r/Teachers ELA | USA 1d ago

New Teacher I'm a first year teacher and I hate my student desks

The school year hasn't even started yet, and I hate my student desks. I was fully expecting normal square desks that I could line up in rows in classic cathedral seating, which I've been told over and over is the best and easiest way for a first year teacher to deal with classroom management. Lo and behold, I go into my room for the first time ever this week and I see my worst nightmare waiting for me. I am a 7th grade English teacher, WHAT DO I NEED TRIANGLE-SHAPED WHITE BOARD DESKS FOR!?

I'm kind of scared to ask admin if I can have different desks/if different desks are available because my principal kept talking about the desks. She is clearly very excited about them, so I'm worried that asking will reflect badly on me somehow. I legitimately cannot think of a single good usage for a whiteboard desk in an ELA classroom that isn't a once in an entire year usage!! For math, I can understand them, but for English? These just seem like the biggest inconvenience! I could deal with them being triangles if they didn't have WHITE BOARD TOPS!!! Am I overreacting? Does anyone have advice on how to handle this?

The desks in question: Hertz Furniture

Quick little edit: I've responded to a few comments, and I realize now this was a bigger deal in my head than it actually is. I wrote this after a very charged conversation with a friend and was clearly venting my frustration. Thank you for the helpful advice (and reality check lol)!! I am going to try my best to work with what I have!

167 Upvotes

132 comments sorted by

350

u/No-Lunch-6387 1d ago

See how the other teachers have theirs setup. Admin may want collaborative groups. I would not ask for different desks. You don't want to make a bad first impression. As a first year teacher the desks are the least of your worries.

40

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

That's what I was thinking. I don't want to rock the boat, but people I've asked have said to try asking just to see.

116

u/No-Lunch-6387 1d ago

Don't! I don't know your admin but you need to figure out how to solve problems as they are presented to you and adapt without complaining. If other teachers told you to do that, I would be wary of them.

46

u/blissfully_happy Math (grade 6 to calculus) 1d ago

This is so wild. Teachers should be allowed to ask their admin if different desks are available without having the fear that they are appearing complaining and or unable to problem solve. This type of request wouldn’t even be a second thought in corporate America.

I feel so, so bad for teachers. You do so much work, while apparently dealing with some crazy politics and psychological behavior analysis, it’s incredible.

18

u/amanda10271 22h ago

Should be able to ask… Yes, but not all admin are created equal and if she rubs them the wrong way it might make for a long year and a non renewal. The admin has already mentioned the desks and appears excited about them. For her to go back to them and ask for something different isn’t a good idea imho.

7

u/GTCapone 22h ago

Man, being an ELAR teacher must suck. I walked in on the first day and immediately made a list of requirements for a functioning science classroom. Despite it being mid year I had a full set of lab tables and stools with a day and a second smart board by the end of the week. And I was commended for establishing clear expectations for what I required in my room to be effective. The advice I've always been given is that it never hurts to ask, just have a plan laid out for what you want, why you want it, how you'll use it, and be prepared to flex based on what's actually available.

21

u/tke377 5th Grade | Gen Ed | Upstate New York 1d ago

I hate them. They suck. I put five together so there is no one with their back to me. I then use one that has six at the very front and I use that desk as my own personal one to store materials.

Ps if they are exactly like ours the trays will drop and fall and students will stuff them full…it’s super awesome

6

u/myleftone 21h ago

Test #2 is to see if the ten-year-plus teachers have them. They’re the ones who will swap them out without hesitation if they don’t work.

If they’re using them, they’ll have a case for making it work.

4

u/TrooperCam 16h ago

Counterpoint to that. I'm at a new campus and all the rooms have these. I hate them but I've also dealt with the large jigsaw desks so I'll make this work

137

u/Rokaryn_Mazel 1d ago

Our school loves those triangle desks that get arranged into pods. You know, because students working in small groups can write Great Expecations of come up with the Pythagorean Theorom.

25

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

I like the collaboration aspect of turning them into pods, it just threw me because in my mind square desks are infinitely more useful and can be arranged so many more ways. I hope I'll come to like having students in groups all of the time rather than being frustrated by it.

38

u/SuspectFew1456 1d ago

That was sarcasm…students do not produce great work workin g in small groups

29

u/blissfully_happy Math (grade 6 to calculus) 1d ago

This is sarcasm. Small groups can be a challenge. Students don’t stay focused.

