SAN ANTONIO – It’s common for teachers to raise money for pricey classroom supplies, but one San Antonio teacher has raised money for something unique — making her classroom a mental health oasis.
KSAT was there as teacher Annette Graham started bringing her classroom to life at Zachry Middle School.
“Setting up the classroom is kind of like Christmas for teachers because that’s the excitement we get to create!” Graham said, walking into the classroom.
She strives to create a mental health sanctuary where kids can feel calm while learning.
As a teacher at the magnet school within Zachry, her lessons include real-life skills and interaction tools.
“My class focuses on the interpersonal skills. It’s not just getting up and doing public speaking. It’s being able to interact with their peers and, eventually, prepare them for their work to be in a career environment, to be able to work with a team member,” Graham said.
Those skills involve regulating emotion, called social-emotional learning (SEL).
“Something I’d witnessed with my students was that they had high anxiety, especially in middle school. They deal with a lot of a lot of changes,” Graham said.
So, the students learn tools to handle their emotions.
“We focus on dealing not only with career and college exploration, high school registration, but we deal with all the stressors: how to cope with conflict within your friends or outside of your friend group, how to deal when you’re having higher anxiety levels, recognizing those triggers and how to disengage from them,” Graham said.
She wanted to make sure her classroom was a place where students felt safe to learn about and understand their emotions so they could, in turn, learn real-life skills to become successful adults. However, creating a calming space required some help.
Graham used the fundraising site Donors Choose, which helps teachers pay for supplies and projects.
The $629 goal was met within a month, paying for some things you’d never think to find in a classroom.
- $100 - Calm strips, sensory focus tools like fidget toys
- $47.99 - Fluorescent light covers/filters
- $98 - Bubble tube, colored fish tank, sensory bubble lamp
- $21.98 - Stress relief balls, slime packs, putty
Graham explained the purpose of each of the items.
“We talk about stress management, and I will take out my slime. I have different textures and talk about what’s stressing me out. And they’re like, ‘Oh, can I have some of that?’ I say, ‘Oh yeah, sure!’” she said.
There are several kinds. Some are soft, and others are denser. Graham said manipulating textures like that is calming, but it is specifically important for kids with ADHD and autism. It’s something she understands personally.
“As somebody who’s struggled with ADHD, having that sensory issue, something that will engage that part of the brain without distracting others is very valuable,” she said.
Graham then pointed to a small, colorful strip placed on a Chromebook.
“Calm Strips was developed by an individual who needed that sensory engagement for him. It doesn’t distract or anything. So while they’re working, they can just touch it. It can stick to anything and peel off without leaving a residue,” Graham said.
She intentionally chooses quiet and nondistracting materials, but she always pays attention to how the students are using them.
“If it becomes a distraction or a toy, then it’s no longer just a fidget to help them focus. We teach them how and when the appropriate time is, and I’ll say, ‘Hey, can you put that down for now and focus on the work?’” Graham said.
The exciting part is that those items don’t technically belong to Graham. As soon as a student uses them, the items belong to them. They can use them at school or even take them home.
The one thing that happens strictly in the classroom is the lighting.
“The fluorescent lights can be overstimulating to a lot of students. Just lowering the lights helps reduce some of that anxiety. It helps give a little bit of a sense of security,” Graham explained.
She fundraised for calming covers that clip over the ceiling lights, creating a dim look. She will also put curtains around the windows and use lamps and curtain lights around the classroom.
Graham has done this before, and she said it works. Students who aren’t even in her class will stop by to wind down or decompress.
“They walk in; they immediately feel it. They can come in during lunch and just use that time to decompress from whatever’s going on. They know this room is is an option for them,” she said.
Graham also has zen days. She carves out time to give her class five calming activities to choose from.
“I could tell that the anxiety was up just in general around the campus, and I would put up on the screen, ‘OK, you have five activities that you can choose from. You can read. You can choose a slime kit. You can use this or work on homework, or you can just put your head down and rest,’” she explained.
The concept is so unique that it has attracted donations from people nationwide. Other teachers in her school and some she knows at other schools also do this.
Graham hopes other teachers will get the same support to include this in their curriculum.
“What I hope is that people will see the value in what we’re doing here,” Graham said.
She always suggests that if parents or community members can give, they ask to see teachers’ Amazon wish lists or Donors Choose projects.
Her success stories show that something priceless and life-changing can come from even the smallest donations.