My 6th grade class is a family and our classroom is our home. We share knowledge, laughter, interests, and above all, respect. We never ask for perfection, simply that every student tries their hardest and isn't afraid to ask questions when necessary!
Every day, my 6th grade students face new challenges--some typical of their tumultuous age and others unique to the rural life of the Rosebud Reservation.
My students are immersed in a culturally-rich Lakota tribal school where they can learn both national standards and traditional language skills. They are bright, creative, curious, and active kids, yet our classroom is often lacking the materials necessary for engaging grade-level learning. They are the oldest in the Elementary school and feel the weight of their responsibility as role models for the younger students. More than anything, my students care for each other and for the success of their peers. They see learning as a community goal and investment, not an individual success. My students face many challenges in their homes, communities, and even at school, yet they face those challenges with courage, perseverance, resourcefulness, and unbelievable resilience.
My Project
Our classroom is a safe, caring environment for all students. As a family, we need the classroom to be both comfortable and functional so that the students can be free to learn and explore. We establish these relationships every morning during 20 minutes of Morning Meeting time. We enhance these relationships by reading aloud to each other for 30 minutes every day. These are crucial moments in the days of my students, where they can learn and grow together, both academically and emotionally. However, the carpet in the classroom is dirty and often hosts bugs, so that the students are forced to isolate themselves in uncomfortable chairs rather than sitting together on the floor. This carpet, which would also constantly remind my students of their place in the geography of the world, would allow the students to sit comfortably and equitably with each other during our most crucial reading and meeting times.
This project will help establish and build a love of reading in the lives of my 6th graders, as well as aiding a sense of equity and fairness among all the students as they sit together.
In addition, this carpet with open my students' minds to the size and possibility of the world, something totally unknown to them. The carpet will serve as a constant reminder of the possibilities of the world and of the safe support of their classmates.
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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 Ms. Cummins and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