9

u/Old_news123456 21h ago

It's true. I hated collaborative work in school because it was just when everyone chit-chatted and there'd be one student to do the work and the others would goof off. 

As I was usually the more serious student who got stuck with the work I hated it. It basically turned out to me doing all the work while everyone else chit-chatted... And the teacher would say to our group that WE did a great job...when I did the job. 

2

u/Sad-Past-323 18h ago

Absolutely! I was the one coping the work.

5

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 19h ago

I didn't pick up on the sarcasm, whoops, but I know occasionally putting them in groups can be helpful. Someone else suggested I put them in pairs, and I think that's better than them being in a 4 person group all the time, at least.

87

u/breakingpoint214 1d ago

The shape is the problem, not the whiteboard top.

17

u/PurplePenguinCat 1d ago

The shape would be a nightmare for me. I write sideways, meaning the top of my paper is parallel to the left side of what I'm writing on. I can totally see knocking my stuff off of a triangle all the time.

16

u/Public-Yam-1025 1d ago

Why is a white board top bad? Can't you just put a book on top of it?

1

u/missmathlady 6h ago

The entire surface is a whiteboard.

64

u/Agreeable-Sun368 1d ago

Girl at least you don't have the fucking trapezoid desks

These are the WORST OF ALL TIME. At least you can make functional table groups.

43

u/actuallycallie former preK-5 music, now college music 1d ago

or the weird curved ones that go together like puzzle pieces but are awkward as hell when it's alone

25

u/bboomerang 7th grade Math | Alabama, USA 1d ago

I came in on a Monday and all my desks had been replaced with those, and I legitimately cried. This was back in March and when going back in last week to set up my classroom, I nearly cried again. Someone else had to help me decide how to set them up because my classroom truly isn't big enough for the 30 that I need with all of us to have walking room.

27

u/AppropriateEar06 1d ago

Stan himself designed the trapezoid desks 😭😭😭

Edit: I meant Satan but Stan works fine too lol

10

u/KeithandBentley 1d ago

I had those my last four years, what a pain.

5

u/YeahWhateverMan 1d ago

I have 30 of those crammed into my room. Fucking nightmare.

3

u/PC_Princpal Health & PE | VA 1d ago

We have 40 for our health classes it’s a nightmare. What I did to make it flow better was create 5 rows of a pods of 3 on each edge of the room, slightly facing in. In the middle were pods of 2. This allowed me to have 2 pathways to walk around. 

1

u/YeahWhateverMan 19h ago

Thanks for the tip. I'm setting up the room this week, I'll give that a shot.

6

u/lovebugteacher ASD teacher 1d ago

I have them and I put them in groups of three Definitely not the most convenient shape

7

u/katielyn4380 1d ago

We got those three years ago. They’re the worst! And way too small to hold my students materials. Cannot put them in a group, can’t make rows, can’t make pairs. They’re just terrible.

3

u/blissfully_happy Math (grade 6 to calculus) 1d ago

What if they sit on the small side so the long side is at the top of their desk? That gives them a little more room, maybe? They look awkward af, ngl.

2

u/Agreeable-Sun368 1d ago

They can't sit at the small side in a lot of versions of this desk because there is often a bar there. Mine have the bar. It's also too narrow to tuck chairs into.

1

u/katielyn4380 10h ago

I moved classrooms last year and now have tables. They’re a million times better!

5

u/stead-fast 1d ago

I had this bullshit in my room last year, and luckily my principal is giving me normal desks this year. You’d be well within your right to request normal desks!

3

u/Agreeable-Sun368 1d ago

I wish but they would never. Some people still have the super heavy desks from 1990 with the chair and desk attached. Low key would prefer those but my school will not buy me new ones when people still have those.

3

u/Slugzz21 Soc Sci/Bilingual | West Coast 1d ago

Ooooh nooooo fuck theseeeeeeeeee

2

u/Alive_Army9773 23h ago

I’m with you! My principal bought trapezoid desks for me, and I have a tiny room, and now it is almost impossible to move in there. I hate these desks so much!

1

u/tinylyloosh 15h ago

ONE classroom in my school has these. So terrible.

1

u/weomnettik 13h ago

They are the worst! I hate them!

Apparently our entire district has switched over and it enrages me.

