You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
Donate
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Menu
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Your school email address was successfully verified.

Edit classroom photo

Mrs. Slavik’s Classroom Edit display name

Support her classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Mrs. Slavik a DonorsChoose gift card she can use on her classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send her a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

cancel

Support Mrs. Slavik's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Mrs. Slavik a DonorsChoose gift card she can use on her classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send her a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

Make a donation Mrs. Slavik can use on her next classroom project.

Your custom url is https://www.donorschoose.org/missmerkel

View your stats
Track donations »
Edit
My students are influenced by their environment, and they want to control it as much as they can. Having items such as hokki stools (a seat that spins, and lets students keep moving, while sitting still), exercise balls, and pillows to sit upon the floor, allows students to control their learning by picking a seating option that fits their needs best. When it comes to a special education classroom, I am molding my teaching and instruction to fit each individual student's needs--and it is important to teach my students that they are able to fit their individual needs as well. With alternative seating, this is a possibility for them. I believe that kids, especially the restless, should not have to spend their days constantly sitting tucked in at a desk; alternative seating helps kids be more productive. A study published in 2009 in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology demonstrated that children, especially those with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tend to move around more when they are using working memory to solve problems. This means, that although "fidgety" behavior in children may look like a distraction, it is actually helping their learning process by helping them maintain focus. Seating such as hokki stools will keep students at a table doing their work and seated, although they are able to move and wiggle simultaneously. Studies have also shown that students who use alternative seating burn 17% more calories than a student sitting in an average chair. My students learn differently than the traditional student. My classroom would fail if I used one-size-fits-all instruction, so why should I use one-size-fits-all seating? I dream of my classroom to be a place where sensory needs are normal choices for everyone. These items will help make my classroom a flexible seating paradise.

About my class

My students are influenced by their environment, and they want to control it as much as they can. Having items such as hokki stools (a seat that spins, and lets students keep moving, while sitting still), exercise balls, and pillows to sit upon the floor, allows students to control their learning by picking a seating option that fits their needs best. When it comes to a special education classroom, I am molding my teaching and instruction to fit each individual student's needs--and it is important to teach my students that they are able to fit their individual needs as well. With alternative seating, this is a possibility for them. I believe that kids, especially the restless, should not have to spend their days constantly sitting tucked in at a desk; alternative seating helps kids be more productive. A study published in 2009 in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology demonstrated that children, especially those with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tend to move around more when they are using working memory to solve problems. This means, that although "fidgety" behavior in children may look like a distraction, it is actually helping their learning process by helping them maintain focus. Seating such as hokki stools will keep students at a table doing their work and seated, although they are able to move and wiggle simultaneously. Studies have also shown that students who use alternative seating burn 17% more calories than a student sitting in an average chair. My students learn differently than the traditional student. My classroom would fail if I used one-size-fits-all instruction, so why should I use one-size-fits-all seating? I dream of my classroom to be a place where sensory needs are normal choices for everyone. These items will help make my classroom a flexible seating paradise.

Read more

About my class

Read more
{"followTeacherId":3725868,"teacherId":3725868,"teacherName":"Mrs. Slavik","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3725868_272x272.jpg?width=136&height=136&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1470411810972","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"vanityURL":"missmerkel","teacherChallengeId":20806507,"followAbout":"Mrs. Slavik's projects","teacherVerify":-1881647012,"teacherNameEncoded":"Mrs. Slavik","vanityType":"teacher","teacherPageInfo":{"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"teacherHasClassroomDescription":true,"teacherClassroomDescription":"","teacherProfileURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/classroom/missmerkel","tafURL":"https://secure.donorschoose.org/donors/share_teacher_profile.html?teacher=3725868","stats":{"numActiveProjects":0,"numFundedProjects":0,"numSupporters":2},"classroomPhotoPendingScreening":false,"showEssentialsListCard":false}}
Supporting teachers and students since 2000

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America create classroom project requests, and you can give any amount to the project that inspires you.

We've earned the highest possible ratings from Better Business Bureau, Charity Watch, Charity Navigator, and Guidestar.