In a typical classroom at The Columbus School Medellín High School, students sit for long stretches of time—70 minutes—listening, taking notes, preparing for assessments, and participating in discussions. For many, this structure feels normal. For others, staying physically still can be one of the hardest parts of the school day.
“A typical class feels very long for me, especially when we are sitting for a long time without breaks,” said Ivan Santiago, a high school student at The Columbus School. For him, the challenge is not about disinterest. “I feel like my body wants to move even if my mind is trying to focus,” he explained.
Ivan describes a disconnect between his body and his attention. While he may be engaged with the lesson, his physical restlessness can become noticeable. “When teachers call me out for moving, I feel embarrassed, even if I didn’t mean to disrupt,” he said. That embarrassment, he admits, sometimes affects his willingness to participate. Instead of raising his hand, he may choose to stay quiet to avoid drawing attention.
His experience reflects something many students may not openly discuss: movement does not always equal distraction. In fact, for some, it is part of how they concentrate.
Valentina Barrientos, another student at The Columbus School High School, has observed how classmates who move frequently are perceived. “I’ve noticed that students who move a lot are often seen as troublemakers, even when they aren’t doing anything wrong,” she said. According to Valentina, labels can form quickly in classroom settings.
She also sees the impact during collaboration. “During group work, students who are restless are sometimes excluded or ignored,” she explained. When assumptions are made about someone’s focus or behavior, it can influence teamwork and classroom dynamics.
Valentina believes one of the biggest misunderstandings is intention. “Many students move because it helps them focus, not because they want to distract others,” she said. From her perspective, what looks disruptive on the surface may actually be a coping strategy or a way to maintain attention during long academic periods.
Teachers, however, must balance empathy with classroom management. Mr. Andrew Shainker, a journalism teacher at The Columbus School, recognizes patterns in student behavior. “There are students that I call ‘runners,’ and runners want to constantly go to the bathroom,” he said. He explained that some students struggle with feeling confined to classroom walls for extended periods.
From an instructional standpoint, that presents challenges. “I think the hardest part is that behavior sometimes really plays a factor in differentiating instruction,” Mr. Shainker said. In a high school environment where students learn in different ways—some visually, others through listening, and others by doing—it can be difficult to meet every need while maintaining structure and pacing.
Still, he emphasizes that understanding does not mean lowering expectations. “It’s really important that we, as a society, allow our students to prosper while holding them accountable,” he said. For him, success comes from combining patience with responsibility.
Within the structured academic environment of The Columbus School Medellín High School, these perspectives highlight a broader conversation about learning, perception, and inclusion. Restlessness is not simply about movement; it affects confidence, peer relationships, participation, and instructional strategies.
What may appear as distraction in a quiet classroom can sometimes be something more complex: a student trying to stay engaged, a peer misunderstanding behavior, or a teacher balancing empathy with order. By listening to both students and teachers, it becomes clear that movement in the classroom is not just about sitting still. It is about understanding how different students experience learning in different ways.