Have you ever turned to music when you were angry, depressed, or excited? Music has the power to keep my students focused, and to bring them back from the brink when they are out of control.
The students in my class are passionate, intelligent, and caring.
They also have difficulty regulating their emotions and behavior. This difficulty is the reason they have been placed in my Special Education Class for students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities. On a daily basis we work on core academic skills, while also focusing heavily on the social-emotional needs of each individual student.
My Project
Last year I brought my personal iPod to school loaded with some of my favorite classical music to share with the class. I was amazed at how motivated my students were to use the iPod, and how quickly they realized the power it had to keep them calm and focused. Once, when a student was having an extreme melt-down, I gave him some options of self-calming strategies. He accepted the music, and like magic, his breathing slowed and his fists relaxed. A single iPod is not enough for my class. With 4 iPods, the power of music will be available to nearly any student who needs it.
In the short term, having music available to my students will increase the academic output in my class by improving their ability to focus.
It will also decrease the number of outbursts by helping them self-regulate. In the long term, my students will learn that they can turn to music whenever they are out of control, inside or outside of the classroom.
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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. Flanzer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.