As the practical living and career studies teacher, I am able to impact 600+ kids in one week. A typical class starts out with a morning stretch, 20 minutes of instruction on career studies, health, or consumerism, followed by 30 minutes of physical activity. I love being able to share my passion.
My school community:
Simply stated by a local resident, “this area was once a thriving, culturally diverse community and the area of town everyone wanted to live in back in the 60’s and 70’s now it has become a community of financially struggling renting single parents, immigrants and older people that still own their homes but are struggling to get by”.
A large number of our families live in poverty. The results of the December 1, 2013 free and reduced lunch count numbers reflect that 532 students are on free lunch and 49 of all students are on reduced lunch. These numbers total 84.85% of our population at risk. This compared to the free and reduced percentage taken on December 1, 2005 of 66.82% is up a staggering 18%.
A community with poverty on a progressive rise is a community in need of resources; support and a change in direction. Our students come from a diverse background both economically and culturally.
My Project
My students will use these pedometers to track their steps, miles, and calories during a typical class period. They will then collect their data and use it in the computer lab to graph and chart the data. I will then track the school-wide totals and update students on the distance that we have traveled across our city, state, US, North America, and the World. I strongly feel that by incorporating math into the area of practical living and computer, the students will be able to have a real-life connection to their work and vastly improve their 21st century skills.
By donating to my project you will be directly improving the life of over 600 at-risk students each year.
The students will have an enjoyable way to learn and implement math, technology, and physical fitness. My hope is that each of my students will gain a passion or at least an understanding for fitness and the benefits it has on the mind and body. Thank you for being involved in something special! You are making a difference.
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