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
Every day as the science teacher at a small Title I high school in the Mississippi Delta, my students push me to be better. They demand the best from me and hold me to high expectations. I have to be fair, knowledgeable, funny, serious, consistent, empathetic, and prepared every single day. Otherwise I lose them.
My students are some of the most generous people I know, always sharing supplies, food, knowledge, stories, and advice with each other, be they best friends or just classmates.
They help each other so much that often the food-sharing and the answer-sharing become issues in the classroom, but of course this sharing arises from a place of love.
Most of my students have spent all of their childhoods in the small and rural town of Leland, MS, but their worldview is shaped by music and pop culture, TV shows and the internet. They are held back in so many ways because of the scarcity of opportunities in our community, but they are ambitious and curious and connected. My students are more cultured, funnier, and cooler than I am, and I have to try my hardest every day to keep up!
My Project
The past year of teaching showed me that students who are unprepared for class by not having basic supplies are less likely to engage.
By supplying my students with the basic writing supplies (5 subject notebooks and pens) that will be kept in the classroom, I am ensuring that every student is prepared to learn and be productive in class.
Too much instructional time is lost when students need to find a pencil/pen with which to write or need to track down their notes which they wrote on 3 sheets of looseleaf paper and stashed in their friend's sister's locker.
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 Ms. Barksdale and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
