Keeping the Mind Stimulated Through Flexible Seating Options
My students need bean bags, balance boards, and table risers as alternatives to regular chairs and tables to support sensory processing needs, ADHD, and just that innate need for movement and choice of seating!
$416 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
If you were to take a peek into my classroom, you would see young people representing countries such as Bangladesh, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States. They speak a myriad of languages and work hard every day in order to be academically successful, go to college, and make their families proud as our nation's future, teachers, doctors, architects, and scientists.
Unfortunately, a large majority, nearly 80% of my students come from families with incomes that qualify them for federal assistance, meaning they cannot afford many of the same technology and tools that other students can.
Some live in one-bedroom apartments with a family of five. Others work all weekend to help their parents pay the rent. Still others are in foster care or are homeless. Many have experienced overwhelming trauma. Yet, they bring with them a sense of joy and a love of learning. We are here to meet their needs.
My Project
Research has suggested that kids can focus better if they are allowed movement as well as choice. Being in motion helps keep their brains engaged. When the brain is stimulated they're able to stay focused on learning and they are better able to process new information. Having increased choice in allowing how students can sit will be the main strategy I'd like to implement in my classroom in order to achieve this focus for students. Just as we like to have choice in where we want to sit to do work -- a table, the couch, the bed, the floor, perhaps even standing -- students should also be given the same kinds of choices.
Teachers who have already experimented with flexible seating options for their students have reported improved focus and overall improvement in performance.
I'm excited to see what the results will show, and your help is the only way to help make this happen!
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. Lee-Ortiz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
