"Sit still and listen!" Have you ever heard that said in a classroom? Sometimes students just need to move in order to learn. As a dedicated teacher, I want to provide my students with a way to keep their bodies and minds active without disrupting the learning of others.
This year I am teaching in a single-gender classroom consisting of twenty boys of varying ability levels.
Our elementary school is located in a small town in South Carolina. Although the students come from a variety of backgrounds, there is one common problem that many of my students face- the need for movement. Many of my students are very active and full of energy. They often find it hard to sit still and focus on their work. Because of this, they often disrupt the learning of other students around them. My students are very smart and capable of anything; many of them just need help focusing. Standing desks and stability balls just may be the solution to our problem!
My Project
The stability balls will enable students to wiggle while they work! The students will be able to move around, yet it won't distract others who are working around them. Instead of focusing on sitting still, students can focus on their learning while improving their balance, posture, and strength. The stability balls will be used for small group instruction, group work, and just anytime a child feels like they need to use one in order to focus! Students will also have access to the standing desks anytime they feel like they'd rather stand up to work/listen rather than sit still in their desks. I want to encourage my students to move and stay active, not sit still, and these alternatives will help to achieve this goal. While my active students will reap many learning and health benefits from these stools, this product will also be beneficial to the students around them because the movement is not large enough to distract my teaching or the learning of the other students.
This new furniture will help all students become better focused and my teaching become uninterrupted.
In terms of health and academics, everyone will benefit from the addition of standing desks and stability balls into our classroom!
More than half of 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. Glay-Narveson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.