I am a full-time Special Day Class teacher of students with moderate to severe disabilities. Our school is part of a district in Northern CA recently affected by the Carr fire. Over 80% of our students qualify for free breakfast and free lunch, and our county has an extremely high rate of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Most of my students are on the spectrum (autism spectrum disorder) ranging from non-verbal middle schoolers who require help with activities of daily living to very verbal middle schoolers that require coaching on coping with change, managing expectations, and social interaction.
I also have students with Down syndrome, speech impairments, and emotional disturbance.
They each are so unique and are truly a blessing! They bring so much humor, joy, love, and depth to all the lives they touch. On top of their special needs, they are feisty middle schoolers who are wrestling with the ups and downs of puberty, as well as the stress of being from a depressed socioeconomic area. Despite all of these physical, emotional, mental, social/emotional and socio-economic challenges, my kids are bright stars with beautiful destinies and purpose. I am honored to be their teacher!
My Project
We will use these chair pockets to stay organized in my classroom! With their multiple pockets, these 'At-Your-Seat-Storage Sacks' will be great for storing schoolwork, supplies and other important items.
As middle school students with special needs, my kids can have a hard time with their executive functioning skills, especially in staying organized.
These pockets will be an effective solution for this. They will help keep their important items within arm's reach and there will be no more rummaging through their bins to find important schoolwork or supplies. Life will be so much easier for my staff and students with these!
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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. Stoddard and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
