My students need an easel to help them visualize and best understand new concepts during group time on the rug.
$342 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.
As a first grade bilingual teacher, I strive to empower my students by helping them to become fully literate in English and Spanish. I am currently finishing my second year at an elementary school in New York. I work in a high-need community, where 77% of the students are English Language Learners and most of the children receive free lunch. Additionally, many of the students in my class are one of many children in a single parent household.
This past year, all but one of my children entered first grade below grade level. Three children received special education services and six children remained in remedial groups throughout the year. Although all of my children made tremendous personal gains, they still have a long way to go in order to catch up to their middle-class and upper-class peers.
"Mrs. D., another screw fell out of the easel!" I hear this statement every day. While students are getting settled in on the carpet, before I get into the lesson, one of my students kindly points out that our classroom easel is in pretty bad shape.
Despite my efforts to repair it, after years of wear and tear, the whiteboard surface will not wipe completely clean, and the wooden legs buckle without all the screws holding it in place.
My students and I have learned to deal with the falling chart papers, the less than clean whiteboard surface, and the unstable frame. We have pushed on through the school year and made the best of it, even though it has become a big distraction from learning.
I cannot stress enough how essential a great easel is to learning in my classroom! During group teaching moments, the easel is where I will model, illustrate, and discuss new concepts with the children.
Teaching in an open classroom (a classroom built without walls), where the noise can sometimes overpower the learning process, it is crucial that children are captivated and fully engaged in every lesson. Any outside factor can potentially pull them out of "the learning zone".
With a new easel, I will no longer have to worry about loose screws or have to explain why the easel is falling apart. The children will be able to focus on the material I will be presenting. Big books will be more enjoyable and lessons more engaging. My students will be much more focused without having to worry about why the easel is not as great as it could be. How exciting!
When the classroom materials are new and fresh, the children will have fresher, more positive attitudes towards learning. The care taken to build a bright learning environment will have a profound impact upon their school experience.
With your help, a group of elementary school students in an underprivileged area will get the chance to have the quality of materials that they deserve. As a teacher, I will have a refreshed attitude, knowing that my students have the opportunity to learn with the best possible materials.
Most importantly, a group of high-need children in an underdeveloped community, will know that their education is valued and that they are cared about as individuals.
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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 Ms. O. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
