“Students learned the most from you!” is what we heard consistently from many parents after my students completed their lessons at our last STEM event. My students are a truly inspired group of STEM-oriented, technologically-advanced young adults, who are motivated to be future educators. These students will lead the future generations to be profound innovators and they deserve a chance to compete at the Educators Rising National Conference. They are high achievers, many of them earning grade point averages of 4.0 and above. Over the course of this school year, they have developed useful skills like creativity, leadership, and collaboration. They are truly a dynamic group of young scholars.
My students are part of Educators Rising, a national membership organization for aspiring teachers and their mentors. All of the students are exploring teaching as a profession. Educators Rising allows them to connect with peers and experts around the country who are focusing on the same issues and challenges. Attending the National Educators Rising Conference will:
1) Allow us to connect and learn from each other through breakout workshops
2) Compete for national titles in competitive events designed to develop and showcase their teaching skills
3) Be inspired by keynote presentations from national education leaders.
In Their Own Words
Our goal is to raise funds for four students to attend the Educators Rising National Conference. We are looking for ways to share our inspiration with our peers and the next generation. In addition, we want to experience diverse styles of teaching and network with students from around the United States who have the same goals as we do.
Working on this grant project has developed leadership in many different ways. One way I have grown as a leader is when my STEM group created lessons to teach the kids at Imperial Elementary. We are looked at as role models and educators to the students. Also, during this entire journey of planning for this competition, we all have been campaigning for funding. We have started a Go Fund Me account and created a Facebook page to ask for donations. These skills as a leader will allow me to understand the details and the work ethic that goes into being a influence onto others. Leadership skills will be useful for the future when I go to college and start a career. I want to become a nurse practitioner in the emergency room, and to be able to accomplish that role, I need to clearly understand my role as a leader.
Once every week my classmates and I teach students at a nearby elementary school. We teach the kids important subjects that lie within the acronym STEM. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. You might ask “Why is STEM so important?”. STEM is filled in every part of our lives. Science can be applied all around us. Technology is continuously used in many parts of our lives. Engineering is found in the structures around us through architecture. Mathematics is found in every job. My class is educating the next generation about STEM which could ultimately guide them into a STEM profession. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, STEM involved jobs are growing at 17%, while other jobs are growing at 9.8%. With your help, getting to the Educators Rising National Conference would expand our reach and show the need for STEM programs.
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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. McDougall and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
