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
Our school is a large public middle school where nearly 80% of our students receive free or reduced-price meals.
Every day I am amazed and overwhelmed at the obstacles our students face and overcome.
As a school counselor, my goal is to help every student develop the academic, social, and life skills needed to help them to be happy, successful members of our society. However, my middle school kids have varied strengths, needs, and access to materials they need to reach their full potential in middle school.
My Project
I believe that all of my students truly want to succeed. I also know that they walk into school each day with a wide range of strengths and areas for growth. As a school counselor, I have many students who have the academic ability to be successful in school, but because they lose their assignments, forget to turn them in, or forget they have homework, their GPA doesn't reflect what they're really able to do. Last year I started a series of organization groups for my sixth, seventh, and eighth graders--and the results were amazing! We tracked their GPA's over the course of a 9-week period, and 80% of the students I worked with saw the positive results of their organization on their report card.
One of the most important (and expensive) school supplies that middle school kids need to get organized is a sturdy 3-inch 3-ring binder.
Every year we have many students who don't have this essential supply, and as a result, the notes they need to study for that big test go missing and the homework assignment they worked SO hard on doesn't end up in the teacher's hands. Having materials readily available in one location (the binder) will help students be more successful. Sometimes my students may not have pencils, highlighters, and other essentials at home, so this binder filled with other supplies is what they need to help them succeed.
In my organization group, we will set up a simple organization system in each student's binder, using sturdy plastic folders for each class. Combined with the mini-lessons I teach and time each week to re-organize their binders, my students are sure to have an amazing year!
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. Dodson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
