Rumble rumble rumble. The desks shake violently. On the loudspeaker, I hear Mr. Daniels say, “We are experiencing an earthquake. Duck and cover.” As everyone frantically tries to squeeze under their puny, unstable desks, I can’t help but think, “Why have our desks gotten progressively worse as we have gotten older?” Our desks, smaller and in poor condition, need to be replaced with new, larger desks.

As I curl up into a ball squished under my tiny desk, I reminisce about my childhood

desk, and how I would comfortably sit under it when asked to duck and cover. What ever happened to those spacious desks? What ever happened to desks that I could fit my binder and notebook on?

Unable to sit comfortably, I squirm and finally decide to get out from under the desk. In the event of an earthquake, our desks pose a huge risk, as they fail to protect students.

Over the course of the year, I have witnessed three worn down desks collapse due to unstable legs. I have noticed countless desks with notable signs of wear and tear, such as holes, cracks, and even wood chipped off of desks. These desks fail to accommodate for students’ basic needs, and tarnish the school’s image.

Purchasing new desks would be a worthwhile investment, as it would not only benefit students, but it would also revitalize the school’s image.

The main issue with purchasing new desks is funding, as budget cuts already prove to be a huge economic strain. While purchasing new desks may seem costly, to put it into perspective, the school already has plans to improve the school’s image by renovating the theater, which has projected costs of approximately $14 million. If the community is willing to invest $14 million dollars to improve facilities to accommodate for students’ needs, why can’t we allocate some money to new desks? New desks would not only revitalize the school’s image, but would also improve the learning environment in classrooms.

To minimize the economic burden, I propose that the school only purchase new desks for classrooms with worn down desks. Investing in new, more spacious desks will surely make students feel more comfortable and improve the classroom learning environment. While this may seem like a trivial matter, having new desks is one of many small factors that distinguish good schools from great schools.