The reason why pupils were prompt to stop rocking on chairs and sit tight is because this action was thought of as a bad-manner and because it was not known that swinging on chairs could actually be good for the children’s back.
It was brought out lately that the rocking motion prevents life-long back pain by keeping their backs straight and adopting the correct posture.
Pressure is put on ministers to invest money on school furniture and back-friendly chairs. Low back pain affects not just physical health but also well-being and academic achievement, may lead to stress and poor behavior.
Not only did the teachers notice that the children’s concentration improved with a straight back but performance and behavior as well as handwriting have improved too.
Heavy loading of the back could be corrected by tipping the seat 20 degrees forward as this is more comfortable and resembles an ideal balanced position.