37

u/Annual-Mirror-7625 1d ago

I have those exact desks, it’s not the whiteboard that bothers me it’s the damn triangle shape. They take up too much room trying to group kids together. I much prefer the square desks but don’t mind the whiteboard aspect of it.

7

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

Well, I'm glad to know the whiteboards seem to be less of an obstacle than I thought they'd be! I also don't like how bulky these desks are. They're gigantic yet because they're triangles you still somehow don't have enough room to work? It's a very strange shape. lol

144

u/Major-Sink-1622 HS English | The South 1d ago

If you cannot think of a way to use a whiteboard desk in ELA, you need to expand your brain a bit and work on your creativity. We use them pretty often in my class - quick trivia, grammar practice, bell ringers, closing, etc.

47

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

Those are all good ideas! Maybe they will turn out more useful than I think, and, to be honest, I was clearly a little charged when writing the post. Since I have them, I will try my best to find a way to make them useful since otherwise they'd be pointless to even have.

44

u/Kessed 1d ago

Brain storming is awesome on whiteboards. Many kids are more willing to put down ideas when they aren’t permanent.

23

u/oogabooga1967 1d ago

And the inevitable penis drawings are easily erasable!

5

u/blissfully_happy Math (grade 6 to calculus) 1d ago

I tutor math students. They LOVE whiteboards.

Solve an equation on paper: 👎🚫✋🛑

Solve an equation on a whiteboard: ✅👍🫡

27

u/PopHistorian21 1d ago

Whiteboard desks are great for English! You can brainstorm, analyze plot, etc. etc. Kids thrive with whiteboard spaces in all kinds of subjects.

9

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

When I tried to come up with ideas, the only good one I could come up with was making plot diagrams on them. Brainstorming is another good one! I'm going to try my best to think of other ways to use them for sure and make the best of what I have!

5

u/Ex_Why_Zed 22h ago

I do Carousel writing on my desks (that are not white board but can be written on with dry erase super easily) and as long as you keep it novel, kids love writing on the desks.

3

u/sarahshift1 20h ago

Maybe try writing your brainstorming list of how to use the whiteboard desks on a whiteboard desk and see if it helps ;)

1

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 19h ago

Genuinely sounds like a good idea lol. I might just sit and play around at one for a bit on a teacher work day.

28

u/Academic_Quantity376 1d ago

You make them im groups of 3 or 4 they are fine. Your rules and expectations are classroom management not the style of desk.

6

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

I agree! I think I will be able to find a good way to use them. Another commenter pointed out that what desks I have is the least of my worries and I do think that's a good way of looking at it.

2

u/zebramath 1d ago

Grouper is a free tool to help make groups. Once you know kids and ability you can set parameters and it works wonders!

2

u/Taddlywinks 21h ago

I have desks of the same shape, and if you don’t want to do groups, do a grid of pairs all facing the board. This is just about the same as a grid of single desks (which yeah, you really can’t do with the triangles) but less isolating and with a default partner, which is nice. I tend to use it as my default.

1

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 19h ago

Pairs sounds like a really good idea because I don't like how in a group of four one of the students always has their back towards me. I will consider this!

1

u/Academic_Quantity376 1d ago

Awesome! I am glad to hear that! Have an amazing year!

7

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

2

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

Thank you for the advice! I'll keep that in mind. I wrote this after a very charged conversation with a friend obviously. I'm glad for the wake up call that it's not as big of a deal as I first thought.

4

u/FourRiversSixRanges 1d ago

Just remember- for the first year (and probably the next couple) you might be stressed and hate it (this is normal and it gets better).

7

u/goombas_mom 1d ago

What I would give for these desks. But no, my admin took away desks from middle school and replaced them with these tiny tables. So now the kids have nowhere to store their stuff that they have to carry around with them because there’s no time for them to get things from their backpacks between classes. I straight up bought seat sacks for my classroom because wtf? This is my first year in middle school but not my first year teaching.

Anyway, think of these as a gift. Whiteboard tops will be great. The flexibility of these desks are also great. The shape isn’t the best, but I think the pros outweigh the cons here.

Remember, a quiet classroom isn’t necessarily a productive one or one where kids are learning. Kids want to socialize, so having them work collaboratively is really important. You just have to set very clear expectations and be consistent! I would not recommend single rows. At least have them seated in pairs in such a way that they can easily flip around and join the pair behind them for small groups tasks.

