Calming Classroom Corner

I am raising money for supplies to create a space in my classroom that will serve as a cool-down spot for students with behavioral and emotional needs. This means we need comfy chairs, headphones, dividers, stress balls, journals, and other supplies that will support the learning needs of students who are often distracted by their emotions or by other students in class.

For more info, read on: 
                Over the past year and a half, I have been able to teach and get to know my bright, curious, loving middle school students. I teach math, a subject that is often a source of anxieties and discomfort for many students. Each student comes to school with a different experience, and this can affect how they learn and grow in the typical classroom environment. Some come to school with past traumas, behavior disorders, learning disabilities and other emotional and behavioral problems that can make it difficult to succeed in a traditional classroom setting.

      I taught at an alternative school last year, where the majority of my students were expelled from or pushed out of traditional public schools because of behavioral issues. Now that I am in a public school, I know how important the education of every child is, and I want my classroom to be a place where all students can come to school and feel comfortable and safe, free from anxiety and fear.

                  During the next month, I want to build my classroom into a calming space that is differentiated for my students' individual needs. I want to create a cool down corner (like this classroom) so that students who are experiencing behavioral challenges can still feel a part of the general classroom community. This space will also serve those who need to take a mental break from their normal school routine for various emotional or behavioral reasons, and re-collect themselves in positive ways before returning to the classroom community. 

              In order to do this, I need materials  to build this into a safe, nurturing, and calm space. I already have computers so that students can catch up on math skills they may be behind on, which often leads to anxieties in the math classroom. However, I need high quality headphones, classroom dividers, comfy chairs, journals for reflection, clay and puzzles to calm nerves, and bins to organize their personal materials in this space. 

                 I want my middle school math classroom to be a place where all students can thrive, despite academic or behavioral challenges they face on a daily basis. I want to give each student the chance to feel comfortable in the general classroom and build the coping skills necessary to stay apart of the general classroom community. 

Here are some examples from other classrooms if you're curious as to what this would look like in action :)