Every morning I am greeted by energetic thirteen and fourteen year olds. The school building buzzes with their excitement and their energy. Some are ready to learn, some are ready to socialize, but all of them just exude life and vim. Their zest is seemingly endless and definitely contagious.
These students are in a confusing place in their lives.
They are going through great changes personally and as a collective. The struggles of adolescence are very real right now; the big emotional highs and lows, and the desire to fit in while standing out. As a result, and paired with the additional stresses some of them experience such as a troubled home life, or disorders like ADHD, focus can be very problematic even when they really do want to do their best and learn. Sitting in a desk all day often compounds the problem.
My Project
With standing desks, the students having a hard time focusing that day can stand and fidget, using the pendulum footrest, while still being able to accomplish their work and without bothering their classmates. Many students have asked for permission to stand during the class period but to do that and work they have to bend way over their traditional desks putting strain on their spine and making it hard for the students behind them to see. The standing desks would alleviate the problems associated with standing and working while still allowing for extra movement and a break from the constant sitting of the school day.
Standing and working improves focus and attention.
It also improves posture. If we could start with even just two desks in the classroom we could continue making a difference in the lives of these students by improving their physical health and academic achievement, increasing the likelihood that they move on to higher education. By donating to this project you can be a part of that.
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 Mrs. O'Neill and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.