This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
I teach at an urban, Title I school where over 90% of students come from low-income households. Federal funding provides free breakfast, lunch, and snack for every student. Even with parental support, I would love to say that my students have everything that they need to be successful, but they don't; our classrooms lack much of what is now considered standard in elementary school classrooms due to district underfunding.
Despite the basic inequities and challenges my 19 awesome 3rd graders experience daily, they still come to school every day, excited and ready to learn.
My classroom is comprised of ten boys and nine girls. In their writing, my students tell me about their favorite sports (football), their favorite food (pizza), and their various hobbies like watching superhero movies, drawing their own comic book characters, playing scary video games, and styling their siblings and friends' hair. They are creative, silly, and love to try new things. However, most of my students are below grade level in both reading and math with roughly a third of students on a Kindergarten/1st Grade level. Because of these deficits, I am always looking for new, innovative ways to help my students grow and succeed!
My Project
Last year, I had a very energetic group of students who focused better when they were moving. Many would frequently pace around the room during STEM activities; although it was great for their learning, it was very distracting for other students. However, through the generosity of donors, we were able to get four wobble stools which allowed my pacers to rock back and forth while reading, writing, completing math problems, and conducting experiments while minimally distracting others. It was absolutely transformative for my entire classroom!
An additional wobble stool and a small group set of yoga balls will help even more students in my classroom who learn better while moving during our STEM activities this school year.
With the addition of these new options, half of my students will be able to ditch the old school classroom chairs and upgrade to seats that more naturally allow them to release their energy while learning. Due to the previous success with flexible seating, I would love to fully transform my classroom with new seating options such as these. We thank you in advance for helping us towards this goal!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Trickey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
