You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
Donate
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Your school email address was successfully verified.

See this teacher's page

This teacher needs your help!

Mr. Van Allen from Grand Rapids, MI is requesting instructional technology through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mr. Van Allen is requesting

Cross-Language Communication With Families!

Help me give my students pocketalk translators so that I can better communicate with their families during parent-teacher conferences.

  • $322 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Project

I am a high school social studies teacher at a small Spanish/English bilingual immersion school. Many of my students come from families where Spanish is the only language spoken in the household. Most come from families that immigrated from Central/South America or US territories and all students at my school receive free lunch. I teach my subjects in English and do not know Spanish very well, which can often make communicating with my student's families difficult. This is especially the case during parent-teacher conferences. We have some great translators who help us, but we often simply do not have nearly enough on hand to meet the high demand at our school.

Pocketalks are handheld translation devices that would allow me to easily communicate with my student's parents during conferences without the need for a translator.

This would allow me to better address my students' strengths and weaknesses with their families and address concerns without worrying quite as much about language barriers. Additionally, if I have two that will give me a backup and one that I can share with other teachers on my floor who would also benefit from better communication with families.

Including parents and family members in what is going on at school is critical to the success of our students. Our parents are very supportive of our work in the classroom, but one of the biggest obstacles is cross-language communication. Pocketalk devices would help immensely with bridging that divide.

Mr. Van Allen Southwest High School Academia Bilingue Grades 9-12

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mr. Van Allen

Grand Rapids, MI View local requests

More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

120 students impacted 5donors

Boost your odds

Add a profile photo in addition to your classroom photo. If you add a photo, it'll show up right here on your project page.

You are more likely to receive funding if you put a face to your name.

Upload a photo

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

You donate directly to the teacher or project you care about and see where every dollar you give goes.

Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mr. Van Allen is requesting.

See our finances

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

You can start a project with the same resources being requested here!

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Pocketalk S Two-Way Voice Translator with Built-in Data (White) • Amazon Business $239.99 1 $239.99

Materials cost

$239.99

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$3.60

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$273.59

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$48.28

Total project goal

$321.87

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $321.87

5 Donors

-$298.48

Donations toward project cost

-$273.59

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$24.89

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$23.39

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

View complete list Show less

Give the most requested basic supplies

See teacher requests

Give back to your community

Find opportunities to impact local needs by exploring a map of classroom projects near you.

See local area

Project Activity

Project Activity
Back to top

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 Mr. Van Allen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"MI","teacherPossessivePronoun":"his","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":4,"name":"High School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":false,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/cross-language-communication-with-famili/8175599/","mayHaveReplacements":true,"numStudents":120,"teacherScreenName":"Mr. Van Allen","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"812873537","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"photosPublished":false,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"schoolCity":"Grand Rapids","teachersOnPage":[9268578],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":false,"proposalId":8175599,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"authorIds":{"9268578":{"owner":"Mr. Van Allen","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[8175599],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9268578_orig.jpg?crop=983,983,x546,y163&width=136&height=136&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1708101457495","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":22228990,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":[],"teacherId":9268578,"schoolCounty":"Kent","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"MI","name":"Michigan"}}