I teach 9th-10th grade honors, gifted, and regular English literature classes. 100% of the students at my school recieve free breakfast and lunch. My students come from a culturally diverse mix of White, Black, Native American, Hispanic, and Asian populations. Despite the economic disadvantages my students face, they are serious about education, and excited to be at school. Our school motto is that "Average is Over- Exceed and Excel!" My students have embraced this positive thinking and set high goals for themselves and work hard to reach those goals. The humility, kindness, intelligence, and work-ethic of my students inspire me to be a better teacher everyday.
My Project
Have you ever heard of the cemetery effect?
If you look at a classroom seating chart and cemetery plot map do you note any similarities?
Lining up singular student desks like tombstones in a cemetery is not conducive to how students learn today. Side-by-side images of classrooms from the early 1900s and ones from today yield eerie similarities, even after more than 100 years of research and innovation. Common sense tells us that people will learn more if they are comfortable.
The need to redesign our students’ learning environments is not simply an idea from the latest Pinterest board; it’s one of necessity. There are certainly times when students should work independently and quietly in their own spaces. However, for far too long, that’s been the main model of instruction in many classrooms. Schools and classrooms must transform from the cemetery model to one that is learner-centered, is personalized, and leverages the power of technology. In an effort to do this, I am trying to integrate a more flexible seating arrangement including tables and chairs, single desks, standing desks (for students with lots of energy) and a few armchairs.
At this time, I am requesting 3 new technology tables and 12 new chairs for my classroom. These tables will enable my students to collaborate more easily, and it will also provide a sturdier work surface for our classroom Chrome-book computers. Please consider helping to bring my classroom out of the cemetery and into the 21st century. Thanks!
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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. Woods and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
