Letter to parents about a deskless classroom

A teacher who is going deskless next school year recently asked me to repost this letter that I sent home to parents when I first went deskless. I think that this letter is gold; it places the deskless classroom within the context of solid teaching practices and describes why this change is an improvement. My administrators and parents were happy once the change was explained, and even students recognized that desks often are used to hide phones or homework for other classes.

I have left the letter as an editable .docx file so that you can change names to fit your teaching situation. The first year that I went deskless I left one desk in the back for students whose parents insisted that they “need a desk in order to learn”. Within a day or two of using the desk I always found the student using the desk to hide non-class activities. EVERY SINGLE TIME. However, leaving a desk or two in the classroom may be helpful for a student feeling anxiety about the change. I still would not let them take notes during the class, but that is a paradigm shift that many parents (and teachers) may not understand. This letter is a good way to open that conversation.