Imagine you live on a tiny island in Hawaii where the school is small, with no major department or brand-name stores. My students deserve the best. However, with the lack of resources on our island and skyrocketed shipping costs, it's near impossible to provide my students with basic resources.
I've been blessed to work with a group of 22 spunky, curious and wonderful kindergarteners.
Most students were born and raised on an island in Hawaii, and haven't made it off the state. Our school is the only school on the island and serves all students Kindergarten through Twelfth grade. The school population is approximately 700 students. The majority of students who attend the school are Hawaiian, and there is a large Filipino community as well. I have an incredibly wide range of students in my class in regards to age, knowledge, cultures, etc. They come together to make quite a unique group of students with different needs. It's exciting to learn about their different cultures, and finding ways to best fit their learning styles. Coming from teaching on the mainland, it's been an extreme transition to the Hawaiian lifestyle. There are some parents who don't value their child's education, which creates a challenge in motivating their students in the classroom.
My Project
In past years our school had two Kindergarten classes. With a large incoming class, the school added an additional classroom; that is where I came in. I've been trying to put together a functional classroom with the things I was given, however my room falls short of reaching the needs of my students. We only have class sets of resources for two classrooms, so I have to constantly borrow materials from my fellow teachers. I am requesting resources such as math manipulatives and activities to grab my student's attention and help them better understand counting and number sense. I'm requesting for art supplies to help make learning exciting. We don't have an actual art class, so this will help me integrate art into other lessons. Most importantly. I want my students to view reading as an imaginative escape, so I'm requesting seats and organizers to help them find books and a comfy reading spot that allows them to establish a love for literature.
In the past, students graduating from our school didn't see college and an academic future to be important.
As we shift to a more active approach in helping them see the value in pursuing more options, I want that love for learning and the motivation to do their best to start at the very beginning of their education. Help me create an environment that fosters creativity and motivates my young students to learn. Thank you for your support.
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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. Gustafson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.