My students come from a very impoverished community and attend a school that offers little to no financial support to teachers for supplies. Many students cannot afford basics such as folders or notebooks.
The vast majority of my students come from homes with little financial ability to purchase school supplies.
My school spent the last 5 years digging out of a sizable deficit, during which support for supplies dwindled. This is our first year out of debt, but the teachers have yet to see any of the money the school now has. My students would benefit so much from having basic supplies made available to them!
My Project
Instead of typical semester exams, I require my students to complete a portfolio. Some students have been able to acquire a binder or folder with fasteners - but most have not. I also require my upper-level students to keep a laboratory journal. Most could not afford composition books for that purpose. My school holds a 30-minute class period before lunch called SSR (Silent Sustained Reading). I would love to have a science-based library available for my SSR students that do not have their own book to read. Last but not least, when I came into this position, my room was decorated with biology posters. I teach everything but biology, so I passed the posters along to the other teacher... This left my room a blank canvas that I cannot afford to "paint." I would love earth science and physical science themed poster to liven up the place and make it a more inviting learning environment, but there is no budget for our science department.
Our community is very low income.
Classroom-supplied composition books and portfolio folders will help my students be prepared to excel in my class. Science-based SSR books will help my students be prepared for SSR and will help them "keep their head in the game." The books would also be a handy reference for some topics that I teach (relativity, etc). The posters would make my room much more inviting and comfortable.
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