My students need 40 yoga mats to continue their physical, mental, and emotional development.
$806 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
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I normally teach general music to every student in the building and this year get to spend a little extra time with students in 3rd and 4th grade during a weekly health class. We've had some ups and downs figuring out how to make that time together meaningful and enjoyable. Yoga is the solution!
My students are curious, thoughtful, active, and social.
Collectively, they have so many positive traits. And yet, I see many of them struggle with their own self-confidence and self-efficacy which sometimes plays out in hurtful ways toward their peers. Almost all of these 3rd and 4th graders are eligible for the free lunch program. Some students face incredible challenges in their home and personal lives, but most are surrounded by loving, hard-working families.
Our school is experiencing a transition in administration; while our students are of course still loved and advancing academically, they feel the stress that is inevitable to the uncertainty of our school's future. As with all children, I notice how much more academic learning occurs when my students' social, emotional, and physical needs are met. My hope is that my students experience learning and school as a joyful process.
My Project
These 40 yoga mats will be used during weekly health classes. Depending on teachers' schedules, we meet either in the multipurpose room, where each student has plenty of personal space, or in their homeroom classrooms. Either way, these mats will define each student's space, prevent students' hands and feet from slipping in poses, cushion students' knees and joints, and keep their clothes and bodies cleaner. My students are energetic but in the cold of winter don't seem to have a productive way to release that energy. In the few months students have been practicing a bit of yoga each week, I've seen remarkable changes in their ability to relax their body and mind, as if they feel safer in this space. They have also become stronger, more flexible, and more confident in themselves as they attempt new poses or succeed at postures that were confusing or challenging. Learning self-awareness through yoga will help students' cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.
The impact even 30 minutes of yoga has on students' mood and focus is remarkable.
In just a few weeks, I have observed students' attention spans increase with breathing exercises, and noticed students who were resistant to even try exclaim from Dolphin Pose, "This feels good!" I often wonder if my students' own insecurities are what causes them to harm others. Observing them experience a deeper calm and trust in their own body gives me hope that yoga will make them smarter and more empathetic.
Nearly all 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 Ms. Romano and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
