Completely CHANGE and Make a Difference in Child Development
My students need a Ready or Not Tot, a set of student keys for the baby, and the Miracle of Life DVD to make our learning experience real life and relevant.
Imagine trying to learn about Child Development with books that were made in the 1980's, and broken Ready or not Tots that were missing one arm and constantly messing up. Then picture one simulated baby being shared by 28 students at a time. This is a reality for my students daily and each 9 weeks.
Mississippi is currently the leader of teen pregnancy, and a class like Child Development can make a difference in many students' lives.
My school currently has more than one thousand students, and the city's population is 11,604. With 77 percent of the district's students on free and reduced price lunch, a large majority of my students live in low income housing, and many students do not have access to technology at home. My students are hard working and ready to learn real life experiences that could impact their life in a positive manner, and many of my students need to be educated about making appropriate choices. Child Development is a nine weeks course that teaches high school students many different invaluable resources needed in order to successfully complete life and parenthood. My students are eager to learn and ready to meet any challenge, and because Child Development is an elective in a public school, typically funds do not come to this type of course.
My Project
One of the major assignments in the course is when the students demonstrate basic infant care. The students take home the Ready or Not Tot, which is a simulated infant. The teacher sets the infant on a predetermined cycle, and the infant will cry throughout the day and night. The student must care for the child at all times, and the student uses a set of keys to respond to the baby and care for it. The student records every time the infant cries, the time, and the key used, and this helps teach the student about parenting. Each student is able to take the project home for two nights, and the student must also carry the child during school. Carrying the child everywhere can help teach the student about the negatives of becoming a teen parent, and the teacher is able to monitor if the baby has been abused, tampered, or neglected.
The Ready or Not Tot educates teenagers about the importance of abstinence, parenting, and basic infant care, which may help combat some of the current negative statistics that our state currently faces.
The Ready or Not Tot and the Miracle of Life are valuable tools that can make a difference in the lives and education of many students this year and for years to come. It's time to educate our youth about making smart choices, and if the Ready or Not Tot deters even one student, then we won!
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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 Mrs. Seymour and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.