The cost of the clay supplies is $4516, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
I am one of four teachers for children in the Talented in Art program that services the children of New Orleans' pioneering Algiers Charter Schools Association (ACSA). Our association consists of eight schools in close proximity on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
As such, we are an intimate, tightly knit association intensely committed to the recovery of our community through service to children. A number of our administrators (and many teachers) have expressed a strong desire to build up the art programs currently available to our students. Their general feeling is that personal expression greatly assists in the healing process and contributes to children's self-esteem. As a veteran art teacher, I can think of no medium more satisfying for children to work with than clay. It is probably the oldest, most venerable and malleable art medium known to man.
Our art program is funded through Louisiana's Exceptional Children's Services. In order to increase services to children in ACSA's fledgling system it is essential to identify children who will most benefit from participation in the arts. The students I currently work with are highly talented. Several of them have already demonstrated an inclination to teach classmates and siblings.
A number of years ago, when I first began teaching, I had several art students who showed a similar aptitude for teaching. At that time, I applied for and received a grant to take them into lower grade classrooms and let them supervise groups of young children create simple clay projects. It was highly successful and helped us identify children who needed art services. I particularly recall a second grader who created a rose out of clay.
Thus, my proposal:
I would like to put a handful of clay in the hands of at least six classes of first through third graders. (I would also like to fire and display the resulting work; this is always a magical experience for kids.) My advanced students could reinforce and apply their knowledge of simple hand building techniques while acquiring instructional experience. This also would help our teachers identify children who would benefit from art services, and thus build up our art program. More importantly, it would provide many children an exciting educational art experience on several levels. For this to take place, we will need a kiln, glazes, and approximately 300 pounds of clay. We appear to have adequate wiring already present for a kiln at my home-based school. The kiln can be used by all the art teachers in the ACSA and service our kids for years to come. The DVD camera that ACSA received through a Donors Choose grant last year could also be used to create clay animation projects, if time permits.
I hope to again, with your help, facilitate another exciting year of art for our children.
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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. Kaschalk and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.