My students need 1 punching bag stand and 1 reflex bag to build a mixed martial arts gym.
$228 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
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 favorite quote is Bruce Lee's phrase, "To heck with circumstances; I create opportunities." Unfortunately, scarce school funds and resources hamper my capacity to build a mixed martial arts gym for my students. Therefore, I am doing what I can to procure materials and resources for my students.
The inner city school my students attend is located in an economically depressed section of New York City.
While the school building itself offers safety and protection, the inner city neighborhoods surrounding the school do not. Crime is rampant and many students come from poverty-stricken households. Students come from families where both parents work and some parents literally cannot afford to attend parent-teacher conferences. Many students receive free lunch. My students attend a school that lacks fundamental resources. Imagine attending a school without a functional, centralized library. There are few after-school programs that offer my students extracurricular activities to provide them with unique experiences and opportunities. Yet many students express interest in the few existing after-school programs and show dedication to succeed in activities such as singing, math competitions and basketball. My students need and deserve more choices for after school activities.
My Project
I am requesting 1 punching bag stand and 1 reflex bag to build a mixed martial arts gym. Envision a group of students attending a mixed martial arts session. The students first work to place all of the classroom furniture a safe distance from the instructional area. Then the students take the punching bag stand and reflex bag out of the closet and place them in the instructional area. Using common tools, the students put both pieces together, essentially constructing their own gym. After a brief warm-up session and instructional pointers, lectures and demonstrations from their mixed martial arts coach, the students are ready to take the techniques and strategies they have learned and safely apply them to the punching bag and the reflex bag. Imagine at least one student arriving early and leaving late, putting in extra work, addicted to the sport. If this process takes place two days a week, month after month, these students will become proficient and capable in no time. A do-it-yourself-gym that produces results!
Donations to this project will greatly improve my classroom.
I look forward to teaching the students who cannot sit still in the classroom. They will be given material and resources combined to create a productive environment in which their pent up energy can be released and used with purpose. My students will learn fundamental athletic skills that can be applied to numerous sports. My students will learn self-defense, improve their cardiovascular systems and build confidence.
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