How often did you find yourself sitting in a classroom bored and daydreaming? In my classroom, the boredom is lifting and the daydreaming is centering on riding around in a go-kart the students are building. There's a definite buzz in my classroom.
As with many high schools in an urban setting, there is great diversity among my students.
My students come to me with a wide range of abilities, knowledge and skills; not to mention economic and cultural backgrounds. One thing they do have in common is a desire to design and build.
My Project
My students need these electrical parts to complete a go-kart conversion project. With these resources my students will be able to continue work started last school year. We began converting a gas powered go-kart to electric power with none of us having any experience doing so. It was excitement, interest and desire alone that kept us going despite limited resources. Although we were unable to even see the motor turn a gear, the excitement still overpowered the disappointment. Students are still interested, excited and committed to seeing this go-kart conversion completed.
The scientific, mathematics, engineering and design skills and knowledge they are gaining is powerful. My students have been seeing first hand, in a concrete way, how science and math influence design and engineering decisions. They are learning what all their academic efforts are building towards; they are seeing the practical application.
With your support, my students will be able to realize what they can only imagine now.
They see what has been started, they have an idea of where we are headed, and are eager to get to the end.
Having worked with professional engineers from the beginning, students are becoming exposed and excited about what the future may hold for them. They are seeing how their interest in designing and building can lead to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
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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 Mr. Moore and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.