I work in a social and economically diverse urban school. Fifty-seven percent of students are on free or reduced-price lunch (this is not including a number of students who probably qualify, but are unable to or do not know how to apply). This number continues to increase over the years.
Our school is racially and ethnically diverse, especially for the area, as the majority of our students are Black, Latinx, or multiracial.
I currently teach 6 classes: 5 of World History 10 (2 honors classes) and 1 of Wisconsin Studies 11/12.
I have a number of students with special behavioral, emotional, and learning needs. I do what I can with what I have to engage all learners in a safe, structured, welcoming environment. I provide for them what they may not have outside of the school walls.
My Project
I recently had a Donor's Choose project full filled thanks to the generosity of donations and donation matches. The project consisted of half the materials needed for my room.
Currently, my room consists of 32 mismatched, old, broken desks.
The seat backs are bent to look more like recliners than chairs. The desks themselves have pealing veneer, which results in slivers and snagged clothing. Aspiring young "artists" have engraved many of them with inappropriate terms. They are circa the 1960s. As a History teacher, I appreciate their "classic" nature, but some things are best left to history and not in my classroom.
My room is filled with sunlight, and I do what I can to make it a comfortable place for students to be. They deserve to come into fresh furniture that they can fit into! They are worthy of new things. My school is a socio-economically diverse school. Our students don't always have the nicest things. They need to know that we care about their learning and providing them with something as simple as new seating and work surfaces are one way of demonstrating that.
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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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. Ennis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
