Ouch.

I’ve had a spasm in my right trapezius muscle for three days. It started Monday afternoon, and at first, I thought it might be a delayed reaction to my run last Sunday, but as I was working in my classroom yesterday, I realized the actual problem is my desk — a great old midcentury tank that’s too tall to use comfortably with a computer. When I’m just taking attendance or checking email, it’s fine, but when I spend several hours designing classroom materials in Canva — as I did Monday, while the kids were working on independent projects — it’s a little slice o’ hell.

If I’d figured this out about two weeks earlier, I could have requested a new computer desk and chair for next year, but I didn’t notice the problem until I’d already missed the deadline to request big-ticket items, so instead, I’m doing what teachers do best: improvising.

I rearranged my room to accommodate the foosball table a couple of weeks ago, and during that process, I ended up emptying a bamboo plant shelf and moving a six-foot-long computer table (complete with built-in cord management features) to the front of the room, where I’ve been using it every time we do a reading lesson. It doesn’t have any drawers, but I don’t really need them; anything I use daily can go into small bins on top of my desk, and I can put the rest in fabric storage cubes on the plant shelf.

Meanwhile, the old desk isn’t going anywhere. It’s midcentury. I couldn’t live with myself if I sent it off to be forgotten in some manky storage room. Instead, I’ll just label the drawers, turn it around so the kids can access them easily, and fill it with supplies we use regularly — paper, looseleaf reinforcement stickers, staples, pencils, erasers, and so forth.

I’m not enjoying this stiff neck, but if the end result is a more efficient classroom and a more comfortable desk setup, I’ll consider that a fair trade.

Emily