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
My students live in the hometown of Lil Wayne, the city where Homer Plessy was persecuted for riding in the "whites only" section of the train, and where houses still have flood lines from Hurricane Katrina. Just over sixty years ago, my students' grandparents and great-grandparents attended schools that were woefully inadequate and legally segregated. Today, the rise of "segregation academies" and the lack of sufficient funding for our schools -- particularly those in high poverty areas, such as ours mean that my students likewise attend schools that are inadequate and, effectively, still segregated.
As a result of the inequities in our school system, many of our students start off the school year hating school, believing that this is a place where they can't be successful.
My goal is for all of our students to love school, in my classroom and beyond.
My Project
12-14 high school applicants will be afforded the deserving opportunity to explore a different country: Panama.
Our school will be joining forces with EF Educational Tours on an 8-day program for students to develop STEM skills and discover the beauty of traveling abroad.
Our mission is to empower students to push past their comfort zone and allow them to immerse themselves in another country’s rich history, diverse culture, and, through that process, become powerful leaders.
Our high school is a place full of potential. Every day in the classroom, we push our students to be ambitious, think critically about the world, and advocate for themselves. Unfortunately, the reality in which our students live pushes against their goals and dreams. As teachers, it is our charge to wholeheartedly provide eye-opening opportunities that will allow them to learn, create, and empower each other and their communities in and outside of the classroom. We want students to explore beyond the everyday walls of New Orleans because immersing themselves in a different culture is imperative to their success. Because our students’ success is our primary goal, we have decided to take 18-24 students to Panama for eight days in July!
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. Hogan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.