Free seating in the learning environment and its resulting affect on grades has been a hotly debated topic in many school systems. At Panther Creek High School, some teachers may choose to implement free seating in an attempt to better the grades of their students. PCNN took on the task of unraveling the positive and negative affects of free seating from the perspective of both students and teachers.

The first question we asked students was whether or not they were currently enrolled in a class that allowed free seating and if so, what they enjoyed about it. According to Chase Hattley, he likes that free seating allows him to “collaborate with classmates and get work done faster.” Most of the students interviewed agreed that the ability to sit wherever they pleased improved efficiency as well as collaboration with other classmates.

Furthermore, students were asked how they thought free seating affected their academic performance. Senior Megan Shander believes that free seating can be “both good and bad, because you may feel more comfortable asking your friends for help” however, she also acknowledged the potential for distraction from learning.

Finally, PCNN gained the insight of a teacher’s perspective on the benefits and disadvantages of free seating in the classroom. Mr. Goodale is a Sports Medicine teacher at Panther Creek who occasionally allows for free seating. His reasoning behind this privilege is that:

Nonetheless, Mr. Goodale agrees that some students tend to get distracted more easily than others.

Not only is free seating a privilege appreciated by the students of Panther Creek High School, but teachers are in agreement that free seating facilitates learning and the improved grades outweigh the possible ramifications. Ultimately, free seating should be utilized as a tool to better the education of students through increased dialogue and collaboration of ideas.