Grants

I wrote a grant to purchase ball chairs for my classroom. This was written to PPG Industries Foundation under the Public Education Leadership Community Grant. A parent that has a connection through the buisness brought this opportunity forward. I had interest in the positive impact ball chairs can have in a classroom setting and thought this would be the perfect time to do the research and apply for the grant money.
 * Description**

Through the research I found that the ball chairs have had a significant amount of research done on them. Students often seem restless in their regular chairs, lean their head on their desks, and aquire bad posture at a young age. The research shows that ball chairs allow students to work on their core muscles while sitting, blood flow is better becuase posture is better, and the ability to wiggle while they work allows more focus on content. My grant was sent in during the month of November, 2009. It was accepted and the money was sent to me by December of 2009. I searched for the most reasonable price and durable product. Wittfit.com was a great fit and provided wonderful support for classroom teachers. This
 * Analysis**

The ball chairs have added a unique look and feel to my room. Often students are excited when they fist learn of the new chair they will be sitting in. Once they have been sitting in them for a week they realize that it is a lot more work to sit on them. I have less student movement during class work time because students are able to move while seated, but this chair is not best for everyone. Some students prefer to curl up and kneel in a chair during work time. This made the ball chair a challange to sit in and unsafe for student that is trying to kneel. I have several chairs in my room as well as floor seating that allow students to move to an area that allows them to work comfortably around the room. Giving student choice about where to sit has also allowed time to talk about self monitoring our behavior.
 * Reflection**