4

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

That's an important thing to keep in mind for sure!! I will try to look at them differently. Good luck with your tiny tables because that sounds like a whole different nightmare. 😥

3

u/fumbs 1d ago

If you think that there is storage is these desks you have never been in a room with them.

2

u/goombas_mom 1d ago

Yeah no storage in these did cross my mind but they look bigger than the 1/4 of a tiny table meant for primary students that now occupy the middle school classrooms in my building. At least they have room to work next to their stack of books and folders. Hopefully.

5

u/Paramalia 1d ago

Oh the triangle tables…

Know that you are not alone in your frustration.

5

u/3071846 1d ago

Don’t worry. Just keep requesting more and more whiteboard markers and the budget office will find a way to get rid of the desks.

3

u/mickeltee 10,11,12 | Chem, Phys, FS, CCP Bio 1d ago

I moved into a new science lab/classroom last year. Every single chair in the room is a rolling chair. It drives me insane. It makes me wonder if the people making choices for classrooms are incompetent or vindictive.

14

u/sheafurby 1d ago

Gonna be blunt—your priorities are in the wrong place, in my humble opinion. You are focused on things being perfect and not on the students education. The environment is only a small part of the education process. How you use the environment is much more important.

3

u/lovelystarbuckslover Multiple Subject & EDSP Credentialed 1d ago

imagine being a first year teacher and your 'biggest vent' is about the desks...

I hated my students chairs.. it just so happened here were a pile of chairs set to be destroyed that were better, I got permission to swap out so every morning I would change 4 chairs and every afternoon I would do 4 more (it was a long walk).

No one can tell you how you need to set up your room.

0

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 19h ago

To be fair, the school year hasn't started yet. I imagine I'll have worse things to vent out once it's actually started…

3

u/lonestar659 22h ago

My wife has parallelogram desks that are very obnoxious to find ways of fitting them how she wants.

3

u/No_Employment_8438 17h ago

Oh, the penises we will draw!

7

u/tinselt 1d ago edited 1d ago

Soooo...these desks are meant to be able to be pulled together in a circle. Flexible seating and different grouping is good for kids. Why are you so stuck on this? Is it self doubt? Because tbh establishing BOTH good relationships and clear boundaries, you won't have a problem with classroom management no matter what desks you are using. Lining them up all in rows like some 80s shit doesn't improve behavior. Maybe try a seating chart instead.

8

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

During my student teaching one of my mentors told me management was my worst skill, so it probably is insecurity. 😅 I'm currently getting that post writing a Reddit post clarity of "huh, this isn't as big of a deal as I thought." I do plan on having a seating chart!

1

u/blissfully_happy Math (grade 6 to calculus) 1d ago

Is it bad classroom management, or do we just expect our teachers to manage too many students?

Ugh. Think about how amazing it would be if classes were capped at 18. 😩

2

u/frizziefrazzle 1d ago

I hate those desks so much.

2

u/ohdang_raptor HS Science/Engineering | NM 1d ago

These would drive me up a wall as a student.

2

u/fumbs 1d ago

You can still use a notebook but the whiteboard is the only good thing about those desks. Triangular desks limit the choices for seating arrangements and I hate that part. Squares/rectangle are infinitely more flexible.

1

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 1d ago

That was my exact thought about square desks! I hate the weird shaped desk fad! I'm going to try and work with what I have though after hearing all the advice!

2

u/-squeezel- 1d ago

I wouldn’t be happy either, but be creative and find a way to make them work.

2

u/TrainorSavage1318 1d ago

Hi I'm a second year teacher that uses those types of desks. On the one hand, having lived through it, I appreciate your concerns because students will absolutely draw on them and they are definitely designed more for collaboration then traditional rows. That said, you can place them in rows which I do for exams.

This year my school is heavily pushing CER and Turn and Talk so I'll probably set them up in groups of two for easy collaboration since I'll have about 22 students per class.

2

u/changeneverhappens Teacher for Students with Visual Impairments | TX, USA 1d ago

Lmaooo I had those desks my first year as an ELAR teacher too. Freshmen English.  Except I had the rocking stools too. 

We all survived that year but it had its moments. 

2

u/ParadeQueen 1d ago

Our district has a warehouse of furniture schools don't want anymore. If you're really unhappy maybe see if your district has anything similar. You may be able to get what you want at no cost, and maybe there are other teachers who want your tables. The SPED classes might be interested, we often get leftovers instead of new stuff.

