Our school is an alternative school for children that suffer from genetic mental illness, emotional disturbances, and cognitive developmental issues, to name a few. Our students have a great capacity to love. Most suffer from these disorders due to a traumatic experience in their past that has prevented them from progressing with their classmates at a base school.
As the art teacher, my job is to help them learn to regulate their emotions in a healthy way and eventually help them get back to their base school and their old friends.
My Project
Most of my students gravitate toward sewing, sculpting clay, paper maché, and any other 3D art form. While challenging for most, it has been extremely therapeutic. Using wire and pliers, my students would be able to build sculptural armatures to explore 3D art.
Working with autistic, emotionally disturbed, and brain trauma children has taught me one amazing thing, healing happens best when the hands and brain are involved together.
Their minds do not function like most children, so when a paper project is introduced, they don't get excited. There just is not enough stimulation in drawing and basic watercolor painting. My students excel when they can physically alter the material in front of them. This form of art gives them so much more control in their emotional world, it is breath taking to watch.
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. Sperger and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
