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.
My Students
My school is located in an area in Miami called West Little River, where about 82% of the family households are living below poverty. Many of my students are living in single-parent family homes, homes where other family members are raising them, or homeless shelters. Therefore, my students are struggling financially and cannot even afford to buy the basics such as school supplies.
I teach US History and Civics to 6th and 7th graders at a Title I school, where about 90% of the students are receiving free or reduced lunch.
Because of their environment, these students experience a multitude of problems which interferes with their achievement and success. I grew up in the inner city of Miami and know what poverty is, but despite my struggles, I was able to be successful. The reason that I was successful was that I had teachers and a community that supported me and helped me with what I needed to become successful. This is why I became an educator so not only I can instill the knowledge in them but I can also guide and support them to become successful.
My Project
I have really good students who have the potential of learning even more if they are given the right tools to get them engaged. The majority of my students come from high poverty homes, where they deal with a vast of problems. And recently, I have received students from Puerto Rico that moved to Miami because they lost their homes from Hurricane Maria. Not only did they lose their homes, but they now have to start their life again in an unfamiliar place, learn how to speak English, and assimilate into this culture. The problems that all my students face affect them academically and emotionally. Because of this, I know that I need to find creative ways to keep my students motivated and engaged in learning.
By helping my students getting new classroom supplies, they will be able to do various hands-on and interactive activities to help maximize their learning in US History and Civics, especially the new students from Puerto Rico.
We do activities such as interactive journals, project-based learning activities, flip charts, interactive word walls, and group presentations to learn the information. Unfortunately, many of my students cannot afford many things and barely can buy school supplies to use in my classroom. So I have to buy and provide the materials for them to use. At the beginning of the school year, I purchased many items but many of the supplies were damaged by water leaks and flooding during Hurricane Irma.
I really want my students to be prepared and become responsible participants in our community and our country. Therefore, I want them to understand and interact with the content to increase their learning and retention. Therefore I am asking for your help so they can really learn the content.
More than half of 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
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