The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate apparently ordinary people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. My goal is to inspire students to lose their fear of math and instead to fall in love with its beauty.
As a member of the Appalachian community in which my school is located, I see first hand each day how my neighbors deal with poverty in a real way.
East Tennessee is a land rich in beauty and resources but lacking in opportunity for the resident without a valuable education. My students primarily live in homes where they are being raised by a grandparent or by a parent working minimum wage just to keep the lights on in their home. Approximately 80% of the students receive free or reduced lunch and the summer school program is well attended mainly due to the fact that a free breakfast and lunch is served. Many of my students will be first generation high school graduates and I encourage them to continue their education and strive for a career and not just a job. School is a safe, welcoming place offering routine and opportunity and I consider myself the gatekeeper of opportunity towards a better future for my students.
My Project
My students need geometry building supplies and classroom materials to complete creative assignments in a dynamic Math classroom. Due to the high poverty in my Appalachian community, teachers are not allowed to request school supplies from the students so my personal budget goes for basic school supplies. This creates a dilemma when I want to work on difficult math concepts in a creative way in my classroom.
I am respectfully requesting geometry and engineering project supplies that I can use daily to continue to engage and enhance the learning with a creative edge.
I want each child to experience the joy of using quality supplies and the thrill of creating with relevant materials. I want to allow each student the opportunity to view math as something fun and important but especially as something meaningful.
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 Mrs. McAvoy and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.