My school focuses on serving and creating an environment for at-risk youth. Most of my students are looking for a second chance after struggling in larger public schools. Most of my students come from a background of poverty and many come from abusive environments.
The best chance my students have at breaking the cycle of poverty they are trapped in is education.
Many of my students recognize the chance that education gives them and they grasp at that chance to use education to improve their lives.
The desire of our students to improve their lives can be seen in the academic performance of our school. Our students, despite being from at-risk populations, show equal academic performance to the schools around us that do not serve at-risk students.
My Project
I teach a high school microbiology class to underprivileged students. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in my microbiology class and soared as students want to learn more about microbes after they saw how profoundly a microbe can affect their lives.
A good microbiology class should have lots of hands on time with microscopes looking at microbes.
I have some microscopes, but they are hard for the students to use and only off 400x magnification, which is barely enough magnification to see bacteria.
These 4 microscopes in my project will allow my students to do more hands on work and less time fighting trying to make the microscopes I have work. The increased magnification of these microscopes will allow my students to investigate a wider variety of microbes and have a better appreciation of how microbes affect their day to day life.
My microbiology class is my favorite class to teach. Students have a strong interest in using microscopes and I'm able to tap into that interest to teach my underprivileged students college level content and what them master that content.
Virtual schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified students' interest in hands-on learning. Students are tired of looking at screens and they want to learn by doing. These microscopes will help me meet that student desire for hands on learning.
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