Stuff Teachers' Like: the Teacher Chair

A quick glimpse into a teacher’s classroom and you see it looming larger then life in the corner. It is the Teacher Chair (yes, I capitalized it on purpose). No, it is not any ordinary chair. Like a prince among paupers, it stands regal and distinct from the rest. It is a comfy chair, fully quipped with all the necessary features: tall backed, pleather cushions (though sometimes cloth), lumbar support, hydraulic lift, arm rests, and a reclining or rocking feature. Most importantly... it spins.

I have such a chair. It is a “must-have” in order to survive the 30+ year marathon to retirement. Why, you might ask? Is it because the chair serves as a power statement I make to my students, showing them who is boss as they sit in their puny plastic seats? Is it because the chair serves to increase my feeling of importance as I grade the work of children who still, after 7 years of school, do not know how to write a complete sentence? Is it because the chair supports my self-esteem when parents come in to tell me that my subject is nothing but a bunch of worthless knowledge? Well... yea, but there is a reason that trumps them all: it comforts my royal rump. With how much time I spend in my classroom, practically living there at time, I need to be comfortable, or else... well... or else! A sore hiney can make any teacher a little whiney.