Hello and thank you in advance for your time. I am a counselor at K-12 schools in rural North Carolina. My schools are split between K-6 and 7-12. I am writing about my younger students. In North Carolina we require our students to test with the End of Grade tests beginning in third grade. These tests cover Reading, Math and Science with Social Studies not too far behind.
They are comprehensive and this unnerves some of the students. They actually begin with practice tests in second, but third is the first "big" year. Many of our students worry and stress over this. What I would like to do is to be able to offer to my classroom teachers a set of strategies that could be presented to the students in the months before the test.
Ideally they would sign up with me and I would come in to their class and offer specific tips, ideas and strategies to their grade level. The thought behind my presenting this to them to offer them a different voice, and the teachers would re-enforce the ideas so the students would realize that they do work.
Our county has no big cities or towns, the largest city is over an hour away. We are dependent on farms and the industries that support the farms. Many of our students have never been more than 20 miles away from home, and many come from families that have never been to college. College is not for everyone, but if we are going to encourage our children to think about furthering their education, we must start young. Confidence in their skills in younger students carries over to their middle and high school years and even beyond. Isn't that part of education? not only being prepared, but having confidence to try the new, different and unknown? to borrow an old phrase, "give them wings and give them roots" I want to encourage my students to "fly" in the thinking but still be grounded in their foundations.
These kits are grade specific and can be used in conjunction with a lesson or lessons from me or the teachers or set up as learning centers, they are flexible. The important thing is that we give the students the empowerment to believe in themselves and their abilities.
This is nothing exciting or fun, just a plain old step in being prepared. I thank you for you time and consideration of even visiting the site, and for reading my proposal. I hope that even if you don't choose this one, you will find one that you will choose. We can never express the impact that donors make on our students and their lives. It is truly wondrous.
Thank you.
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