My students need additional fish tanks throughout the high school campus to increase their vocational experiences and allow them to interact in new and interesting ways with the school community.
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
My classroom is overflowing with some of the kindest and hardest working people in our high school of 3,000 students. The 20 young people who come through my door (9th-12th graders) have a variety of special needs. They spend part of their day out and about the building working on vocational and daily living skills. The kids have a say in what they study and engage in… cooking their favorite meals, learning more about their favorite sports, choosing whether to handle the money or push the food cart, are just a few of the choices they make. Even though there's a designated classroom, some of the best education takes place throughout the halls of the school's campus, selling coffee, recycling, feeding fish, cleaning the aquarium, serving breakfast and photographing events. These high schoolers are working hard and happily interacting with the school community, all while improving communication, academic, and social skills!
My Project
Freshwater fish aquariums provide amazing learning opportunities for students and our project promises to provide additional and innovative experiences for my group of learners. Our high school campus educates thousands of students and it's easy to get lost and feel lost. My special education program strives to provide students with opportunities to stand out in the crowd as people with unique gifts who are valuable contributors. The addition of 3 vocational sites will certainly help them shine!
In looking for ways to increase our presence on campus and provide a variety of work experiences, we're hoping to take our aquarium expertise and share it in 3 new rooms on campus (Library Learning Commons, Administrative Office and an additional classroom).
Last year we set up a classroom aquarium, after I observed a “hard to reach” student inappropriately submerge his arm into a public fish tank. He was mesmerized by the entire sensory experience, so I responded to his interest. Our class benefited from the peaceful atmosphere the tank provided and added sensory experiences for all. The whole class wants to share these benefits with others.
On a daily basis, a team from my classroom will travel around the campus to monitor the new tanks. On these outings, they'll interact with peers and school staff they wouldn't normally meet. They'll be learning how to care for animals, improve social interactions, and impart information to others. Most importantly, this project will provide my special needs students with new jobs where they will be active, knowledgeable, and independent workers on a busy high school campus.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Poza-Schwarz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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