My students need art supplies, like oil pastels to experiment with their creative skills, and when they've completed their interpretations of the world, I need a place to their art dry before displaying.
Each of my students comes to school with the hopes and dreams of their families, as well as their backpacks and snacks. Together we spend eight hours a day learning to read, write and solve problems, but more than that we learn to discover the qualities that make each of us unique and deserving of respect.
Twenty-eight first graders have an enormous amount of energy and an abundance of curiosity.
They love to work together on projects, survey one another about recent lessons, build, create and play. Every day in a first grade classroom is different from any other and I tell you this after 27 years being here, there is no other place I'd like to be than working with these children!
My Project
Sometimes children show you how much they are learning when they are left to process individually and then create a piece of art to demonstrate their learning. Surprisingly my class of 28 six and seven year-old students is completely silent when they paint. You have to see it to believe it! They are so focused on their unique expressions that not one of them is interested in socializing.
With the world being so fast-paced and "on-line" I would love to give my students more introspective time, to reflect and to create.
The products I've chosen will help them explore the artists within. The multicultural crayons and oil pastels will allow them to draw the people they see everyday, in our community, in realistic hues. Diversity in their representations is so important in developing their self-esteem and respect for others.
Logistically, we can't always use wet materials because there aren't enough drying surfaces. If we paint, for example, the 28 wet pieces of paper end up covering all work tables, the tops of mailboxes and cubbies, and even some bookcases. The drying racks will eliminate this problem and we will be able to access art more easily.
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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. Tynan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
