In an apparent bout of madness, a New York Principal ordered all school furniture to be thrown out onto the street — including chairs, desks, and filing cabinets.
Whilst class was in session, Donna Connelly — principal of Spuyten Duvil School — ordered teachers to take their cabinets and desks into the hallway. Children were told to remove all content from their desks before janitors were then made to throw them outside and pile them up across the street.
When asked why all this was being done, Connelly responded:
“It’s the 21st century- you don’t need desks.”
As if the century we’re in indicates whether we need a place to work at or not…
When quizzed even further, she merely stated that she “does not want teachers sitting.” Which is confusing, because although the desks and filing cabinets were scrapped, no chairs were thrown out. Did she think the teachers were sitting on the desks and filing cabinets?
To cap off the craziness, when teachers asked to know where to put their files and mark papers she retorted:
“Figure it out, use the lunch room.”
Marking books in lunch rooms? What comes next? Recess in the library? Football in classrooms?
Thankfully the superintendent of the district, Melodie Mashel, rode in to save the day and ordered the reinstatement of all furniture back into the school. Still, even after doing this, the furniture was still confusingly put in the basement.
It still remains to be seen what exactly caused this principal to behave in this manner. Either way, it’s utterly perplexing. The principal herself, Donna Connelly, refused to give comment on the whole episode, which raises even more questions than it did initially.
In any case, you don’t need an expert (or me) to tell you asking teachers to do their jobs without desks, chairs, and filing cabinets is like telling a fireman to work without a fire truck. This principal’s sudden and abrupt dislike for classroom furniture truly is bizarre.
