I teach and live in a rural community in Morgan County. Our school consists of fifth through eighth grade. We are departmentalized; I teach fifth grade social studies and reading. I have four classes with about 30 students in each. Our school is a Title I school and contains the highest number of Hispanic students in our system. The culture and motto of our school is "One Family." We want our school to be a family atmosphere, and that is what we strive to create daily. I love our students, they deserve the best!
My Project
So many of my students come to school without a pencil which often frustrated me when I first started teaching. I wanted to teach them responsibility and I often gave consequences for not being prepared. Then, one day a ten year old kid explained to me why he did not have a pencil. He lives with his 4 younger siblings in a single parent home. His mom leaves every morning at 4:00AM for work. He sets his own alarm, wakes up his siblings, gets them ready for school, and gets everyone on the bus every day. He gave the only pencil he had to his little brother so his little brother wouldn't get in trouble at school. I am pretty sure he did NOT need a lesson in responsibility. I remember I held back tears and handed him the largest pack of pencils I could find.
Most of my students have similar stories.
Ever since that day, I've tried to provide pencils with no questions asked. I'm sure some take advantage of it, but it's just something I need to do now. I have researched and tried many different methods in providing pencils for my kiddos in a cost-efficient and effective way. Nothing I have tried works well. I'm hoping these pen pals will help. I plan to have them adhered to each desk with a pencil that will always be there to borrow, yet can never leave the room. At the end of each period, I will check and make sure each desk still has its pencil. Hopefully, this will ensure each student is prepared each period, every day. Maybe that will be one small stress I can eliminate for ill-prepared kiddos each day.
Pen Pal Pen Holders, 50 Pieces per Bag, Assorted Colors (PENPAL-1)
• Amazon Business
$33.95
1
$33.95
TekWriter Jr 48ct Wood Mechanical Pencils 0.9mm Yellow & Black, (48 PACK)
• Amazon Business
$10.99
3
$32.97
Zebra Cadoozles Mechanical Pencil, 0.9mm Point Size, Standard HB Lead, Assorted Woodlands Barrel Patterns, 28-Count
• Amazon Business
$7.34
2
$14.68
BIC Xtra-Strong Mechanical Pencil, Colorful Barrel, Thick Point (0.9mm), 48-Count
• Amazon Business
$10.76
1
$10.76
Eraser Caps Pencil Top Latex Free ERASEZZZ - Assorted Fun Colors - Replaceable pencil eraser system! Great for Back to School supplies, students, artists, sketching (30-pack Replacement Erasers)
• Amazon Business
$8.99
1
$8.99
Mechanical Pencil Lead Refills (0.9, Big Pack)
• Amazon Business
$5.58
1
$5.58
Materials cost
$106.93
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$8.71
3rd party payment processing fee
$1.60
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$147.24
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$25.98
Total project goal
$173.22
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$173.22
3 Donors
-$173.22
Donations toward project cost
-$147.24
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 Mrs. Willis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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