid conflict between your guests that are waiting in a concessional line by providing an arrowed-shaped sign that clearly states where the line forms. Many portable signs have weighted bases for stability and can be used as a temporary outdoor sign for directing foot traffic or alerting visitors to use an alternate entry.
Not all handwriting is neat, so many portable signs or enclosed message centers have letter boards for the use of changeable letters so that the message is uniform and legible. Cork bulletin panels can also be found on many hallway signs that allow printed flyers and documents to be pinned up with ease. This is especially helpful for guests attending a special event that may have a flyer in hand, as they will instantly recognize that they have arrived at the correct doorway or entry.
Signs don't always block up the scenery, sometimes they allow people to better enjoy their time when they know exactly where they are heading. Look around your school, church or community center and see if there is a way to better assist your visitors and put the writing on the wall.
The final $787 billion stimulus bill that President Obama is expected to sign today contains $105.9 billion for education, including $650 million for the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. Although encouraged by an increase of more than double its current funding level, ed-tech advocates said they were disappointed EETT did not receive the $1 billion it was slated to receive in earlier drafts of the package. In past years, EETT has been repeatedly targeted for cuts. "The funding provides a much-needed down payment toward meeting President Obama's vision that all students receive the benefits of 21st-century learning environments, but the final level of investment falls short of funding in the House and Senate bills, and far short of what is needed by our students to compete in today's digital age," read a statement from the International Society for Technology in Education and the Consortium for School Networking. The two groups noted President Obama's commitment to education, and urged Congress to increase ed-tech funding levels in FY09 and FY10. An estimated $9.9 billion total investment is needed to ensure that all Title I schools have effective, technology-rich classrooms, according to the groups. The EETT funding in the stimulus bill "will provide critical support to states, districts, and schools to respond to warnings from the business community that students are not being prepared for the intellectual demands of the modern workplace," said Mary Ann Wolf, executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association. "Schools are ready, willing, and able to make technology a critical component of education, so that education focuses on what students need to learn and how students need to learn to compete in the modern workforce... For a wireless nation that relies on technology for ordinary tasks and extraordinary achievements, it is time for technology to occupy a prominent place in education operations." The stimulus package will help essential funding find its way to schools in the midst of budget deficits and "will help cash-strapped school districts avoid program cuts, prevent teacher layoffs, invest in school modernization and increase funding for Title I, special education, and other important programs," said a statement from the American Association of School Administrators. Acknowledging that the bill does lack some key funding areas that educators enthusiastically supported, the administrators' group said that while the bill "does not include the level of funding for school construction included in the House version of the bill," it is still a solid step in the right direction. "This is a solid recognition by Congress that the road to economic recovery runs through our classrooms," National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel said in a Feb. 13 statement. eSchool News- Education snags $105.9B in stimulus package
Worthington Direct is proud to offer environmentally friendly school furniture from top manufacturers such as Virco, Smith System, Jonti-Craft, Best-Rite and Bretford.
Look for Greenguard Certified products that ensure improved indoor air quality (http://www.greenguard.org/ ). Our website, http://www.worthingtondirect.com/, features a section for “Greenguard Certified Eco-Friendly Furniture”, and the Greenguard logo can also be found throughout our printed catalog identifying participating products. We also offer products constructed of reclaimed materials. These products include Telos classroom furniture from Virco and Rubber-Tak boards made from 100% recycled rubber by Best-Rite. New for 2009 is Best-Rite’s Green-Rite markerboard that has 30% recyclable product and is recognized for its exceptional material content and emission standards.
As a direct mail company, Worthington Direct is also environmentally aware and participates in the “Partners in Planting Program” which underwrites the planting of trees.
Worthington Direct is a very competitive furniture dealer who offers a 2% discount if you take advantage of pre-pay. Purchase orders accepted or you can order by phone, fax, or online. Receive instant shipping quotes online or request a custom volume quote from their courteous sales staff. For more information, contact the Sales Department, 800-599-6636 or info@worthingtondirect.com
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