In a world full of chaos and uncertainty, my goal for the creative, thoughtful, resilient students I teach, is to provide them a physical space and tools that evoke calm. As a teacher with a focus on social-emotional learning, I want to emphasize with the support of these items, a preventive and less reactive approach to addressing problem behaviors in the classroom. By providing these students an opportunity to utilize a calming environment, they can with my support and direct instruction, recognize their need for a break, and be able to develop coping skills in a space without stigma that invites mindfulness. Through the use of inviting and warm furniture, tools, and literacy, my goal will be able to support students in their need for emotional regulation and optimize their learning outcomes by being proactive and providing a desirable alternative to behaviors that often disrupt their learning.
My vision for creating a calming environment is to be able to provide a physical space students can seek out independently or with adult prompting, where they can utilize tools specific to their sensory needs, to become regulated. For example, if a student experiences a particularly challenging academic task or social situation that may cause them to feel anxious and upset, in lieu of engaging in problem behaviors such as yelling or physical aggression, they can enter into a calming environment with specific tools to meet their needs and deescalate in a more appropriate and functional manner, like grabbing a beanbag and reading a familiar book. Students will learn their triggers and solutions in a socially appropriate manner, empowering them to self-regulate, growing their emotional learning and positively impacting their academic learning by reducing the time spent engaging in problem behaviors.
About my class
In a world full of chaos and uncertainty, my goal for the creative, thoughtful, resilient students I teach, is to provide them a physical space and tools that evoke calm. As a teacher with a focus on social-emotional learning, I want to emphasize with the support of these items, a preventive and less reactive approach to addressing problem behaviors in the classroom. By providing these students an opportunity to utilize a calming environment, they can with my support and direct instruction, recognize their need for a break, and be able to develop coping skills in a space without stigma that invites mindfulness. Through the use of inviting and warm furniture, tools, and literacy, my goal will be able to support students in their need for emotional regulation and optimize their learning outcomes by being proactive and providing a desirable alternative to behaviors that often disrupt their learning.
My vision for creating a calming environment is to be able to provide a physical space students can seek out independently or with adult prompting, where they can utilize tools specific to their sensory needs, to become regulated. For example, if a student experiences a particularly challenging academic task or social situation that may cause them to feel anxious and upset, in lieu of engaging in problem behaviors such as yelling or physical aggression, they can enter into a calming environment with specific tools to meet their needs and deescalate in a more appropriate and functional manner, like grabbing a beanbag and reading a familiar book. Students will learn their triggers and solutions in a socially appropriate manner, empowering them to self-regulate, growing their emotional learning and positively impacting their academic learning by reducing the time spent engaging in problem behaviors.
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