Like other teachers, Kody Pudil’s students sit in desks, but next year he will get all kinds of cozy assortments. Pudil is part of a small group of teachers who applied for grant money—hoping to swap some of their desks for couches, chairs and standing desks. He is lucky to be a science teacher because he has a lab room that makes it easier for kids to work on projects and labs.

Something as major as switching a lot of seats would cost a lot of money. If approved, the grant from the ICCSD Foundation would fund the classroom renovations. The true cost is unknown, but it would cost roughly $30,000 per room and students will be able to choose where they sit, and they can change where they sit every day.

There will be some obstacles along the way to switch up the seating. Some of the obstacles are how everyday class will change, and how will students write without a desk in front of them. Otherwise, there will most likely be improvements in grades with some students. The happier and more comfortable a student is The harder they want to work.

If every teacher at West did this, there would be a huge increase in grades across the whole school. That is not saying every student would have an increase in their grades that is just saying that most students who want to do well in school and go to college will get a grade increase.

Open seating will not change how many slackers there are, but it will improve the grades of hard workers. This shows it pays to be a hard worker. All classes might go to this, but it is no guarantee. It’s not cheap to perform the switch, but it is worth every penny.