This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
"Am I a scientist yet?" I have heard this phrase so many times this year I have been thinking of turning it into a catch phrase that I can put on a t-shirt and wear around school. I am an 8th grade science teacher in an under served school in North Carolina. Before I joined Teach for America and agreed to take on the challenges of teaching in areas of high poverty I remember the comments my friends and family made. They doubted that these children would really be able to learn; they doubted whether they would really care about learning at all. However, once I started teaching, I found that my children were the exact opposite of all those things people believed them to be. My students love learning. They love doing labs and exploring the world around them. They love feeling and acting like scientists.
My students are incredibly hands on learners. They love science because it allows them to explore the world around themselves by performing experiments and learning it for themselves. Science isn’t about being made to memorize facts about the way the world is; it is a hands on process that students should get to engage with and experience themselves. However, this is often hard in the school I teach. We are located in a poorer neighborhood where we cannot get the materials we need. We are under funded and it is keeping my students from getting to learn the way they deserve to.
It doesn’t have to be like this. If my students were given the materials they need, they can become active and invested in their own learning. For example, I am asking for water testing kits for my students. The next unit that I must teach is about the hydrosphere and the importance of water on earth. My students and I would like to do a project where we test the water from several locations within the community. We will then work together to make a report that we are going to present to city officials. This will allow my students to not only learn the material they need to learn, but get excited and involved in the community.
You have the power to help my students. Please, consider making a donation so that my students can get the opportunities they deserve. I know how much they would appreciate the help that you can give. Your contributing will bring much happiness and learning to one hundred and thirty five smiling eighth graders! Thank you so much.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. A. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.