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.
My Students
My kids have two beliefs:
1. No one thinks I can do anything.
2. But each of them is wrong.
At Orientation this year, I told my students that they would have the chance to earn their own lab coat by earning 80% or higher on the unit tests and never being tardy for my class.
They are sassy.
They are bold. They ask me questions even I do not know, and I have to Google them during class. They are so engaged in learning, but they rarely acknowledge the fact that they must and CAN earn what they want in life. Earning the lab coat will be symbolic of working for something so coveted in my science class--students constantly ask why I get to wear a lab coat but they cannot wear one. I tell them, "I earned it in college." Now, it is time for them to earn it themselves and really see the product of hard work and respect inside and outside of my science classroom.
My Project
My students are so bright and have so much potential, but they are often afraid to work hard because they do not want to fail. Working for something other than a grade--a lab coat, a symbol of success--will give them a safe but ambitious way to improve both their behavior and their academic prowess and confidence. Instilling this work ethic in my students will foster the group mentality that success CAN be achieved if they follow the steps to success and never give up. Having these materials will give my eighth graders an OPTION to earn and show off their lab coats (and hence positive academic growth and role model behavior). In a life with very little known options, here's to option one.
If I get these lab coats, I will get each student's name embroidered on the coat.
The student will sign a pledge that, one day, he or she will use this lab coat in a college classroom. These coats would be a symbolic representation of the product of hard work, and it will literally be hanging from their shoulders from eighth grade onto their college biology or chemistry course. It will be a constant reminder of their own abilities despite the negative attitudes surrounding them every single day.
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. Groover and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.