My students are ages 14-18, or grades 9-12, are diagnosed with "behavior disorders," and most have additional learning disabilities, including several on the autism spectrum. Our school is large with about 1700 students, so often my kids get lost in the shuffle and find themselves slipping through the cracks.
No two days are alike and we are a fun, busy classroom.
Students work on Chromebooks (purchased by DonorsChoose.org), read quietly, work on their Algebra, play with a Rubick's Cube, fiddle with a yo-yo, and complete work from their general education classes.
My students are often impacted by homelessness, find themselves in foster care, or their families struggle financially. They come to school needing backpacks, school supplies and most recently I have had to offer a couple of students showers at school, and assist them with their laundry while providing a clean set of clothing.
As we have progressed this year in math specifically we have found a new need, which is calculators. While my students are at different places in their math learning, several are at the point where they need algebra calculators.
My Project
As an Emotional Behavior Center Teacher, I teach several subjects through the day, including math. And because I have all grades and students with varying abilities, their math assignments are different. Some are working on basic skills, others geometry and others pre-algebra and algebra...still others are doing consumer math.
We need 12 working calculators for my students so they can complete their math assignments, most of which are individually created for them at their level.
We have been squeaking by using cheap, basic calculators and they are no longer working, broken, and not helpful to the kids who need them.
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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. Mahurin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.