Bernie, Missouri - The third and fourth grade teachers at Bernie are wanting to purchase the AlphaBetter desks for their classrooms. These desks are standing desks with a fidget bar that can be moved back and forth with your foot allowing for movement that does not interrupt the learning environment. The students may also sit on a stool and still use the fidget bar.
They are about $400 for the stool and desk. They have received some grant money, donations, and the school with be purchasing some for the upcoming school year. Their goal is to have 25 desks for each third and fourth grade classroom for the upcoming school year. They are about 35 desks away from our goal. If anyone or any business is interested in helping us purchase these desks please contact Casey Arnold at 421-5752 or Bernie Elementary.
Letter from the teachers below:
"Educating children in today’s society comes with many challenges. Teaching in a low income, rural school district with 65% percent of the population on free and reduced lunches makes educating children even more challenging.
Our unique student population with 65% of the population on free and reduced lunch and 16% of students in third and fourth grade diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder creates a learning environment with many obstacles to overcome. Our goal as educators is to find ways to help our students overcome such challenges in order to be productive in the learning environment and reach their full potential.
Trending in both the workplace and the educational setting in recent years are standing desks. All over the nation, sitting desks are being replaced with standing desks. Research has shown these standing desks increase performance in the classroom, reduce problematic behavior, increase focus and attention, and create fully engaged learners. These desks allow students to utilize the fidget bar and have the ability to move their bodies rather than sitting still without disrupting the learning environment or other students’ concentration. These desks also bring the added bonus of burning calories throughout the day to help fight against childhood obesity and improve posture.
We have researched these desks and found the AlphaBetter brand desks seem to be a great fit in meeting the needs of our students. However, these desks are very expensive and with budget cuts and lack of funding, we are unable to purchase them for our third and fourth grade classrooms. The standing desk and stool combination are around $400 each. We need approximately 100 for our third and fourth grade classrooms.
Our goal would be to start the 2016-2017 school year with these standing desks in place for our third and fourth grade students to give them the best opportunity to learn. These particular desks are standing desks with a fidget bar that can be moved back and forth with your foot allowing for movement that does not interrupt the learning environment.
These desks also come with a stool so that a student has the opportunity to sit as well and still utilize the fidget bar. We feel these desks will not only enhance learning but serve as a solution for many problems both teachers and students face daily. It is extremely difficult for students to sit still for the duration of the school day. They often turn to talking to classmates, asking to go to the bathroom, getting up to sharpen pencils, tapping pencils on their desk, playing with objects, or a many other problematic behaviors that lead to a disruption in not only the student’s learning but to the students around them. Being able to stand, sit or use a fidget bar while learning will help the student stay engaged in the learning process. It allows them to exert their excess energy as well as stimulate their minds and bodies when losing focus without any disruption to the learning environment.
We are reaching out to you and asking for your assistance in purchasing these AlphaBetter desks for our third and fourth grade students. We believe they will be a valuable asset to our students and help them become fully engaged learners, reaching their full potential. We appreciate any and all assistance you can provide to us and will be extremely grateful for this opportunity to enhance learning for our students."
Sincerely,
Casey Arnold, Third grade teacher
Nicole Garner, Third grade teacher
Haley Baker, Fourth grade teacher
Edna Smith, Fourth grade teacher
