My students need (and want) their own in-class history mailboxes for projects, communication, and storage. When I get these, I can hire Class Postmen and Postwomen.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Thomas's classroom raised $392
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
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.
Situated proudly between the Mott Haven and Patterson houses, South Bronx Preparatory (A College Board School), where I teach high school Global History, is about to graduate its first senior class. At this College Board-affiliated school in a high-poverty community, I am currently teaching students in the 9th, 11th, and 12th grades, but spend the majority of my time inducting our entire 9th grade into high school and creating with and within them the skills that will make them successful throughout their high school careers and beyond. This year we are lucky enough to be studying world history from the first humans to the Italian Renaissance, but we are unlucky in that we are studying the subject that is, across New York City and State, statistically the most difficult, with more students deficient in Global credits or Regents exams (state graduation requirement) than any other content area.
And here’s the funny thing: these kids are really into it. In my time teaching, I’ve never seen a group of students so intellectually curious or academically driven as these, and I am particularly proud of the ways in which we have used history as a lens this year to better understand the community in which we live.
But life in the South Bronx is inexorably unpredictable and not infrequently unstable. Many of our students must be pushed out of the building at night because for them school is a place of safety, predictably, and order that doesn’t exist elsewhere. Schools live or die by predictability and effective organization, and so too do classrooms.
One of the more effective methods of classroom organization that I have seen, and one that I think would work particularly well in our classroom, is the use of individualized student mailboxes. These “history mailboxes” would serve a number of purposes, from storage of interactive history notebooks and other class materials to teacher-student communication, interactive projects, and history dialogues.
Our history mailboxes will allow us to create the organized, predictable classroom environment that we need in order to be successful in our study of history. The things we learn in this classroom will help us prepare for high school and deepen our understanding of ourselves and of our world.
When I first mentioned this idea to some of my students, wanting to gauge interest in the idea, I was surprised by the response. Heads turned, eyes opened wide, and inquisitive voices chattered away. They wanted details, and they suggested we take up a collection immediately. I suggested we wait, knowing something of the financial realities of life in a high-poverty area. Your help will give my students ownership over the classroom while making it possible for them to more easily learn the history of our world.
Plus, for a few of my students who applied, but weren’t hired, for classroom jobs now get to become Postmen and Postwomen.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
FELLOWES OFFICEWARE LITERATURE ORGANIZER, LETTER SIZE -- Fellowes Officeware Literature Organizers; Letter Size, 36 Slots, Dove Grey
• Quill Corporation
$71.99
1
$71.99
FELLOWES OFFICEWARE LITERATURE ORGANIZER, LETTER SIZE -- Fellowes Officeware Literature Organizers; Letter Size, 48 Slots, Dove Grey
• Quill Corporation
$98.99
2
$197.98
Materials cost
$269.97
Vendor shipping charges
$27.00
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$6.75
Fulfillment labor & materials
$17.00
Total project cost
$321.00
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$70.46
Total project goal
$391.46
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$391.46
7 Donors
-$337.06
Donations toward project cost
-$321.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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 Mr. Thomas and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
