New Desk, A New Perspective

The desks at Miami Dade College are not equipped for our success. Once in my business calculus class, my $150 calculator almost slipped off the edge and cracked into a million pieces. My heart skipped a beat for a second, and then that’s when I realized that my desk wasn’t fitting my needs as a 21st century student.

Currently, we have six-inch cellphones, tablets, laptops, calculators and other gadgets that improve or are supposed to improve our level of learning in the classroom, and so if you can picture a tiny desk with just even a few of these gadgets plus your paper, pencil, eraser, your personal space and so forth. You realize you quickly run out of space to even move your hand enough to be able to write diligent notes that you are supposed to read at home.

My understanding of why there are still tiny desks around in some buildings is because updates for this generation of students have yet to be realized. I understand some of us will view this as a minute issue, but I challenge you to think differently.

Researchers at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute have found that “when your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus.” This “clutter” is formed out of perspective. Would you rather have many things on a small desk or many things on a bigger desk? I think we all would agree that the latter is the better choice.

Bebrainfit.com tells us that one can increase productivity, focus and learning by simply having sufficient clean workspace. Staying laser-focused and having pristine concentration is key to efficient learning in the classroom.

If we don’t feel comfortable we can’t achieve 100 percent productivity. Like the old adage goes: If you look good, you feel good and you do good. One can achieve more with just a push in productivity.

The classroom desks at Kendall Campus’ Building R are spacious. Every time I have a class in Building R, I feel comfortable and inspired. It also has to do with the building and atmosphere projecting newness and a new take on creating a suitable learning environment.

Building R is not the only exception. Ever been to the Idea Center? Every time I get a chance to partake in classes or events there, I always feel awesome and inspired to dream big. The environment releases the uber-creative visionary out of me. In contrast, when I am in an old building with tiny desks and lifeless classrooms, my creativeness suffers, as well as my morale.

I’m not asking to destroy all the old buildings and construct entrepreneurship hubs and next-generation green buildings, rather I want us to consider the impact new improvements have on students in the long run. We can take on this one step at a time, starting with our desks because perspective is everything.