This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
Hello,
This is my third year teaching at a hard to staff school in Brooklyn, New York. It's been a wonderful experience for me and each day I learn so very much. This year I am teaching 1st grade.
One thing I have learned during my teaching is that the teacher's choice check supplied by the board of education (in the amount of $200) to teachers for school supplies does not cover all the necessary items needed to have our classrooms run in a smooth and effective fashion.
I have spent a great deal of my own money in purchasing classroom supplies when we run out, simple because I believe the children cannot go without basic things like pencils. I am not alone in doing such a thing, many teachers at my school use their private funds to purchase necessary materials for their classrooms. You would be amazed at just how much money teachers spend of their own private funds to help educate the children at our school. I personally spent over $250 of my private funds last school year on items the children needed. Many teachers spend hundreds of their own funds simply to be able to do their job properly.
There is no slush fund in place at our school to reimburse teachers. Also we often times end up paying from our own pockets for children to attend trips when their parents cannot afford to do so and for classroom celebrations/parties. Still most of us say our job as a teacher is a wonderful one.
The items my class are desperately in need of and do run out of often are good sturdy #2 pencils. We go through those very quickly. The majority of children I teach seldom come to school prepared with a pencil and so I provide them with these necessary items simply to be able to do my job effectively. When the children leave at the end of the day I collect the pencils and save them for the following day. Even with this practice in place, we still go through a large supply of pencils.
We often times damage our electric sharpener with the heavy use inflicted by the pencils and would love to get a couple of electric sharpeners for the new school year. The pencils and sharpeners would be greatly appreciated by the students and myself.
Other items we desperately need to do our work are tape-all sizes,wax crayons,wooden crayons, markers, staples, staplers, rulers and
construction paper..all sizes.
With these items we can do our daily writing and drawing effectively. As we begin the school year many children arrive to first grade unable to write and will express their stories through drawings. To have colorful pencils to do this work is a welcome treat. I hope you can assist my class and look forward to hearing from Donors Choose.
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 Ms. Zitman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.