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Like many middle school aged students, my students are dealing with the challenges of balancing life and school. Though we, as adults, know how to use our internal methods to help ourselves when stressors arise, adolescent students need to learn how to manage their own emotional highs and lows. For many, this is too large of an ask to do without support. Whether it be a cozy seat, an object to focus their visual attention, or an audio intervention, adolescents can focus their mind, emotions, and then their attention to learning through some of these items in order to achieve a Calm Classroom. Our classroom lies in the middle of a window-lined pod, so the window clings are to give privacy but still allow observation and natural light. I have selected the singing bowl to produce calming sounds along with the earmuffs to limit audio input for those for whom sounds may be too much. The padded chairs are for comfortable floor work while the wobble cushions to allow movement when engaged in seat work. The brain flakes and the grip strengtheners are for busy hands to use while minds are required for thinking, and the expanding spheres and glitter jar gives eyes and minds something to focus on to calm oneself. For some students this emotional balancing act requires tricks, tools, manipulatives and equipment.
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