When most people hear the title "fully self-contained special education classroom" they think about it the way it sounds. As a restricted, confined class with little understanding of what exactly occurs in the room and what the future of those students holds. Thankfully, I was placed to teach this "mystery" fully-self contained special education class for a group of 9-11 graders in low-income school in Hawaii next year, prepared to unveil the mystery and break the shackles off of the "contained" aspect of FSC SPED classes.
The students in my class next year will face a variety of challenges. From emotional-behavioral disorders, mental retardation, autism, hearing impairments, traumatic brain injury and more---these students are what some have considered "unteachable" or "too far behind". They will enter my classroom as high school students, many performing at a 2nd grade level with little instruction given to them over the years except for the basics. I hope to revamp this program, with the help of my co-workers, in order to give these kids the chance they deserve, the tools to succeed and the motivation to do whatever they set their heart towards. To prove to those who doubted them before that they ARE capable and they CAN do it.
Since I have so many students with an array of disabilities and needs, it creates quite a challenge in the classroom. Being able to keep them on task is the first hurdle to get past on the road to learning achievement. Since many of my students have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and short attention spans, this requires me to get a little creative with how to make sure they are on task and learning what is set in front of them. Therefore, I am asking for funds to buy stability balls for my students so that they may use them to concentrate better, stimulate their brains, and keep them on task and moving towards success.
I have researched the power of using stability balls in the classroom and across the board it has been shown to positively affect students in a variety of ways. From helping them maintain good spine alignment, allowing for the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain, increasing fitness and balance and much more--it has become clear that if used properly, stability balls could be a great addition to the classroom and a great tool to help students learn at their highest ability.
Here are some links to articles that discuss the benefits of stability balls:
http://abcnewspapers.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=6172
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/education/18806666/detail.html
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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. Oliveira and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.