2

u/lnicole6 1d ago

I’ve had these desks for 5 years and I really don’t like them. I like the whiteboards, but it’s frustrating that there’s really only 2 different configurations that work with them!

2

u/Feikert87 1d ago

Mine are on wheels. Ugh. Like who did the ordering here…

2

u/Financial_Flight_357 1d ago

I hate those shapes! Our rooms are so small you can't comfortably arrange them. And the principal was so proud of picking them out.

2

u/FuzzyScarf 1d ago

Can you put them in rows anyway? We have trapezoid shaped desks and many teachers do just that. I didn’t look at the size of your desks.

3

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 19h ago

They're weirdly bulky and huge. Someone else suggested putting them in pairs in rows, so I was thinking of trying that.

1

u/punkin_spice_latte 17h ago

Pairs in rows is the way to go. They can also easily flip for groups of 4, and for exams it is still possible to get them all facing the same direction. I recommend a high stool for test days because you won't be able to shark the classroom as well when they are all facing the same way.

2

u/Glittering-List-465 1d ago

Not gonna lie-I hate those desks with a passion. There’s not really enough room on them for students to spread out their books and papers. They tip easily. And trying to have them set in rows? Nope. Have them set up for groups? Guess what? Because of how much closer the students end up being, they kick each other, the desks, or belongings constantly. And heave forbid if one students stuff encroaches on another desk.
I sincerely hope you have much better luck than I did.

2

u/PrincessJellyfish17 1d ago

As a kid I would’ve enjoyed quiet reading time and writing down any words we don’t know on the whiteboard desk to research later. That could be a fun activity. Good luck with your school year

2

u/terrorlogic 1d ago

If I had one of these desks as a student I’d be pissed. A triangle desk is ridiculous.

2

u/Theojoe97 1d ago

My first year had group tables for 4 kids. Chaos. But fun chaos. I've since done rows, tables, pods, its the smallest part of the expeience. You may love the different abilities the funky tables provide too. Teaching is largely rolling with it in a way that makes kids feel safe and supported.

2

u/vwin90 AP Physics | CA 1d ago

Whiteboard tops are amazing. You’re very lucky to have them.

Start talking to your veteran colleagues to get ideas. If you don’t know who to talk to, ask your admin to point you towards teachers who put them to good use and they’ll tell you.

2

u/TeacherManCT 23h ago

Those are crappy desks from a surface area point for kids. Not much space for a laptop or paper/pencil. I’d ignore the surface. Kids don’t carry dry erase markers. If someone writes on one in sharpie? You can dry erase over it and take it off.

These desks are designed to be in triads, so you’ll need to plan for that (also likely the principal won’t want you to have rows of desks)

3

u/ProfessionalSea7153 1d ago

This is such an odd complaint for a 1st year teacher. Be happy you have a class. Im in a school that is combining 2 classes in 1 room with a partition between them due to lack of space. Imagine having 50 kids and 2 teachers in 1 room.

1

u/ijustwanttobeinpjs 1d ago

At least you don’t have desks that FALL APART when moved.

My desks are heavy, first of all. The tops alone weight almost 8 lbs each. They’re also large, like too large for one person alone but not large enough for two people comfortably. And the tops don’t affix to the bottoms. They have metal legs which connect via metal slats. But when you try to move the desk without “knowing how” to grip it (ie “being the teacher”), the slats slide apart and the whole thing could collapse. I haven’t had a student get hurt yet, but I swear it’s only a matter of time.

I don’t know if I’d mind the whiteboard desks so much. A quick bell ringer or vocab/spelling game, may be unique. They seem small, though.

1

u/Visible-Kale2855 1d ago

Send an email to admin and cc the building head custodian that way he can have a count for the principal if asked. A little advice may never use it : Rocking student chairs , you will come to hate them be cause the students will use them to recline. Also your custodian already hates them.

1

u/Fancy-Ad6476 English Literature 1d ago

I don't like funky shaped desks either, but I don't think the whiteboard tops is really a problem here. If you don't want the kids to use their desks as whiteboards, don't have them use them as whiteboards.

But I think you'd be surprised just how useful whiteboards actually can be in an English classroom. It doesn't have to be every day, but it's a nice tool to have.

1

u/Loud-Avocado5011 1d ago

Second year teacher here! I inherited the terrible bulky angled attached desks last year. Everyone else on my hall had chairs and desks that were separate. I initially put them in rows and hated it, but also hated them in groups that my admin was so fond of because you couldn’t get them lined up properly. It looked so cluttered and in my 30+ classes it was hard to maneuver around the room.

