I need financial assistance for a 200-hour wellness and yoga teacher training designed specifically for educators.
$2,305 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.
Our school is located in a diverse, low-income community. We have nearly 600 students and 81% of our students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. 41.7% of students are considered transitional bilingual. The staff and teachers at our school are involved with the community and do whatever they can to provide for students and their families.
The weight that many of my students carry on their shoulders is far beyond what any six-year-old students should, and still, they come so excited and eager to learn.
As a first-year teacher here in Washington in a low-income/high poverty school district, my students are faced with several challenges both in and out of the classroom. Despite the many challenges they face, I am looking to keep things simple and provide my students with creative and meaningful learning experiences.
I may not be able to control their home lives, however, I can certainly control their experience during the school day. By doing this in a creative and positive way, I am hoping to inspire even our earliest learners to continue on a path of academic excellence with self-regulation, peace, and happiness.
My Project
A few years ago, I began a personal mindfulness practice which brought joy into my life at a level I hadn't experienced since I was a child. This joy was a result of my increased ability to be present and respond to my environment, which included my students. My classroom became a much more calm and productive place as I learned to really be there for my kids. Since then, I’ve tried to facilitate a mindfulness practice for my students, but I would love the opportunity to be trained in how to do this more effectively.
After seeing how much my personal practice changed my classroom, I can only imagine the transformation that would occur if my students had a regular mindfulness and yoga practice as well.
I teach at a school in one of Washington's most diverse districts. Our students speak 17 different languages and come from all over the world. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to partner with, to serve, and to learn from a community of people who have seen so much more of the world than I have.
There is also a lot of trauma in our community. We have a growing population of refugees and most of our students are living in poverty. In a school like mine, which serves a low-income, minority population, teaching wellness sends a message to students that they matter, in a world where a lot of forces are already making them feel like they don’t. Wellness tools like mindfulness and yoga empower students to love, take care of, and advocate for themselves. These tools help our students to cope with the trauma that accompanies growing up in poverty as a result of racism and systemic oppression.
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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. Vazquez and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
