My students need a rug to finish off our transformation to a flexible-seating classroom, helping them be comfortable, focused, and productive in class.
"The good teacher knows that the best learning environment is always student-centered, never teacher-centered." - Yvonne Enoch and James Lyke
The students in my classroom are creative, hard-working fourth and fifth graders.
They are excited, curious, and happy to be a part of our classroom family. They come to school each day, ready to learn, but as I look around the room, I see students standing, wiggling back and forth in their seats, and sitting on their knees. They are doing everything I ask of them, even though the idea of sitting in a hard plastic chair every day is not comfortable or conducive to their productivity.
My Project
Through incredibly generous classroom parents, family, and friends, our classroom has made the transformation from traditional to flexible. We have a variety of seating choices to help students feel like their classroom is truly "theirs." Now that we have the alternative furniture covered, we need a rug to finish off our space and add a comfortable floor space for floor seating.
I feel passionate about helping to make them lifelong learners, and a huge piece of that is making them partners in their education through choice.
I have been fascinated by the flexible seating movement that is emerging in education. Most adults, myself included, know how we do our best work. When I am working on a project or taking notes, I like to be in a chair with a writing surface in front of me. If I am reading or grading papers, I like to sit on the couch with my legs tucked under. It seems so obvious, but if we get to choose how we are most comfortable and productive in the "real world," why should the classroom be any different?
By giving students the power to choose how they are most comfortable while learning, I am not only helping increase their productivity but empowering them to be problem-solvers in the future. Our classroom has made a huge transformation in the past few weeks. Traditional furniture has been repurposed by taking off legs or raising legs for kids to sit on the floor or stand. Parent donations and a Donors project have helped us add standing tables, bean bags, stools, and more! I have noticed such a difference in the students. They are more focused during whole-class instruction and more productive during independent work time.
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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. Hutchison and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
