Ms. Wilde’s Classroom Edit display name

About my class

Last year I taught 22 students in grades 6, 7, 8, all subjects, all day, in one classroom. In the fall, the configuration will change to 21 of these same students, plus a few more, representing grades 7 and 8. My students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, for instance: ranching, farming, intellectual, nature lovers, and English language learners, to name just a few. I have 7 special needs students in my class and several advanced students. Given that Sierra Foothill Charter School was in its first year last year, these students came from a variety of different schools. It was the first time they were in a classroom together. They did not want to work outside their long-standing cliques. Through cooperative learning and critical-thinking projects designed by the entire class, each student learned to value everyone. They ignited in each other a passion for learning. Their passion for acquiring knowledge sped up rapidly. The students took what I gave them as starting points in projects and came back with amazing presentations and incredible insights. But as a new school, we only have 4 antiquated, slow computers that are hand-me-downs from our Authorizing Agency. Because of the limitations of these computers and what we could do with them in rotations, students could only complete 6 research projects during the entire school year. If we could have had 3 more computers, we could have had 12 inquiry-based projects; the students could have doubled their in-depth knowledge on subject matter and increased their desire to learn that much more. Our class is growing, which makes our need for more computers that much greater. All of my students gained 1-2 grade levels in reading on average. All of them have reached the academic and social goals they wrote on their goal sheets at the beginning of the year. I am so proud of each of my students! I can’t wait to see what they will be able to achieve with more computers to help them in their research and presentations. Sierra Foothill Charter School is a non-profit public school created to provide a rigorous, well-rounded education â€Â" with a focus on science and sustainability â€Â" that helps students acquire the academic and personal skills they need to excel in higher education, think creatively, engage in a diverse society, and pursue their dreams. We are focused on hands-on approaches to learning and discovery. Students learn California Ed. Standards through a place-based, inquiry-based, student-centered, active learning approach focused on questioning, critical thinking, and problem solving that has been demonstrated to increase student motivation and achievement.