I'm a 3rd/4th/5th grade ELA and Social Studies teacher at a very small elementary school. We call ourselves a family because we love each other and we are often the only stability our students and their families have.
My students and my school have my heart.
I've taught at this school for the last 21 years and hope to be there for my entire career. My community is in a low-income area and my students often deal with things at home that they carry to school with them. I want to provide them with a warm, loving, safe and fun, yet challenging environment on a daily basis. I want to give them opportunities at school that they wouldn't have otherwise. Teaching my students to think "outside of the box" is important to me. Even more, them feeling calm, loved and valued is most important.
My Project
The bright, harsh fluorescent lights of a school building are not conducive to learning. Research shows that fluorescent lighting often causes eye strain and headaches. This is because the lights continually vary in color and brightness causing a 'flicker' that is not necessarily perceptible to the human eye due to how rapid the flicker is. This rapid fluctuation from fluorescent lights is known to affect the way our eyes move across text and it interferes with the performance of visual tasks. For this reason, I would like to have fluorescent light covers to take the harsh fluorescent classroom lights and turn them into something calming and inviting, creating a learning environment much more conducive to learning. Lord only knows the environments my students come from, many of them unspeakable. I want the classroom to be a place they feel their best and that they cannot wait to come back to. Any help is greatly appreciated.
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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. Conrad and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.