I am biased, but I teach the best students at the best school in the world. Our students face numerous challenges, but they still work their hardest to achieve their goals daily.
Our school is a K-8 school, considered high poverty by the state, with roughly 700 students, who are largely special needs or have a parent serving in the military.
We have the second highest population of special needs children, ESE children, and children who have a one or both parents in the military in our district.
We are a Title I school with minimal resources. Every teacher at our school works to provide our students with a first-class education while helping them to overcome the many obstacles in their lives.
Our students are in before and after school care, due to one or both parents serving in the military and often deploying. Our students experience a transient life of homelessness, displacement and adjusting to new environments, expectations, and education standards due to life in the military or poverty. I strive to help my students transition fluidly through these challenges and work hard to catch them up on the curriculum they've missed.
My Project
I teach nearly 150 6th grade students math each day. I've been inspired by another Donor's Choose teacher and her amazing idea for loving her students on a very special day. In elementary school, students often celebrate their birthdays with cupcakes, cards or classroom celebrations of some sort. In middle school, not only have most teachers discontinued this tradition, but many of our low-income families have trouble finding the time and the money to celebrate their older children's birthday as well.
So sadly, many of of my students find their birthdays going largely uncelebrated or unnoticed.
The majority of my students arrive to my classroom on their birthdays empty-handed, and in the past, have left the same. I'm hoping to change that.
This year, I would like to celebrate all 150 of my students' birthdays accordingly with a song, a smile and a small gift. For some unknown reason, middle school students think drinking coffee is cool! I'd like to create a birthday "drink" for each of my students.
The clear dome cups filled with candy (which I will purchase independently as the year progresses), topped with crinkle paper "foam," a tootsie roll "cherry," and a pencil "straw" will be put together to create a small candy cup that looks like a Starbucks Frappachino: http://mrsthomasteachablemoments.blogspot.com/2016/08/student-birthdays.html
This collective, creative gift will serve as the catalyst of kindness, which will help foster the culture of love and relationships that are so important in a classroom. Please consider supporting celebrating my students. Their smiles on their birthday will be the best thank-you ever.
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 Mrs. Yates and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
