My students need a variety of flexible seating options, such as exercise ball chairs, directors chairs, and high-back beanbag chairs, so they can choose a comfortable place to do their best work!
I have taught at the same middle school for 16 years. It is the only middle school in a suburban school district of 6,600 students. We have a large number of students who receive free or reduced fees due to their family's economic status.
All of my students have IEPs and are struggling learners.
In addition to their academic deficits, many of them also have a medical diagnosis such as ADHD or Autism, which provides challenges within the classroom with following routines, staying seated for instruction, and staying focused while working the classroom in rotation centers. My kids are incredibly hard workers who truly want to do well, but there are other factors that impact their abilities to do so without some creative thinking!
My Project
Moving to the middle school is the most significant transition my students make during their school years and many of them struggle with the wide variety of changes that occur when beginning seventh grade. In addition to having multiple teachers and classrooms throughout the day, the most significant change the kids feel is that they no longer have recess.
We all do our best when we are most comfortable!
Our school day is made up of seven class periods of 47 minutes, with five minutes of passing time in between, so the students do have natural movement built into their day, however, within the classroom, sitting in a traditional chair and desk doesn't provide an optimal learning environment for everyone.
Last year I was fortunate enough to borrow exercise balls and bike desks for my students to use and their productivity and focus was fantastic! I am hoping to provide a wider variety of seating options, from high-back bean bag chairs with lap desks, an exercise ball chair with a back, another exercise ball chair with feet for stability, and a couple of directors chairs. With the addition of other items I have already purchased (an area rug and a coffee table), I hope that every student who enters my classroom will find a comfortable place to work and learn.
Providing flexible seating opportunities for my students will allow my kids to choose where they are most comfortable, and we all perform our best when we are comfortable! These classroom seating options will allow my students, who thrive on making choices, choose the most comfortable place to do their learning.
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