EXCHANGE: Students paying attention in alternative seats

Stuart had read fellow teachers' blogs and incorporated some of her own ideas to form a sort of hybrid system that she proposed to administration before this school year.

Using the nonprofit site donorschoose.com, she was able to buy the creature comforts and swap them in for tables and chairs during winter break.

There's been a lot of learning opportunities through the new seating," Stuart said, "and a lot of it ties in with the new learning standards.

Each morning, when Stuart picks sticks with the children's names on them to determine who gets to pick their seating first, there are big decisions:

Do you want to sit next to someone new?

Because if you sit next to your best bud ...

The wide-open space in the middle of the room, made possible by the removal of 24 desks and the chairs that go with them, makes group projects easy to pull off.

The wobble cushions and exercise balls also help build core muscles.