Health & Wellness for Staff

Ergonomic Tips

From Jeremy Hammer, Technology Education Specialist, ACMT, MSAD 72

1. TAKE BREAKS. Every 20-30 minutes build mandatory stretch and movement breaks into your lessons where everybody looks away from the screen for at least 20 seconds.

2. Laptop is the worst word possible for these devices… they should only ever be in your lap if there’s no better alternative, and only then for less than 15 minutes at a time.

3. Elevate your screen. This can be a challenge because many of us need to use the trackpad and keyboard built into the device, but especially if you are just watching a video and don’t need to interact much, raise the screen to eye level.

4. Add peripherals. This is not available for all users, but if you DO have an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor you should use these tools to create an optimal workstation. Most laptops easily support an external monitor with the right cable.

5. Screens should be about 2 feet (an arms length) away from your eyes and the center of the screen should be about 10-15° below eye level.

6. Wrists should always be supported during extended mouse or trackpad usage… an old wadded up sock, a soft dish sponge, air filled packaging pillows - there are all sorts of cheap or free ways to make this happen if you can’t source a proper gel wrist rest.

7. Keep your feet on the floor with your knees at a 90° angle, and adjust your chair if you aren’t able to get them comfortable.

8. TAKE BREAKS. Every 20-30 minutes build mandatory stretch and movement breaks into your lessons where everybody looks away from the screen for at least 20 seconds. I’m sorry, am I repeating myself?

9. Make sure the lighting is good in your room. The screen should NOT be brighter than your surroundings.

10. If you wear glasses, invest in blue blocking coatings on your lens’. If you don’t, maybe consider getting some non-prescription blue block glasses just for computer use. You can find some on Amazon via this link.

11. Standing and working at your computer is always a great way to break things up. Find the tallest desk you can, stack a solid box or books up, or find a shelf at eye level and work from that position every other hour or so.

Meditation

Calm

They offer a lot of music, sleep stories, and meditations. You can also find their mindfulness calendars via this page.

Guided Meditations from Tara Brach

Tara offers a plethora of free, easy to access guided meditations with videos on YouTube.

Headspace

Headspace offers free access to all K-12 teachers, school administrators, and supporting staff in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.