My students are enthusiastic and curious and excited about everything, including the spider on the floor, the letter B, and how the pencil sharpener works. They come from more than eight different linguistic and cultural backgrounds including African American, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Burmese, Samoan, Mexican, El Salvadorian, and more.
We are an small urban public elementary school and the majority of my students live in the neighborhood around the school which is primarily working class and low-income.
My classroom is fully inclusive, which means I typically have 3-8 students with exceptional needs each year. About a quarter of my students have experienced personal trauma that affects their emotional health. Basically my students are wonderfully diverse, active, thoughtful, curious five year olds who are ready to learn and grow.
My Project
In our class yoga is one of our favorite times of the day. My five year olds take it very seriously and they practice balancing, strengthen their muscles, learn to breathe deeply, and giggle a lot. But the floor is hard (camel pose is rough on their knees) and the carpet is small (all my warriors don't fit!). My kids always ask why we can't have yoga mats to really be serious.
Personal yoga mats would allow my students to find the space they need and the comfort they need to push themselves a little further each day and to have a lot more fun while doing it.
With yoga mats we could also take our downward dogs outside, where their natural exuberance and energy would have even more room to expand.
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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 Ms. Yoshitsugu and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
