Our school is a therapeutic day school program, the task of which is to provide emotional support and academic opportunities to children who have been unable to succeed in community school settings due to emotional, learning, and behavioral difficulties. The majority of our students live at a residential children's home and are wards of the state.
Our school runs as a trauma-informed program, aiming to help our students grow from their pasts and learn how to cope in effective ways.
Despite the challenges that our students face, they are incredible children. Their resiliency, love for learning, and curiosity are truly inspiring. I strive to make my classroom a welcoming and safe community and to help my students explore learning and grow into independent and productive citizens.
My Project
Studies tell us how important movement is to the productivity, focus, and mood of students. While of course movement can make an individual hyper or silly, research lately tells us that movement actually calms the brain and readies it for learning.
My students struggle greatly with their ability to self-regulate.
Once their brains are calm, their whole brain can now organize, regulate, empathize, and learn.
I am requesting two movement centered products: MeMoves and GoNoodle Plus. Both products feature video based activities that encourage movement and community building. MeMoves has very impressive research to show that following the movements in their calming videos can not only calm and regulate the body, but helps build a sense of community within a classroom as we all follow the moves together. Currently, our classroom uses the free version of GoNoodle for brain breaks throughout the day. My students LOVE the videos and characters. GoNoodle Plus includes a wider library of videos as well as personalized learning games.
My students respond well to these interventions to help keep their sensory systems regulated and their brains in a calmer state. Having a wide variety of options for proactive management would be so helpful in creating the best space for my students to learn.
More than a third 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
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. Szczecinski and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
