What's your 2cents on assigned seating for lunch? (elementary school, grades, classrooms) - Education -universities, high schools, elementary schools, teachers... - City-Data Forum

Skatergirl · 09-01-2009, 06:32 PM

What do you think of assigned seats for elementary grades K-3? If the goal was to facilitate kids from different ethnic groups befriending each other as well as cutting down the lost time kids spend wandering around looking for an open seat? Oh, the other area of concern is that the school is in a very transitory location so there are new kids transferring in all through the school year. This would hopefully keep them from being alienated.

Please offer any constructive input. Thank you.

hypocore · 09-01-2009, 07:15 PM

There are all kinds of reasons for assigned seating, so I'd say it depends on the reason and whether it's expected to be temporary or not. It even more depends on the group of kids in there together. There are simply some groups that cannot have a peaceful lunch without some enforced structure.

My third daughter just started 6th grade last week and they had assigned seating areas all week. I agree with that because they are new to the school, they are new to the workings of middle school lunch (which is quite different than elementary) and they are new to the staff working the lunch room. So, they needed to start with some controlled situation until they had some picture of how it all meshed together.

Lunch needs to be a peaceful time to eat, not a loud social event, so if they need to be assigned seats to accomplish that, I have no problem.

Smooth23 · 09-01-2009, 08:28 PM

I don't like it simply because I don't think its needed. If the idea is to promote more ethnic mixing I think that is just completely unneeded. I just can't really imagine that being a good thing at all.

Plus, friends come and go, arguments happen bla bla bla, so if you're assigned to sit next to someone you (even momentarily) can't stand, that's just conflict waiting to happen. However if they can go sit with whomever, they can avoid it.

Katarina Witt · 09-01-2009, 09:05 PM

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other, but it may help with the "cliquey" problem that pervades some lunch rooms, a la "Mean Girls".

uptown_urbanist · 09-01-2009, 09:09 PM

I think it's a bad idea. At that age I think it's fairly common to have individual classrooms assigned to specific tables; I think that's fine, and makes a lot of sense, but individual seats sound like a logistical hassle, as well as take away some of the social benefits from lunch. If there are certain kids who are causing problems or need to be separated then it's perfectly acceptable for the adults in charge to move kids around as needed.

I don't think assigned seating to promote ethnic mixing is necessary either, or maybe that just hasn't been a problem at the elementary schools I'm familiar with. But again, you could eliminate a lot of the wandering around, cliques, and other concerns if you assigned classroom tables. I suppose it depends on the size of the tables and the class, but finding a seat at one of two, three, four, or even five tables shouldn't be too difficult.

Xplorer · 09-01-2009, 10:21 PM

It's a ridiculous idea! From what I remember lunch was always a time to hang out and socialize with your group of friends. Assigned seating is just absurd. Just another sign of what to expect for the future of America

sailordave · 09-02-2009, 03:22 AM

There could be an alternative advantage to this. Let's say the seating arrangement is arranged by the student's teacher. By dictating where the student sits or filling the table's seats on first come first serve basis, this could reduce the amount of talk time while eating. The sooner they eat, the faster they can go out to the playground, weather permitting. There are some schools that have trouble getting all the students through the lunch line. This would help to speed things up.

Skatergirl · 09-02-2009, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xplorer

It's a ridiculous idea! From what I remember lunch was always a time to hang out and socialize with your group of friends. Assigned seating is just absurd. Just another sign of what to expect for the future of America

I can't help but think you do not work with kids at all to make such a blanket statement of ridicule.

sskkc · 09-02-2009, 06:56 AM

Sometimes it's very obvious who the adults are on this forum, and who are kids (or the parents of infants).

The elementary schools my kids have attended so far have all assigned seating by teacher, with only 2 or 3 spare seats per table. This is so that one child is never alienated and also speeds up the process.

Children who are not raised by racists or bigots will ignore skin color when choosing their friends, so assigning them seating to promote ethnic blending is only necessary in schools that have that problem.

(More and more schools have moved to recess before lunch, so although the kids are hungrier, the slow eaters no longer have a motivation to speed things up.)

Mamama Mia · 09-02-2009, 10:48 PM

It worked out nicely in the school where I taught. The kids were given an opportunity to socialize with students outside their usual circle of friends. It also gave them more time to eat their lunches, since they didn't walk around the lunchroom looking for a space at a table or for their certain friends. They just went right to their places.