My students live in a rural community with a population of approximately 1,005. The nearest public libraries are more than 10 miles away and are not available to most of my students' families without them paying an annual usage fee.
As the K-12 school librarian, in charge of both K-6th grade and 7-12th grade libraries, I am blessed to impact the lives of my students throughout their entire public education career.
I instruct K-6th students weekly for 55 minutes as part of my school's specials rotation. Elementary students experience a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Maker Space learning environment at least once a quarter during their time with me.
My 7th through 12th grade students may visit the school library on an open schedule. If I am unavailable to help them due to my teaching responsibilities in the elementary library, my full-time non-certified aide is available.
I collaborate with teachers to make my instruction relevant to the real world and to integrate research. I strive to make my library collections not only curriculum-centered, but also reader-centered. Above all, I want to instill the love of life-long reading into all of my patrons (students and staff).
My Project
My district has made an effort to integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) concepts throughout the curriculum. While the focus on problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration is essential to best prepare our students for post-graduate jobs in the 21st century, the cost of these STEAM resources often exceeds our school budget.
This project will provide various colors and patterns of duct tape to allow me to add a new crafting station to my library's STEAM Maker Space.
The various step-by-step instructional books that I am also requesting through this project will provide my students ideas for their duct tape creations--wallets, flowers, hats, and bags--but, truly there is no limit to my students' imaginative creations.
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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. Baldwin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.