I teach inclusion English 9 and English 12 in a rural county that has been almost destroyed by poverty and unemployment (the current unemployment rate is around 22 percent) over the past decade. Our school system suffers from lack of funds and there really is no hope in sight. Our school budget was cut another 25 percent before we even started class this semester. Economic development experts say that the only way to restore prosperity to our area is technology-based education.
Currently, our high school has over 1,000 students. We only have about 120 functioning laptops. Teachers have to sign up for laptops and plan technology-focused activities based on laptop availability, and there is limited availability. My students face many obstacles and urgently need to develop skills that will make them competitive not only for college but also for the workplace. Many of them come to me in ninth grade having no real knowledge of how to surf the Internet effectively or format a Word document.
I recently wrote a grant for laptops for my class use, but I did not request enough. Because of funding issues, the average class size at my high school is going up. I will not have enough laptops to go around.
If my students had access to laptops every day, their educational experience would be completely changed. The speed with which we could explore topics, perform research, and create documents would create class time for more activities. The resources available through the Internet could enrich their minds and open their eyes to options and opportunities they never considered. Operational knowledge of word-processing and database software is a rudimentary skill of today's college students and my students are being left behind.
I'm also very excited about the opportunity to help my students become effective Microsoft Office operators. That skill in itself can help them get a job after high school.
Your help with this grant will ensure that my students have the resources they need to be competitive in the educational and vocational arenas that await them. You will make it possible for my students to become comfortable with technology that most of the rest of the United States takes for granted. You may even help create a local leader who will help pull this area out of its current economic crisis.
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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. Compson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
