3 Ways to Promote Good Health in the Classroom

As a teacher or administrator, your job does not stop at making sure your students understand the work and get good grades.  Part of your job is to make sure that your students are being cared for and promoting good health within the classroom is a way to do so.  Providing hand-sanitizer and disinfecting furniture, using ergonomically-designed student desks, and providing storage space for school supplies to be stored are all great ways to make sure that your students are happy and healthy. 

Providing Hand-Sanitizer

These days, it seems like you can’t walk into a public building without finding a hand-sanitizer dispenser, and your classroom should be no different.  As your students spend a lot of time within your classroom walls, you want to be sure that you provide them with enough precautions to prevent germs from being spread.  If your room doesn’t have a dispenser, always keep some handy on your desk and go further by disinfecting the furniture on a regular basis.  

Using Ergonomically-Designed Furniture

Thinking back to your days in school, you can probably remember the stiff chairs that made sitting still in your desk one of the most difficult aspects of going to school.  When your students are uncomfortable, not only can it lead to sore backs, it can also greatly reduce attention paid during a lesson.  In order to make sure that the students are both comfortable and attentive, look into ergonomically-designed student desks and chairs that can alleviate the pressure placed on your students’ backs.

Providing Storage Space

In school, your students have to lug their books, notebooks, and sometimes even laptops throughout the day; this practice of carrying all these supplies is a strain that can go unnoticed by parents and school administrators.  In order to alleviate this problem, provide your students with a storage space within your classroom so they may be able to leave behind the supplies they do not need for the day.  Something as simple as a cubby can make all the difference in the world to lighten the armload as children go walking to and from classrooms.  Allowing children ample time to go to their school-provided lockers is another way to alleviate the problem of being weighed down by books.   

Taking care of the students doesn’t stop at teaching; it also means that you should provide an environment where they are safe and healthy.