I get to teach the BEST age group of all: 6th graders! They are sweet, creative, awkward, angsty, compassionate, dramatic, radiant, and lovable people ... and I get to inspire their love of math. It’s not always the easiest sell: ”You’re gonna LOVE math this year!” but it sure is fun proving it to them. This year, as many of us are, we are teaching and learning virtually. It won’t be the same, after all, the love of teaching is in the relationships we form as we learn together. My learning this year will be great ... wonderful, but CHALLENGING. How do I create that same sense of community virtually - create a place where we are all willing to make mistakes and learn from them? I love my job. I love my students. I’d love to prove to my students, especially during this very weird year, that they are amazing thinkers and mathematicians.
My Project
Having an iPad to use this year (and beyond) will allow me to connect with my students and show them, virtually, how to connect with the math challenges they will confront this year, especially when we can’t be together. I will use the iPad to lead students in their problem solving. The iPad can be used in SO many amazing ways - but especially as a virtual whiteboard and document camera. It will allow me to teach to the whole class or in smaller groups. It will allow me to produce tailored and personalized content to my students and record it to be accessed as many times as my students need it. I want to be my students’ personal Khan Academy - I want to build the strong connections, have the conversations, know where the “stuck” points are and be able to help unstick them. Sending them to link after link, video after video of content produced by someone else won’t do that. I want to be as available and as creative as possible during this very different year of teaching and learning, to foster their love of learning ... and yes, even in math! I don’t want any of my students to get lost or fall in the cracks, as they take on their first year in middle school. Due to the fact that we’ll be virtually together this year, there’s even more work to be done to develop connections with my students and to deliver content in new and creative ways. Having an iPad to help with this is vital. I cannot thank you enough for considering this great ask.
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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 Mrs. Bacidi and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
