In my school there was a story about a kid who, afraid of failing an exam, stuck two pencils in his nostrils and headbutted the desk. Sounds made up, right? A bit like that story about the kid who leaned back in his chair, fell backwards and pierced his skull on a radiator bleeder pipe. All I’ve seen happen to people who lean back in their chairs is a bit of comic flailing as they fall to the floor. Think that’s funny? Well, the 5,000 kids hurt every year in classroom chair accidents don’t. Neither does Tom Waits, a London teacher who has invented an anti-tilt chair. With legs that curve backwards at an angle, his Max chair makes lifting further than 5cm virtually impossible. We talked to Tom and found out more about his quest to stop kids from leaning back.
Vice: Have you seen that episode of The Simpsons where Homer invents a six-legged chair like yours?
Tom Waits: I have been told about it.
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Is that what gave you the inspiration for this idea?
No. I was just irritated by constantly asking children to stop leaning back. Then I found out that virtually every other teacher felt the same way.
I leaned back in my chair at school mainly because the chairs were really uncomfortable. How are these chairs different?
The old chairs are easy to slouch in. My chair makes you sit upright, which is a bit unnatural for children at first but they get used to it.
Is the chair proving popular?
I’ve had over 15,000 orders.
Aren’t you just cutting out a lot of classroom fun?
Are seat belts a waste of time? Or crash mats? In a blame culture society where schools are being sued by sensitive or over protective parents, I believe it will add more fun to teaching and ultimately the children will have better quality lessons.
Boring!
Sorry, but that’s what I believe.
