Help me give my students the best opportunity to succeed by allowing me to meet their sensory needs in the classroom environment with balance balls and wobble cushions for alternative seating.
I am fortunate to be the first grade teacher of a class of twenty-six, wonderful children. They come from diverse backgrounds, represent several languages (besides English) and have varying learning styles. My class has many diverse needs this year.
Equity does not always mean equality.
If everyone learned the same and had the exact same needs, they could all be given the exact same tools. However, I have twenty-six, special students, who do not learn the same and need different tools to succeed and access their curriculum.
My Project
It's frustrating when you want to learn, but sensory issues get in the way. Allowing my students the ability to choose flexible seating, empowers them and teaches them at a young age how to take charge of their learning. It allows my students to understand that there is not a one size fits all to access their education, and that their individual needs require support. My class also has varying sensory disorders that require the use of specialized scissors and pencil grips to assist them with varying orthopedic needs. They also require different sensory tools to help them de-escalate such as sensory slime.
We can't give the same thing to every child and expect the same result.
We treat children in our class as individuals, so their access to learning should be no different. Diverse and unique needs require us to accommodate accordingly.
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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 Teacher Fanning and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
