介绍:
After noticing that her eight-grade students had problems focusing during the math class, a North Carolina teacher decided to channel their energy in a different way — cycling.
It doesn’t sound like the most common thing to do during the math class, but Bethany Lambeth, a teacher from Wake County, said that ever since she installed cycling machines under her students’ desks, the quality of their work had been improved greatly. Now, they are more focused, and most importantly, they are no longer fidgeting all the time.
“In the past, they were drumming on their desks and touching other students. Now, they don’t do that anymore. Their feet are getting the movement out,” said Bethany Lambeth. “There has been an obvious huge increase in the quality of our students’ work and a decrease in the amount of missing work.”
“My students aren’t picking on each other, and they don’t need to walk around. They are able to get their activity out and get their work done,” the young teacher added. “I think the world is changing a lot and the kids need to be able to do something different. What we have been doing isn’t necessarily working.”
Bethany Lambeth installed the cycling machines two years ago, paying around $150 for each, which included a warranty. The cost was covered by donations. No taxpayer money was used, but judging by the results observed by Bethany Lambeth, this might be a solution authorities want to look into. After learning about the success of Bethany Lambeth’s project, school officials are particularly excited about the role cycling machines could play in Special Education classes.
The students obviously love the new toys. Sofia Fedele, one of Bethany Lambeth’s students, said cycling helped her focus on her work during the class. “I usually tap my feet and stuff just because it keeps me focused. Pedaling is much better. It keeps me exercising and focused,” she said. Quinn Spear, another student in Bethany Lambeth’s class, also acknowledged the health benefits of cycling during the class. He said that he had pedaled 5.5 miles and burned 133 calories, all before 10:00 am.
