Healthy, Focused, and Positive Movement In My 6th Grade Classroom

Funded Oct 12, 2017

Thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness in helping with my classroom project to provide standing desks to the students that I serve in my Language Arts/Social Studies and 7/8 Rotation classes. It has made a huge difference to the productivity and confidence of my students and we are very grateful for your support in making this become a reality.

My students were so excited when the boxes arrived at school!Once the desks were put together, all the students got a chance to "take a test drive" by using the desks. Since then, students have settled into a regular rotation of use, with one desk reserved for some students that need to stand daily. This week we have been typing a lot and our desks are big enough to share two students per desk with our laptops. It has been so neat to see the confidence boost in some of my students since getting to use the standing desk. It may seem like a little thing, to be able to stand instead of sitting to work, but for some students it changes drastically how much they are able to concentrate on their work. This little thing makes a big difference.

We have used the desks for many assignments since being set up, including a poster project on figurative language, map skill building, and several writing assignments. Our standing desks have been especially helpful to students this last week; as we are now focusing on expository essays, and five paragraphs requires a lot of focus and paying attention to the details of writing mechanics.

Now, my classroom has four standing desks and a bouncy band on all the other desks in my classroom. Students from other classes when in my room often admire my interactive seating options and say, "I wish other rooms had these." Next year it is my plan to be asking for two more standing desks. Thank you so much for adding to the diversity of my student's learning needs and for helping me to create a positive and healthy classroom environment for my students.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Finneran