You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
Donate
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Menu
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Your school email address was successfully verified.

Edit classroom photo

Mrs. Kirkwood’s Classroom Edit display name

Support her classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Mrs. Kirkwood a DonorsChoose gift card she can use on her classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send her a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

cancel

Support Mrs. Kirkwood's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Mrs. Kirkwood a DonorsChoose gift card she can use on her classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send her a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

Make a donation Mrs. Kirkwood can use on her next classroom project.

Your custom url is https://www.donorschoose.org/kirkwoodclass

View your stats
Track donations »
Edit
For some kids, the transition from basic math functions to algebraic expressions and equations is like learning another language. Every year I hear my students exclaim, "What are these letters doing in here?", "This is math class, not English!", "How am I supposed to know what x is?" They become frustrated, closed off, and decide they hate or are bad at math. When students use a calculator, it simplifies the arithmetic, allowing them to focus more on the new algebraic concepts. In my experience, helping them focus on only a few concepts at a time helps reduce their frustrations with math as a whole. Using personal devices in a middle school classroom presents an obvious problem: it quickly becomes more about their phones & tablets than about the calculator. Technology today puts a calculator on every device available, therefore, having a classroom calculator available will eliminate the temptation to use one’s personal device for non-classroom activities. I am asking for basic four-function calculators so students can preform arithmetic calculations quickly and accurately, but the calculator cannot do all the work. Today, kids can find fraction calculators, algebraic problem calculators, apps that take a picture of a problem and immediately provide the answer, and the list goes on. By avoiding advanced calculators and apps, I can ensure that students understand their solutions while still giving them some reprieve from tedious operations.

About my class

For some kids, the transition from basic math functions to algebraic expressions and equations is like learning another language. Every year I hear my students exclaim, "What are these letters doing in here?", "This is math class, not English!", "How am I supposed to know what x is?" They become frustrated, closed off, and decide they hate or are bad at math. When students use a calculator, it simplifies the arithmetic, allowing them to focus more on the new algebraic concepts. In my experience, helping them focus on only a few concepts at a time helps reduce their frustrations with math as a whole. Using personal devices in a middle school classroom presents an obvious problem: it quickly becomes more about their phones & tablets than about the calculator. Technology today puts a calculator on every device available, therefore, having a classroom calculator available will eliminate the temptation to use one’s personal device for non-classroom activities. I am asking for basic four-function calculators so students can preform arithmetic calculations quickly and accurately, but the calculator cannot do all the work. Today, kids can find fraction calculators, algebraic problem calculators, apps that take a picture of a problem and immediately provide the answer, and the list goes on. By avoiding advanced calculators and apps, I can ensure that students understand their solutions while still giving them some reprieve from tedious operations.

Read more

About my class

Read more
{"followTeacherId":1581728,"teacherId":1581728,"teacherName":"Mrs. Kirkwood","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1581728_272x272.jpg?width=136&height=136&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1532490242798","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"vanityURL":"kirkwoodclass","teacherChallengeId":20872595,"followAbout":"Mrs. Kirkwood's projects","teacherVerify":-429743032,"teacherNameEncoded":"Mrs. Kirkwood","vanityType":"teacher","teacherPageInfo":{"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"teacherHasClassroomDescription":true,"teacherClassroomDescription":"","teacherProfileURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/classroom/kirkwoodclass","tafURL":"https://secure.donorschoose.org/donors/share_teacher_profile.html?teacher=1581728","stats":{"numActiveProjects":0,"numFundedProjects":2,"numSupporters":6},"classroomPhotoPendingScreening":false,"showEssentialsListCard":false}}
Supporting teachers and students since 2000

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America create classroom project requests, and you can give any amount to the project that inspires you.

We've earned the highest possible ratings from Better Business Bureau, Charity Watch, Charity Navigator, and Guidestar.