Bring Warmth Of Space And Mind To A Small Basement Room
My students need a faucet extender for accessibility, carpets to brighten up the room, and fun, educational toys (Legos, Melissa & Doug toys, etc.) for free choice.
"Look closely at the present you are constructing - it should look like the future you are dreaming." - Alice Walker
Such is my viewpoint in regard to my new classroom: my desire for students to leave first grade with a passionate love of school and learning must be constructed in our present space.
My kids are inspiring, resilient, and absolutely amazing.
In my classroom, the students comprise a community that largely reflects their own: diverse interests, backgrounds, and viewpoints that lead to unbelievable character and self-representation as they challenge each other to see the world in many different ways. My students, as first graders, are already faced with the looming stress of testing, and their love of school is being tested by the push to add more and more rigor to the younger grades. Our classroom should combat this with a welcoming atmosphere.
Every classroom is different, presenting its own challenges of circumstance. Some classrooms are too hot, some too cold, and some are located in places which are too loud. My new classroom is a small, dark room in the basement of our school. The school in which I work is wonderfully sensitive to the needs of students and staff, but - as with any school - space is limited and the teachers/staff are housed wherever there is room
My Project
At this juncture in the lives of my students, it is of the utmost importance that they fall in love with school and therefore with learning. I cannot move the walls to give them more space or put in windows to provide more natural light, but I can fill our classroom with lightness of spirit, plenty of smiles, and levity.
Brightly colored rugs to enliven the space, an over-the-door drying rack to enable students to create works of artistic expression (as we previously had little space to dry them), a hand puppet to bring smiles to Morning Meeting - resources such as these will better allow my first graders to embrace school and look forward to the opportunity to learn each day. The Moon in My Room as well as the Melissa and Doug spelling toys and the faucet extender which better enables water-based science experiments, will also contribute to the students' idea that learning can be wonderfully fun.
Young children need to fall passionately, undeniably in love with learning and with school.
If we are ever to curtail school drop-out rates, disparaging attitudes of our educators, and plummeting achievement as a nation, we must invest in the inspiration of our youngest learners. The value of imparting a love of reading, of science, of simply coming to school every day is inherent; providing students with a welcoming classroom space is the 1st step to opening their eyes to the joys of education.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Mabie and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
