These amazing students live in the Kona coffee country, on the Big Island of Hawaii. They are hard working and love to learn. Their families are diverse, with rich cultural histories.
Most of our students live on farms or in small apartments.
Some pick coffee or macadamia nuts with their families on the weekends. Several live in homes where English is not their first language.
We live at 1000 feet, on the slopes of Mauna Loa, and we often peek out at the ocean from our school's playground. While most of us are very happy in our lives, many of our families struggle financially. Most of our school receives free/reduced lunch. School supplies can be a burden to purchase.
My Project
Our school places a high importance on computer literacy. We believe that by providing students with frequent opportunities to interact with computers and iPads, they will be better prepared for a future in the 21st century. Kindergarteners through fifth graders all use a variety of programs and websites to explore, innovate, and learn at their independent levels.
Headphones are essential for students to access these opportunities.
Right now, our school has 80 sturdy headphones to share among over 500 students. We have asked students' parents to provide headphones to supplement. However, many parents can only afford the inexpensive ear-buds, if any at all. At this point in the year, being half-way through our curriculum, many of these cheap earbuds have stopped working. It is heart-breaking to ask students from low-income families to provide these, and many teachers are dipping into their own pockets instead.
Any support from the community would be greatly appreciated. Providing more students with nicer headphones gives them a fairer and more equitable experience with technology. All students will be able to hear sound well and lower-income students will get the same quality of education. Thank you for your help!
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. DeMeter and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
