My students are ALL loving, caring, and hardworking. The many ways they are different is the reason for my writing this description on Donor's Choose. They all need something, and my job is to make sure they have what they need to be happy, healthy, and educated. Our school is in an inner city district, and my students face many challenges inside and outside of school. Many of my students have experienced trauma in their lives, experiences I can't even imagine living through. I have 6 diagnosed students with ADHD in my class, so learning can be a challenge for these students as well. There are 8 students on IEP's due to learning disabilities. There are also 7 ELL students in my class. These students need a learning environment where they are looked at and treated as individuals.
They need me to acknowledge their challenges and give them support and unconditional love every day.
They need choices and variety in their learning environment because one size truly does not fit all.
My Project
Many of my students have experienced trauma in their lives. They have been abandoned by parents, homeless, they have had best friends die, they have witnessed crime and abuse, and many other unthinkable traumatic experiences. My goal is to provide them with a supportive learning environment where they can take a few minutes in their day to cope and process and regroup. Too often a child's behavior changes, and you don't always know why. You can question and investigate, but sometimes what is causing this change remains a mystery. All I know is something isn't right. Something is causing this child to be angry and act out.
My goal is to create a "calming corner" in the classroom, so students can remain in the classroom with me while we work through their inner struggles together.
The kinetic sand will be used to calm students down to a place where learning can happen. The tactile feel of the sand is very therapeutic. The magnetic blocks will serve the same purpose. Students can take a few minutes either as a reward or a "break" to build with the blocks. The timer will be a nice visual. I like how the timer can be silenced so it does not disturb the other 27 students. There is also a yellow warning light to allow the student a warning that their time is ending soon. This warning should help to transition students back into the classroom climate. The bubbler machine is another tool the student can use to calm down. My vision is to also put puzzles, calming music, coloring pages, etc. in the "calming corner." I can not change their lives, but I can bring them some peace and comfort within my four walls.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Weatherbee and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
