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 "I have 32 5th grade students with 30 different cultural backgrounds! I love it! It is amazing and rich! I see every shade of skin imaginable when I look out at my kids! They are beautiful! We are at a brand new school which is located in a high income neighborhood, but most of our students come...
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"I have 32 5th grade students with 30 different cultural backgrounds! I love it! It is amazing and rich! I see every shade of skin imaginable when I look out at my kids! They are beautiful! We are at a brand new school which is located in a high income neighborhood, but most of our students come from low income families. Our district had budget cuts and decided to close 3 low income schools, combine them and build a new school in a newly built housing community.
It is a very interesting situation. Three very small schools, who were like little families, were thrown together and encouraged to become one big new family. All three schools were very multicultural; one of them having a heavy Native American population, another with a heavy Bosnian population and another with heavy Asian population. All of them have a very large African American population. One of the schools also had a military presence because it was located on a Coast Guard Base. The area also houses a program for transitional people, so many of our students are in transition or completely homeless. This is our second year in the new building and we are starting to come together and feel like family. I have never seen such respect for diversity! It truly is beautiful! In order to foster this respect for differences, I invite the student's families into our classroom to share about their cultures. They bring artifacts, food, music and dress. I have done this every year of my teaching career, but it seems so much more important now. Children experience a sense of pride in their own heritage when their families come to participate. Other students develop a respect for the other culture's customs and traditions. They ask questions and get involved. Once they learn about something, it no longer seems odd or even funny. With the items I am requesting; 2 CD's of children's music from around the world, world music rhythm instruments, art from different cultures and games from around the world, I can bring my classroom alive with the acceptance of all people! I will be able to tailor lessons and enhance the learning that occurs in my room with these items! I want to empower my students to make a difference in the world and I think the first step is through acceptance of each other and our differences. Your help will ensure that my students experience the art, music and games of many cultures. I know that they will carry those experiences out into the world and foster acceptance of others in their lives. My students need to experience the beauty of each others cultures so that they can be more accepting of the MANY differences that surround us every day! What better way to do this than through the music and art of their many backgrounds! They will use the music, games and art as part of their research and exposure to the class' cultures!
The cost of this proposal is $368, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment Mrs. F. sent this note after the project was fully funded: On Jun 19, 2008, Mrs. F. followed this note with student letters sent via mail to the donor who completed this project, and to donors who gave $100 or more. Live Updates
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Katherine M. (staff member)
on Feb 27, 2008
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National Leadership Partners
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National Partners
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