This is my fourth year working at a high poverty school in Oklahoma. Our school is a Title I school, where almost all students qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. Housing and food security, safety, and stability are all issues most of our students deal with on a daily basis. Our students face a lot of challenges in their communities, but their joy and tenacity inspire me every single day. I love working with a community made up of so many diverse families that are passionate about their child's education and future.
My first graders are deeply invested in working hard to achieve their big goals!
They already have a love of learning and big aspirations for life at the age of six years old! I want to do everything I can do to ensure they fulfill their dreams. I believe a strong foundation is important to set them up for academic success and want to make sure they leave first grade with the proper literacy, math, and social-emotional skills for the future.
My Project
As a first grade teacher, I have learned a lot about how to resolve conflicts between my students and gradually release the responsibility to them to resolve conflicts on their own. My challenge for this year is to provide that same level of social-emotional learning, with 27 students in one room. While we are still working to resolve our issues together, one issue that resurfaces itself multiple times a day is personal space. Unfortunately, my class has outgrown my previous rug, which provided structure, but simply does not have enough space. In previous years, I have done a lot of learning with students on the carpet, but this year it has become a much more difficult battle of staying comfortable versus respecting the space of those around.
This new rug will provide a comfy spot to sit on with the necessary structure and ample space for ALL 27 of my students (and more if necessary).
With this carpet, I hope that my students will have what they need to feel comfortable, safe, and respected in my room. This new carpet will allow my class to go through our morning meeting, read-aloud stories, and whole-group learning as one class.
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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. Estariz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