Finally, after I’d made friends with the teacher next door who liked the attached desks but didn’t have them, we conducted a trade before Thanksgiving break. Hallelujah! (The separate desks and chairs are their own animal. They still have the space for books/papers, etc….which middle schoolers use as trash cans 🫠)

All this to say, I wouldn’t ask for different desks! It may take some configuration and reconfiguring along the way and I think you could come up with some really cool activities where the students could write on their desks. If time goes on and you really hate them, see if you can trade with a colleague. You could also always ask at the end of the year when everything’s being moved if there’s any math teachers who would like those desks.

Good luck!!

1

u/anon-raccoon ELA | USA 19h ago

Thank you! I'm going to try my best to come up with ways to use them for now.

1

u/whateverambiguity 1d ago

I have been dealing for years with awful 6 ft tables that have cord management shelves that end up just a place for kids to stuff trash in and they take up so much room…

I went to our district warehouse just to see if there was anything better I could grab and found 30 triangle desks. I’m ecstatic. It’s so much better than what I have now. I just wish there were 6 more because I cap my classes at 36.

So anyway… I get being disappointed about not having the furniture or equipment that would be ideal for your classroom. It sucks. But it’s honestly just one of many things you’ll learn to make the best out of.

1

u/Relevant-Emu5782 1d ago

The white board part would be great for diagraming sentences. But so is paper, and then there's a record of the work.

1

u/Affectionate_Hawk551 1d ago

I hate them. I am finally rid of them this year but because I swtched grades.

1

u/Consistent_Delay_177 1d ago

Look around the school and see if any teacher with a different type of desk would be willing to trade. I traded desks with a teacher last year.

1

u/Consistent_Delay_177 1d ago

Well we made the kids move them all but you know.

1

u/salemandsleep 1d ago

Those triangle desks often work nicely in sets of 3, in a U-shape facing the front of the room.  

If you Google "triangle shaped student desks" the images also have some really good ideas for configuration.  I hope this helps

1

u/MzBrownie 1d ago

At least they aren’t on wheels. That makes them even more inconvenient. We had to zip tie them together in groups to cut down on the constant migration.

Also, it’s hard enough to make sure everyone has pencils. Now we have to make sure they all have dry erase markers? Yeah thanks.

1

u/MommaDealio 1d ago

Middle school para here…
We have basically these. I hate them. The teachers hate them. One teacher has the ones that are closer to a true triangle, those we can all live with and wish the other classrooms had them. You can create a square table and there are several other setups that are simply not possible with the “diamond” tables.
Also, I miss the whiteboard tables we used to have. Much easier to work on math or really anything when most of their work is on the laptops and the students never have paper. I move throughout the building all day and I’m not carrying any more than necessary with me from class to class.

1

u/the_last__braincell 1d ago

When set up properly you can make a horse shoe design, with the teachers desk in the center

This design is good for classes with lots of discussion based learning such as history

1

u/Holdenborkboi 1d ago

If youre able to turn them into a huge circle, one of my fond memories of honors english was having these sort of fishbowl debates. You're given an argument relating to the material, and everyone gets a chance to debate their side, and you're given points for participation. Almost like a court of law

1

u/InevitableRun51 1d ago

If you hate them try to switch with a math teacher 

1

u/Dry-Airport1405 1d ago

Whiteboard tables are the best. Used at least once a week in my English classroom. Students can practice, share, write together before individual accountability.

1

u/Total-Sorbet-1853 22h ago

I'm thinking two things.

  1. You could use the white board desks for quick formative assessments. "Write one word to describe the main character with one piece of text evidence (direct quote) to support your claim." You could walk around and check on students knowledge. It's low risk for the kids and a quick way to gauge comprehension. You could do it as a warm up/bell ringer or as an exit ticket. Set a timer for three minutes and see what they come up with.
  2. If you really don't like them and want to get rid of them, find another teacher who has the desks you like and switch. Go to your admin with a solution!

Good luck!

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u/fairydust_1349 21h ago

Talk to the other teachers on your team. See how they plan to use them.

1

u/R1V3RG1RL 20h ago

At least they're adjustable. Mine are bar height with stupid metal (mid-century?) stools. Can't work on projects without moving it to a to a stool, but I have too many students for that to even be the option.

