Sitting up straight has new meaning at Grundy Center Elementary

    GRUNDY CENTER — Sitting up straight has a whole new meaning in a Grundy Center Elementary classroom.
    Since just before Christmas, students in Jan Lindaman’s third-grade classroom began using specialized equipment on both their school desks and chairs aimed at improving their posture.
    “The main idea is that we have the kids at 60-degree angles at their hips so their knees are angled down,” she said.
    The students sit on Disc o’ Sit cushions which, according to information from the manufacturer, are designed to mimic an exercise ball. The cushions are air-filled and provide the proper support to help students focus and pay attention.
    In addition, students’ desks are equipped with slant boards that bring reading and writing to a better working angle.
    “The slants are at a 22-degree angle,” Lindaman said. “How they’re sitting (with the Disc o’ Sits and slant boards), puts their posture so their backs are straight. It helps their posture and it helps the neck and the brain work together. The slants have been know to help reading problems and different things like that.”

For more of this story, see the April 10 Grundy Register.