Help me give my students big pillows for brain breaks when needed after a long rigorous assignments or a difficult encountered situation (such as a dispute with a classmate, a non-school issue, a frustrating moment).
$203 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
I love that my students not only are a reflection of me as a student (as I also attended this school and was raised two blocks away from my school), but that they have a strong community within the classroom. My students have mostly all been together since they were in Kindergarten, and our school only has one class per grade in their elementary section, so our students grow very comfortable with one another. Accepting and being aware of the daily struggles my students face outside the classroom and the social-emotional development that is essential to their success in the classroom, I include brain breaks and small activities to develop their social skills with one another. My emphasis on respect and trust is touched upon daily in our classroom; I remind my students that the peers around them will be the same peers they graduate elementary school and middle school with, so they must learn to collaborate and trust one another. I also emphasize how I want them to monitor their own feelings and behavior, and that they do not always need me to respond correctly to a difficult situation.
My Project
All adults need to find a positive way to handle stressful moments, and our students are no different. The transition from 2nd grade to 3rd grade is very stressful for students. In our classroom, I prioritize and encourage brain breaks and positive responses to difficult situations. My students know that if there is something bothering them and they need a few minutes to themselves, they can go to our bean bag and relax so that they are ready to come back to work with a calmer mindset. However, because we only have one bean bag, we struggle with sharing the bag with those students that redeem it for the day and those students that need a small 5 minute brain break. Our students have a clear understanding of what is considered a good moment and time for a brain break. Usually, it is something that they could get over quickly, may not be ready to speak about or something they need to think over so they do not take the wrong action. Many students who struggle with expressing their emotions have succeeded in taking small brain breaks on our carpet and get back to work without any additional support. Five minutes of breathing time can really make a difference! Sometimes space and reflection is all students need. The possibility of having two extra sturdy big pillows will be a great addition to the brain breaks we take for social emotional development and awareness.
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