This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
I teach inclusion kindergarten, with a mix of typically developing children and children with special needs. Many students are also low income or speak a first language other than English. A large percentage of their parents are essential workers in doctor’s offices or grocery stores. Despite the current pandemic, my students and families are very dedicated, supportive, and eager to continue learning! We meet live on Zoom every day and the children complete assignments on Google Classroom and Seesaw. The children enjoy seeing me and each other every day. We continue with our "school family" routine, have show-n-tell, and do virtual lunch bunches.
I see how hard the parents are working to provide the best possible learning situation for their kids at home, but many of my students do not have the needed technology or basic school supplies to support distance learning.
This is an emotional, stressful time for us all. My students and families express how our daily Zoom sessions provide a sense of stability and familiarity. For this reason, and many others, connecting with my students and families is an important part of my distance learning plan.
My Project
Currently, schools are closed and the children and I were unexpectedly thrown into an extended distance learning situation. School supplies and materials were left behind. Kindergarten children learn best by "doing", making online learning particularly challenging.
I would LOVE to provide my students with math manipulatives, such as base ten blocks, connecting cubes, and tens frames to support developmentally appropriate math learning.
Place value and basic addition and subtraction understanding happens best when children are able to manipulate actual objects.
Additionally, I have 2 students without an electronic device. If they have a Chromebook, they can join our daily Zoom lessons and access Google Classroom for prerecorded lessons and assignments.
Finally, my vision is to create a "basic school supplies" bag for each student, complete with crayons, pencils, scissors, glue, and a writing journal.
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 Mrs. Murphy and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
