My students need peddle exercisers, jellyfish chairs, and balance ball chairs to help them wiggle out their energy allowing them to maximize their learning potential.
My students come into my classroom every day ready to see where their imaginations take them. They are eager to learn and extremely happy to be at school.
They come from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, some of which are severely economically disadvantaged.
No matter their home life, my students take on the day with such energy I cannot help but to be inspired by them. I see such creativity coming from them, and I love that they are so open to sharing that creativity with me.
My Project
I have had students come to me time and time again frustrated because they lack the concentration to complete class projects. As a teacher I sit and conference with these students about different options we currently have in our classroom that will allow them to wiggle while they complete the task. After these discussions my students have taken it one step further and looked researched different options that would allow them the ability to stay in motion and still allow them to complete assigned tasks. The solutions they have come up with include yoga balls, yoga mats, and bean bag chairs. I have tried to purchase what I can for them and am limited in the resources I can provide for them. Many have even asked to bring balls and things from home but not knowing how safe they may be I have had to limit them to what we have in the classroom.
With some of my students kicking their chair to the curb and others sitting on the floor many still need different options to choose from.
Giving students the choice of where and how they are going to do their work really empowers them to take charge of their learning. Since allowing my students to work where and how they want I have seen a huge improvement in engagement and academic growth. They are literally active the entire time they are in my classroom which is well over 60 minutes. It may not appear they are concentrating on their reading while the are moving all over the place but the results have been amazing. With the new school year I would love to provide these students the opportunity to take charge of their learning and utilize the new and improved flexible seating choices they have researched.
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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. Zigelman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
