The cost of this proposal is $1259, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
I have finally figured out a way to engage and inspire my students, but my best tool is being taken from me.
I am a history teacher at Bronx Academy High School, an alternative school in the South Bronx. My students come from all over New York with the hope of earning their high school diplomas when it was nearly impossible for them to do so in a regular classroom setting. My students have faced many hardships that have obstructed their success in school, but even after passing the legal dropout age, they have persisted with a determination to graduate.
My students have not succeeded in the past for a number of reasons, but many times, it was because events in the classroom did not seem relevant to their lives. They were not inspired to actually care about the material. I have finally hooked my students on many different levels using Power Point slides that are displayed through an LCD projector. Through these lessons, we have compared the philosophies of Machiavelli and Tupac, explored the early beginnings of Jamestown, as well as the Disney myths of Pocahontas. In my media studies class, we have explored the way different groups are represented in the media. We also looked at various advertisements that portrayed women and minorities in a negative manner.
The LCD projector has been the backbone of so many of my lessons. While it has previously been at my disposal, I have just been informed that because its funding was designated for the science department, I must give it up.
My students are incredibly disappointed. I am still going to work relentlessly to push them to the same deep critical thinking level, but the LCD projector makes a significant difference. It allows them to see history right before their eyes. I have a big poster in the front of my classroom that reads "You cannot make history if you do not know history." I want my students to feel attached to history so that they can be its changers. The LCD projector has been my secret weapon. Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your generosity.
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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. O. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.