It isn't the annoyance of the rocking, in my opinion, that is the problem here. The problem is all the parents who think they need to take the teacher and school to court if their litte fidgety one gets a crack on the head. As a teacher, we live in fear of being sued every time a child trips. I think most agree that kids need to be kids and have fun and climb trees and run like maniacs. If the rocking is that important to you, buy your own chair and let the kid rock back and forth at the dinner table for a few weeks.

samsmom, ontario, canada

Maybe this teacher and others like him should learn to make their lessons more interesting. The main reason the kids rock is probably boredom!

Dawn, Brisbane, Qld,Australia

Mmm, when it comes to designing something new to fit a particular purpose I was always told to do your research. Guess this guy must've skimped on that area because there's already been a chair designed for exactly that (rocking back) problem, and more. It's called the Sebel Postura, and even has a matching class desk too. Another problem with this guys chair, and one the Postura doesn't have, is the legs; his are made from metal and will no doubt eventually come loose in the harsh enironement of the classroom, or at the very least cause that awful screech noise when the plastic 'feet' wear away. The Postura design is one piece plastic, and yes, it's one of the most comfortable chairs to sit on. How do I know? I'm sitting on one now. And before you ask, no I'm not connected to Sebel in any way, it's just that I did my research when looking for the perfect chair. And I found it.

Znook, Wigan, England

It's not the kids' fidgeting that's the problem, they're welcome to do all the yoga they like. It's just the monotonously regular & predictable sound of young skulls bouncing off the floor that makes this bit of basic ergonomics not such a bad idea.

Simon Hayes, Brisbane,

The human body is not designed to stay rigid for extended periods of time, especially in a sitting position. Why do you think we roll over in our sleep.

Rocking in your chair indeed develops balance, muscle strength, and actually helps the body physically. Sure, you might fall off once or twice, and if you're particularly klutzy, you might fall off more often, but the "injuries" sustained from such occurences are minor to say the least.

Bring back the days of firecrackers, gym equipment and grazed knees. I know my parents grew up just fine. They even have all their fingers and toes!

All initiatives like this are doing is fostering our children into an unknown world. We raise them in a bubble, protect them, pad their cages, then wonder why they act so "rebellious" or why they can't handle the "REAL" world when they leave home.

Did you ever stop to think that maybe you should stop saying "You'll never survive in the REAL WORLD" and TEACH them to survive in the real world?

Peter Dolkens, Sydney, NSW, Australia

It sounds trivial but apart from the constant injuries it seriously drives you nuts. Am I the only teacher to contemplate using 6-inch nails for the same purpose? (on the chairs, not the kids)

Simon Hayes, Brisbane,

I say give them all rocking chairs

Collin knight, winfield, canada

Government to the rescue!

I wonder how much money schools are willing to fork out for this miracle on legs. Seems to me that money is better spent bringing in some real historians to teach history, and real economists to teach economics.

Let the kids rock.

Daniel Peterson, Woodstock, GA

Does it come with arm restraints and a device for administering Ritalin?

Christopher Witmer, Tokyo, Japan

Children, and most especially boys, are very restless in school. This is actually natural. If they cannot do something as harmless as this (I don't really believe that many are injured at all, sorry, it sound pretty far-fetched to me), they will find other motions and other activities, all distracting, I have no doubt.

The only goal, as the inventor himself noted, was to stop the rocking because it bothered him. Ah, to control our fellow human beings -- the delight of tyrants everywhere.

Losing 10 minutes of teaching, the teacher says! HAHAHAHAHA. I say it probably gives a well-deserved laughter break. What teaching? I learned almost nothing important from all my years of school -- only to CONFORM and believe what lying teachers told me. I have spent most of my life UNLEARNING their lies.

Jennifer, Seattle, USA/Washington

I'm tired of the constant attempt to protect children to the point that they don't learn to make good choices on their own.

Yes, I rocked in my chair as a boy. Yes, I fell enough times to learn that this is not the safest thing to do.

Most child care experts agree that natural consequences are the best for helping children learn. Yet we constantly try to remove "dangers" so that children will be protected from the natural consequences of their actions. No wonder I see more and more young men and women growing up with no common sense.

Al Newberry, Cincinnati, Ohio

Rocking in your chair is part of how kids learn balance. My eldest daughter rocked in her chair from the age of 3 and no longer falls down. My next daughter is still learning. She still falls down and ... get this ... fails to maim herself whatsoever.

I would rather she learn balance than have the ability engineered away from her.

I'm 30 and long out of school, but I still rock on them. I've sat on chairs that look like they can rock backwards, but can't for whatever reason. I usually take another seat. It's far too frustrating not to be able to.

If all this wacky character did as a teacher was to tell kids to shut up and sit still, what on earth did his students learn? Were their lives enriched in any way whatsoever? How much more then does this invention do for the poor hapless kids who will be forced to sit in them for hours on end?

If he was so easily "driven mad", what does this say about the state of his mental health?

Bill, Atlanta, GA, USA

The codger is correct.

The reason that pupils rock back is that the chairs are too small. They are in their growing years, and many of them need adult-sized seating. Having to sit all day with your chin on your knees is not the solution.

armadillo, philadelphia, us

Kids will be kids, let them rock! I used to love rocking on my chair as a kid, and I'm now studying the degree of my choice at a great University, it did me no harm what so ever.

Enthrall a class and you will have them sitting on the edge of their seats rather than rocking on them.

Russ Harrison, Watford,

I and my friends rocked our way through school and I never saw anyone seriously hurt by falling off a chair. It is a rather soothing action, and the world will be a slightly more dull place without it!

Anthony Charlton, Swindon,

From my experience, a better approach would be to provide chairs which are comfortable to sit on without rocking. But I'm sure that would be too obvious...

Old Codger, Chessington, UK