Saltsburg Elementary School
It might be a small elementary school in a rural Pennsylvania county tucked away in the central-western part of the state, but the teachers in the Saltsburg Elementary School have some distinctly progressive ideas when it comes to accommodating the special needs of their students. And that attitude helped them earn a Community Innovation Zone Grant of $225,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania aimed at helping students with dyslexia.
“About one in five kids show signs of dyslexia, and to complicate this about 40% of those dyslexic students (on average) exhibit Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,” said Julie Obney, one of two reading specialists at the school. Keeping children on task can be a challenge.
At the Saltsburg Elementary School, dyslexia intervention often takes place with students seated on AlertSeats.
“We needed to find creative ways to keep students on task while we work with them,” Ms. Obney said. “AlertSeats looked like a fit, and when we purchased them, the kids loved them.”
“We went back and ordered more,” she added.
Kimberly Ferguson, the other reading specialist at Saltsburg Elementary, has another perspective, based on recent state-mandated testing conducted at the school.
Reading Specialist Julie Obney, working here with students, says that those with reading difficulties at the Saltsburg Elementary School in Pennsylvania benefit from sitting on AlertSeats, which absorb energy allowing them to concentrate.
Some children, like the girl on the left, work better standing up, Ms. Obney says, and an AlertDesk is the answer for her. Her classmates use AlertSeats, which help them stay focused even as they burn off stress.
“We needed to find creative ways to keep students on task while we work with them,” said reading teacher Julie Obney. “AlertSeats looked like a fit, and when we purchased them, the kids loved them.”
It’s not just students with reading challenges that get to use AlertSeats at the school. They are placed in homerooms throughout the building.
During the state tests… students in my room are allowed to sit on AlertSeats,” she reported. “They told me that my room is the best for testing because they can sit on these chairs.”
“As I monitored the test, they were quietly bouncing and thinking. They spent a long time on the test. For some, I know it was really challenging. They stuck with it. I think the ball chair really helped the students stay focused and helped them burn off some stress as they worked,” she said.
It’s not just students with reading challenges that get to use AlertSeats at the school. AlertSeats are also placed in homerooms in our building. We have found that all students enjoy the seats. Teachers often use them as a reward.
The reading classroom also has two AlertDesks to help kids who focus better while standing.
To learn how schools like the Saltsburg Elementary School and others throughout the country are using the AlertSeat™ and AlertDesk™ in regular and special education classrooms, visit our website at www.alertseat.com and select Product Reviews and Articles.
