My students need activity tables and flexible seating options in the classroom. The adjustable sit to stand stools, wobble stools, and tables will help promote active learning and encourage collaboration.
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.
My Students
I love the cultural diversity and multiple intelligences that my students bring to our learning environment. Every student contributes their own personal experiences, interests, and talents that enliven our daily learning experiences.
I think the bigger question is not what I love about my students, but what I love to do for my students so that they leave my classroom each day feeling respected, empowered, and appreciated.
I work with a class of thirty students, ten are English Language Learners, seven are diverse learners with individualized educational plans, two with ADD, and three with social-emotional challenges. What makes them special is their resilience and perseverance to overcome challenges in their own learning experiences. My students thrive when they are given choice and encouraged to find the answers to their own lingering questions. The greatest satisfaction is guiding my students through their own inquiry, and observing their elation when they have succeeded at a task.
My Project
I want to further encourage and foster my students’ creativity, independence in learning, and collaboration. I believe collaboration and creativity is often stifled when students are constrained to their own stationary desk and chair. That is why I am seeking to replace the traditional desks and chairs in my classroom with comfortable, active seating options. Flexible seating offers students choice and a sense of ownership in their learning experiences. It provides movement as they are able to wobble, rock, roll, bounce, or stand. It also provides comfort as students are offered the opportunity to choose the spot where they can focus best.
I want my students to learn in a learner-centered space that promotes choice, collaboration, comfort, and creativity.
Flexible seating is strongly encouraged but unfortunately teachers are left to scrounge for new, affordable seating options. I'm tired of scrounging! That is why I am writing this grant. About 96% of the students at my school are at or below the poverty level. I want to provide them with the same learning experiences that other school districts are offering their students, and that includes flexible seating options that help create a student-centered learning environment.
With the traditional desks and chairs we have now, I can sense how restless my students become. The adjustable sit to stand stools and wobble stools that I am asking for will offer alternative active seating that will keep kids comfortable and focused longer. In addition, the traditional desks that I now have are not effective when students are asked to work in collaborative groups. My attempts to place the desks in groups is to no avail as they eventually separate. The tables I am asking for will not only promote collaboration, but also provide a flat work space for group projects and hands on science/math.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Mrs. Ferraro-Garza and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
