Hello! I have the honor of being the Special Education Teacher of a fantastic group of students. My job is to fill in gaps and make the standards of curriculum accessible. I try all kinds of learning approaches to give my students the tools they need to be successful in a general education classroom.
Sometimes people don't understand how frustrating it can be for a Special Education student to do the things typical students take for granted.
Like how difficult it can be to just sit still for 5 minutes- literally, 5 minutes or processing basic math and reading skills. Or why we need to learn things that don't seem important at the time. Or why can't I just give them the answer because it's a pain to have to use Google.
There are days I want to give up, yell, scream, and throw things as soon as the bell rings at the end of the day, and then there are days I can't believe have ended so soon as we just started sharing a small moment or a big idea.
My Project
It's almost the end of the day and a kid comes up to me and tells me he brought me a present. I'm so excited- I love gifts; and I am thinking this kid made me a card or some cookies... and he hands me a re-sealed water bottle he pulls out of his backpack.
He says he almost forgot to give it to me, so the water bottle had been in his backpack for hours.
Inside the bottle is a red fish.
He brought me a betta he bought at the pet store and stuck it in a water bottle to bring to school.
I grabbed a container I found in a dusty closet and after cleaning it out, slowly poured the fish and water into it. The betta was stunned for a minute and I wasn't sure it was alive. Then the fish started swimming and I realized I had a class pet. I had a betta brought to me in a water bottle. Since I teach Science, I named him, Atom.
Atom would really like a bigger house and maybe a friend. He could use a small heater, too. Atom's new tank is capable of growing live plants. It's really cool because it uses an aquaponic system to cycle the fish water. The fish water is used to feed the plants and the plants and waterfall help clean the water; making it safe for Atom and his friends.
Penn Plax Presents The AquaTerrium .8 Gallon Planting Tank - Grow Plants and Fish in one Environment (LARGE)
• Amazon Business
$101.02
1
$101.02
U-picks Aquarium Heater 50W Fish Tank Heater Auto Thermostat Mini Small Submerisable Heater with LED Digital Temperature Readout and External Temperature Controller
• Amazon Business
$16.69
1
$16.69
Luffy Marimo Moss Balls - Aesthetically Beautiful & Create Healthy Environment - Eco-Friendly, Low Maintenance & Curbs Algae Growth - Shrimps & Snails Love Them (4 Large)
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
SunGrow Betta Leaves Replicate Natural Habitat for Betta & Improve Well-Being - Tannin Improves Immunity, Prevents Harmful Bacterial Growth - Easy to use, add 1 Piece per Water Change
• Amazon Business
$7.95
1
$7.95
Triton Aquatics Deep Dwellers Micro Mix - Sinking Blended Diet for Snails, Shrimp & Bottom Feeding Fish (1.5 oz (42.5g))
• Amazon Business
$5.99
1
$5.99
Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes 0.28oz
• Amazon Business
$5.38
1
$5.38
Materials cost
$147.02
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$10.14
3rd party payment processing fee
$2.21
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$189.37
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$33.42
Total project goal
$222.79
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$222.79
2 Donors
-$222.79
Donations toward project cost
-$189.37
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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. Katz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
