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 exist in a poverty stricken area infested with drugs and crime, They come to school with an extremely good attendance rate and are one of the best behaved classes in the school. These 28 students are a crammed into a tiny first floor school room which overlooks the school yard and two large dumpsters.
Despite the fact that we can't open our three classroom windows due to noise and trash pollution, my students stay focused. They deal with whatever is thrown at them. This is no small feat for middle-graders! Yet, the calculator situation does become an issue. At present, we have four different types of calculators, from four function calculators to pocket calculators that have glass solar panels that break easily causing a hazard to TI 15 scientific calculators and TI 30 calculators. Of these, most are broken or not advanced enough for the work we do. My students were all able to work with TI 15 calculators in 5th grade. However, when supplies were ordered, I was a Social Studies teacher and no calculators were ordered for another class. Once I began teaching math again, I had to use whatever supplies I had leftover or could scrounge up.
With a current class size of 28 and more expected for the next school year, my calculator resources are falling far short of the mark. Thankfully, I was granted 10 new TI 15 calculators and added to what I have, that will make 18 (two of my old ones have bit the dust). It is very difficult with all the testing we do to change up on the resources. My students had to familiarize themselves with all the different calculators so that during testing, if their calculator broke they could try to find another, perhaps different style, that worked. It is difficult enough to learn harder math without the additional burden of supply problems. My students were trained on the TI 15 and their other school peers have the opportunity of using those calculators. We, however, are like outcasts with our mismatched supplies. One little thing like having uniform calculators can help them continue achieving and make math time go smoothly without the added distraction of finding a calculator that works or has the proper functions for the task at hand.
Your support of this request will not only benefit this year's students, but also many classes in years to come. School supplies are an important component of a student's success and equipment like scientific calculators that are not readily affordable by most of our parents would help maintain academic achievement and classroom harmony. Thank you.
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 Ms. Reed and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
