Gemeinsam die Schulbank drucken - this German idiom, which literally means to share a school desk, refers to an everyday yet also unfamiliar object about which little is known. The first traditional school desk has inspired designers, architects and manufacturers in different ways, and at different times, in many different countries. The VS school museum in Tauberbischofsheim traces the fascinating development and remarkable diversity of the school desk. It tells for the first time the history of school furniture in the last hundred years and illustrates how social change, new educational theories and pioneering school architecture have had a mutual influence on each other and made their mark on modern school furniture. This richly illustrated publication looks back over the historical background and looks forward to possible future developments.