Architects, Developers, Imagineers, Artists, Authors, and Illustrators. These are just some of the roles my students adopt during our fourth grade year together. We take risks, we fail forward, and we grow in our own unique ways.
These kids are beautifully unique.
My classroom is a cotaught classroom, with learners of varied areas of strength and need. I work with students with a variety of disabilities, including ADHD, learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. My students with motor disabilities want to fit in but call attention to themselves by the constant need to move, which attracts negative attention from peers trying to concentrate and teachers needing to teach. When strategies are offered to typical peers as well as identified students they are more acceptable to everyone.
These kids bring their own talents, their own challenges, and their own hearts. They inspire me to be a better teacher and a better human being. I learn so much about diverse needs and the power of finding comfort and courage in the uncomfortable. These students are our future and I want to give them the tools and the strategies to make that future the brightest it can possibly be.
My Project
My students need three stand-up desks to have the choice of standing or sitting when completing assignments. I'd like to set up a station with three standing desks in my fourth grade classroom that will offer my students the opportunity to stand and move while they work and learn. If given the opportunity to use a stand-up desk, I know those children who require movement and fidgets would be able to focus more during a lesson. They would be moving their legs and body while standing at their stand-up desk. Right now my room has tables and chairs which are all the same size. My students are not all the same size. Sitting in a chair can be very uncomfortable and distracting for some learners.
Having stand-up desks in a classroom will make movement inherently accessible for my more active and fidgety students.
Children deserve to learn in an environment that meets their needs and helps them focus. Movement and fidgets should be accessible to those students whose learning style demand it. These desks will allow students to fidget and move without distracting others. It will make my classroom a more flexible, inclusive place to learn.
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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. Spooner Smith and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
