Getting their ‘wiggles’ out: California Area student, 9, raises money for new seats

By EMILY BENNETT DILULLO
ebennett@yourmvi.com
A California third-grader has wobbled his way into his teacher’s heart after raising money to gift his classmates with “wobble stools.”
Nine-year-old Jayden Chester is a student at California Elementary School. Instead of sitting at his desk in a hard-backed, stiff-legged chair, he spends his time in the classroom wobbling his “wiggles” out on a wobble stool — a comfortable seating alternative some students use to eliminate jitters and some adults employ to build core strength.
Wobble chairs are used in diverse ways within the classroom.
For some, they help students who have difficulty with issues like fidgeting, slouching and concentration.
The wobble stool has a rounded bottom that allows a constant rocking motion and movement.
Dawne Zidek Roberts is Jayden’s grandmother and primary caregiver. They live in Coal Center with her husband, Jayden’s grandfather, David. Since he was 5 weeks old, Roberts has taken care of her grandson, who she says deals with a sensory-processing disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder and autism — challenges she refers to as “special abilities.”
Since he was in the first grade, Jayden has used a wobble stool in the classroom to help curb what he calls “the wiggles.”
“He knows what it’s like to not be able to sit still,” Roberts said. “He calls it the wiggles, and so when he saw other kids that had the wiggles, this was his way of helping him as well.”
Now that he’s gotten a little older, Jayden has outgrown his original wobble stool, and had to swap out his little stool for a brand new one, which costs around $60. Roberts said California Elementary has a relatively small student body, and that the PTA and school district cannot afford to provide wobble stools to students. Jayden decided to start a small, online fundraising campaign to help cover the cost of his stool.
“He outgrew it and it was hard for him to use,” his grandmother said. “Originally, I had started a fundraiser online for the $60 to get a new one, and he said, ‘Nanny, why don’t we make it so that anybody who wants one can get one?’”
After Jayden’s suggestion, they embarked on a fundraising effort to try to get at least one more stool for his classroom. Because they couldn’t directly give the funds to Jayden’s teacher, Rachel Sawyers, they decided to purchase the stools themselves and deliver them personally to Sawyers classroom.
They turned to their online fundraising page they had made for Jayden’s stool and went to town on fundraising for additional stools.
“He went to all of our neighbors and 90 percent of his relatives and hit them up for cash, and ended up raising in $223… so he was able to purchase one for himself and three for his teacher.”
Jayden also donated his old wobble stool he had outgrown and surprised Sawyers with the stools during school one day.
“It was so touching that Jayden thought about the students in our classroom,” Sawyers said of the delivery. “My heart felt joyful and appreciative.”
Sawyers said there are many benefits to wobble stools in her classroom, and said it helps students not to lose focus and concentration while learning, and that the seats can improve posture and muscle tone, sensory input and excess energy burn.
“I would advocate for wobble chairs for all classrooms,” Sawyers said. “…many times, sensory issues, learning issues, and physical issues get in the way of learning. Teachers need to find tools and resources that help students to focus and concentrate on their learning. Wobble chairs are beneficial to all students in the classroom.”
Roberts first heard about wobble stools through a Facebook community group for grandparents raising their grandchildren. Roberts said Jayden had a tough time starting out in first grade, and said she and her husband were struggling to get him through each school day without having a breakdown.
When he started second grade, Roberts said it’s like he transformed into a new kid because of the mobility the wobble stool gave him.
Aside from knowing him for his karate skills and participation in Boy Scouts, children at school know Jayden for his brains and his wobble stool. Roberts said as they were delivering the brand new stools, a student peeked his head out a classroom door.
“Kids really know quite well what the wobble stool is,” Roberts said. “As we were walking down the hallway looking for his teacher to donate them, and a little kid came out and said, ‘Hey! Are these all your wobble stools?’”

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