Each day and everyday 28 kiddos buzzing with energy fill my classroom. Each and every one of them are incredibly unique. My inclusive classroom is home to students from diverse backgrounds and a variety academic levels. Roughly 25% of our school's population receive special education services, not including the large amount of students diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Many students in our school come from low-income/high poverty homes and live in homes without both parents.
Despite the many challenges that each of them face, my kiddos are eager and excited to learn each day.
My kiddos enjoy tracking their learning growth and reaching the academic goals they have set for themselves. One of the major ways my students enjoy learning is through their work in collaborative groups.
My Project
Last year, I began implementing flexible and alternative seating. My students absolutely loved having collaborative work spaces. They were able to easily communicate and share ideas within a small group. Finding a space to work in partners and small groups was also extremely easy and time was not wasted moving desks together to have space to work.
When children are given a learning environment that gives them autonomy in their learning, they are exponentially more motivated to do well and more deeply invested in their own success.
This past year, in place of traditional school desks, we were blessed to be loaned large conference tables. My kiddos were always commenting how "grown up" they felt using the conference tables. However, the conference tables will soon have to return to our conference room (we did not have one due to construction). Despite the success of the tables were were once using, these over-sized, fixed height tables, did not lend themselves towards creating a truly flexible and alternative seating arrangement.
This project will fund 3 tables that are adjustable in height. The benefit of this style of table is that I will be able to create both standing work spaces, floor seated work spaces, and a work space to be used with our class yoga balls. These tables will help create a truly flexible and alternative seating environment where students are free to select a work space that works best for their individual needs and learning style.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Torres and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
