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.
I teach high school English Second Language (ESL) students and college-prep 11th and 12th graders in a low income high drop out community. Many of the students in my classes have not developed adequate academic skills to be triumphant in school. In addition, many of my students believe they are not meant to go to college because they cannot graduate from high school.
In order to convince them that they belong in college and for them to truly be ready to go, my students must have access to technology, such as laptops, which will increase their academic skills.
Although it is required that I teach literature and incorporate academic essays and speeches in my curriculum, my school is financially unable to provide sufficient access to technology; especially when writing research papers and other academic assignments, for all my students. During our research paper unit I had to bring my personal laptop to allow students the opportunity to work on their assignment; this was not successful in a 27:1 student computer ratio.
Many students were upset that they could not type because there were others “hogging” the computer. The technology that my students are lacking because their families do not have the resources to contribute to their children’s education many times hinders them from meeting the standards required to pass my courses; many times, my students just give up and admit failure because they are frustrated. It is not that my students cannot do the work; it is that they are tired of having to struggle to turn in standard approved work without having the appropriate resources, technology.
When students do not have access to the appropriate technology, it is difficult to effectively teach writing and speech standards at a college-prep level. However, I am a teacher focused on reaching students where they are, which right now is in need of an HP laptop. I believe that the HP technology I have requested has the power to impact students’ academic skills that will lead them to college and get them through high school.
If an HP laptop is purchased, I will be able to successfully guide my students across the technological divide within the English classroom. When this is accomplished, my students can improve their academic writing and speech skills and successfully complete the English Language Arts standards for 11th and 12th grade. After they do this, I am certain that my students will more likely be interested in attending and preparing for college because they experienced legitimate academic success via quality instruction and tech support. And, when they get to college, they are more likely to experience continued success because they were supported with access to HP technology that was part of improving their academic performance.
I know times are tough for everyone right now, but the HP technology can make a huge difference in students' lives as they direct their future aspirations toward college and beyond high school. You can make it possible for students to more powerfully interact with the world we live in, thus making it a better place.
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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 Ms. Perez and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.