Aspects Which Make the Seating Arrangements for Teachers Different

It would be an absolute misnomer to consider the traditional Indian relational dynamics between a student and a teacher as the reason behind providing the latter a different seating arrangement. It definitely is true that the teachers in the Indian educational system are accorded a position of respect and honour, given the fact that the act of providing and receiving education is highly noble. Teaching is a noble profession, and the chair symbolises the great responsibility the teacher assumes, of educating minds and creating a better generation.

Hence, it is not about demonstrating the students as subordinate to the teacher in the classroom, rather it is all about the duties that the teacher feels obligated to fulfill.

Why must a teacher table and chair be different from that of a students?

A teacher typically spends more hours in the school than a student. Teachers are supposed to clock in early, and clock out only after all the students have departed, and they have fulfilled their official duties beyond teaching. This justifies the magnitude of responsibilities that a teacher fulfills, along with the demanding nature of the profession.

Facilitating communication :- The method of teaching practised in Indian classrooms are following the top to bottom mode of communication. It implies that the communication of the academic matters flow from the end of the teachers to that of the students. Naturally, the teachers are supposed to have a holistic, panoramic view of the classroom, and that is why the seating arrangement meant for the teachers are generally more elevated than the ones meant for the pupils. Not just for teaching purposes, the elevated positioning of the seating arrangement for the teacher allows them to have a better scope of minding the conduct in the classroom environment.

Fulfilment of responsibilities beyond teaching :- For instance, during the parent teacher meeting, or sometimes when a student is supposed to present something before the class, the table of the teacher comes handy. When discussing about the progress of a particular student in the classroom, a teacher is supposed to present some documented reports to the parents in order to make them understand the reason behind the opinions they have formed. That would require much more space compared to that of a seating arrangement meant for a student. Also, for a better view, when presenting some project in the classroom, or maybe some kind of model, the teachers table is the best corner in the classroom.

Conduciveness of having a healthy seating posture :- It is necessary for the teacher to have a proper posture in the classroom which would represent their authority, and a mark of strong personality. Apart from that, the health concerns of the teacher are also important as they are supposed to spend a lot of energy in the classroom explaining things to the students which they never have had an idea before. Hence, the teacher table and chair must support these conditions adequately. As a mark of etiquette, and discipline the teacher is supposed to Keep their hands placed on the table throughout the class. Also, an ergonomic design to maintain a healthy posture in the classroom that would keep the teacher away from back pain and other health related issues are also supposed to be supported.

Wider surface requirement for the table :- Apart from the belongings of the teacher, the table is also supposed to be the spot on which several other items are also kept safely. The teaching material from which the teacher is supposed to deliver the lecture to the pupils in the classroom; the chalk box and the duster; in some cases electronic gadgets like laptops and microphones which support the needs of a smart class; also, the heap of notebooks and the answer scripts collected for evaluation purposes, et cetera, are some of the items which are supposed to be kept only on the teachers table. Naturally the need for a wider surface area is necessary.

Making space for storage :- Although classrooms generally are provided with a cupboard as a storage space for the notebooks of the students selected for correction, the table of the teacher can still have several drawers attached to it. It can come handy for keeping some essential things meant for the classroom, and it could be found easily, without the teacher having to move. Also, It could be beneficial for keeping something extremely important within a short reach for the purpose of safety and freedom from the concerns of misplacement.

Wrapping up

It becomes quite evident that the teacher table and chair is significantly different from the seating arrangements meant for the students, on grounds of certain technicalities that the learning environment demands. The differences are not merely meant to make the teacher feel superior to the students in the classroom.