A Calming Space for Teens

Funded Nov 17, 2023

Your generosity in helping me fund this project was, and is, overwhelming. Since receiving my materials, my space has been transformed. When I moved into my new office I had only a desk and a chair I had found for free outside someone's stoop (other teachers out there will understand why I picked up the chair, as educators we have to creative and resourceful for our kids). Today as I write this, I'm looking around at a collection of cozy bean bag chairs, floor cushions, warm lighting, and small baskets filled with sensory toys.

My room has become an important escape for many of my students -- a place for them to find peace and calm. Students seek out my room if they are sad and need a private space to cry. Some students who are working on managing their anger come to my room to sit in a bean bag chair and squeeze a stress ball until they feel better. I have a growing group of students who come to my room at lunch and after school to make crafts together and socialize. Of course, I also meet with many students one on one for mental health support and it has made a huge difference to be able to sit with them in a comfortable space where everything about the aesthetic communicates to them that they are safe, they have privacy, and they can take their time expressing themselves. The sensory toys are a particularly big hit and lots of students come to ask if they can hold onto a stress ball or pop-it just for the day if they are having a tough time focusing.

At this point, many kids have seen my space but each time someone new sees it for the first time, their reaction is always that it feels like no other space in the school. This makes me so proud and grateful because it was exactly my goal. I want my room to be an oasis and it has become just that because of YOU. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My heart is full.”

With gratitude,

Ms. McBride