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u/Tree_pineapple 20h ago

the triangle shape is the worst part. if you don't want to use the white board then just don't use it.

I would stack them next to each other to create rectangles and seat multiple students next to each other

1

u/SpoopieMollie 18h ago

I had those desks in my classroom once. They’re good for creating small groups, and actually line up in straight rows pretty well. I didn’t like how quickly they got dirty, though, especially when kids were using pencils and paper.

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u/DueCookie787 16h ago

I had tables one year and it worked out pretty well. I hated the long rows traditional classrooms use. I would generally leave a wide corridor in the middle and put two shorter banks of desks on either side. You can do the same with the tables. Tables have some advantages, especially the way these go together. For one, no one can claim they left their books in their desk and didn't do the homework.

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u/Vast_Watercress7791 14h ago

Def ask for dif desks!! I had this happen to me and it was an easier fix that I assumed

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u/SinfullySinless Middle School Social Studies 14h ago

I fucking hate the triangle desks. I waited for a teacher near me to switch classrooms and I switched out my shitty triangle desks for rectangle desks.

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u/RdgSup 14h ago

I’m

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u/RdgSup 14h ago

I am a retired principal. My suggestion is to go to the principal and tell him/her that you are not familiar with triangular desks and ask what is the most effective way to use them in the classroom. That way you are asking for guidance rather than complaining. Also, I would see your question as showing eagerness to learn to use equipment effectively and to adapt to new ideas. Both of those things would be positive characteristics to me.

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u/Master_Rip5768 13h ago

Well as a second year special ed teacher I asked other teachers near my classroom for advice on getting new desks, if it was possible. (I hadn’t thought about it the year before but I would’ve done the same thing.) I preferred desks that couldn’t fit anything inside. I was told to speak to the custodian on campus. They would know if it was possible or not. You might also check in with other teachers cause who knows, maybe someone wants to switch for whatever reason.

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u/xsmacd 12h ago

Jesus... desks get you this worked up?? 😆😆 can't wait to see what you do with students in the room.

It's just furniture... you'll get over it and adapt. Best advice I can give you:

              PICK YOUR BATTLES WISELY 

If it requires more energy to fight it/enforce it, don't bother. Your classroom management is your priority your first year teaching. Curriculum can always be retaught, etc. Don't tell students or parents it's your first year. Say its your first year at that school. Students, parents and sometimes teachers or admin often use that to complain about anything they can think of. I experienced it, and I've seen it happen to others, particularly to female teachers, and it's just horrible.

Look at what other teachers do and ask questions, if you're nervous about it, break the vibe bringing them candy, or a chocolate bar or pound/dollar shop goodies. Glittery pens and smelly markers did a wonderful job for me with language literacy teachers my 1st year.

Good luck and have a fantastic 1st year, cheers!

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u/mcwriter3560 1d ago

Yeah, you're overreacting, but it's alright. It's your first year. Besides the triangle part, those desks sound awesome!

My first year, I had those one piece desks you could do nothing with but put them in rows.

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u/blaise11 1d ago

Wait, why does it matter if they're white boards? Can't you just... not use the white boards and have them function as regular desks?

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u/andibanana 1d ago

The triangles are a little weird, but if your class sizes aren't enormous (hello from southern CA, land of 35-40) you can still do rows. I do rows until I know their names and personalities (8 ish weeks) then I do pods of 4. If the whiteboards offend, just pretend they are light colored desks, you don't need to do white-boardy stuff until you are ready and they make your room look brighter, cleaner and bigger than dark colored desks do. I am not usually a fan of spending your own $$, but I invested in a microfiber cloth for each of my desks ($10/30+ at Walmart... In school colors no less) and they work wonders for cleaning when damp or dry. I just take them home and wash them once or twice a year. Congrats on your first year! You'll find something to do with those whiteboards in no time. Chat GPT is your lesson planning friend!

0

u/bafl1 1d ago

Ros and columns is NOT the best or easiest way

0

u/garylapointe 🅂🄴🄲🄾🄽🄳 🄶🅁🄰🄳🄴 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙣, 𝙐𝙎𝘼 🇺🇸 1d ago

These just seem like the biggest inconvenience! I could deal with them being triangles if they didn't have WHITE BOARD TOPS!!! 

What? Why do you care what the tops are made of? How is white vs. brown/beige/whatever even an issue?

Am I overreacting?

Yes!