"If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders." -Dear Abby
As an early childhood educator, it is important that my students learn to be responsible for their choices and work habits. One piece of this is helping them organize their work.
I have been enjoying my 19 first graders so much this year.
They are definitely 19 individual students, all with different personalities and learning styles. This is the challenge of teaching, but also what makes this job so interesting.
My elementary school is one of thirteen Title I schools in our district. Our school is identified to receive Title I funding based on free and reduced lunch percentages. Schools that have 40% or more of their students receiving free or reduced lunch receive Title I funding. The faculty and staff of our school believe that every child can learn and succeed. We are a Kids At Hope School - “All students are capable of success, NO EXCEPTIONS!” We believe the involvement of every administrator, teacher, student, and parent is necessary for our students to be prepared for the 21st Century with leadership skills to progress and move forward successfully.
My Project
Our current mailbox system is old and falling apart. It is also big and bulky and is taking up a lot of counter space. This new mailbox system will help provide a cleaner, brighter look to our classroom and will free up more counter space.
We have many structures and routines in place in our classroom. One of these routines helps teach the students the important life skill of responsibility and organization. Some children are naturally organized, but for many it is a skill learned over time.
In our classroom, students visit their mailbox frequently throughout the day, whether it is to file their work or help me file important letters from me or the office. Children love to be in charge of themselves. In teaching them to keep their papers organized, they are also learning responsibility. When they are in charge of their work, to take it home and show it to their parents, their sense of pride in their work grows.
Donations to this project will improve our classroom in many ways.
The attractive, clean design of mailboxes will enhance our classroom appearance. Their functionality will enhance student autonomy by giving them opportunities to organize and be responsible for their work and for important mail coming home. They will enhance the routine and structures already in place in our classroom for the better. The high quality of these mailboxes will benefit students for years to come.
More than a third 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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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. Padelford and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
