Our rolling chairs are simply too loud. I am talking about those gray spinny rolly chairs with the desk attached by the twistable arm. The ones you see all over QHHS’ newer classrooms, especially in the 400 quad and Village. They look modern, perhaps even ergonomic. They make group discussions so much easier. But they squeal like they are trying to be the center of attention at a party.
These chairs have too many moving parts. I sit down, and it squeaks. I shift to increase blood flow to my right leg, and it squeaks. I adjust the desk arm to write an essay during English, and the chair announces my literary analysis to the entire room. It isn’t a huge deal when my peers are deep in conversation, but when the class goes quiet, it becomes painfully apparent.
We need to remember we are in school. The chair noise always shows up during tests, independent work, or those moments when everyone needs to “lock in.” Some people might not care and even enjoy the attention they get from the constant noise. Others get embarrassed and sit like statues for the rest of the class period. Either way, it is distracting and unfair that something as normal as shifting in your seat can disrupt your focus and that of those around you.
In some classes, you can solve this problem by switching seats, especially if there is no seating chart and there are open seats. But in packed classes, you are stuck with that same chair day after day. Get unlucky? Congratulations, you now have to deal with that ear-piercing, loud frequency noise every day.
The attached desk part makes it worse. Because it only has one supporting arm, it feels less stable than a regular desk. It will wobble. It will tilt. It will take you down to the ground alongside your notebook and pencil.
So yes, the rolling chairs do look nice aesthetically. But they are too loud. We should either fix them, replace them, or at least stop pretending the squeaking is something glamorous.
