My students come from different places, different backgrounds, they speak different languages, and they have differing needs and wants in a classroom. In my chemistry classroom, I strive for equity in all aspects of the classroom from assignments to seating to language. As a low-income, urban high school--and in the building of the second oldest public high school in the United States--we often need additional material supports outside of what can be found within our walls presently.
What makes these students so amazing is their passion, their presence, and their consistency in looking for progress academically, socially, emotionally, as learners in an absolutely historic time to be a student.
This is my first year at my school, and I want to start off on a great note. I want my students to see, hear, and feel the positives from all of the work I have been doing to get prepared for these awesome learners. Technically, I am meant to teach Chemistry. But more than that, I am here to teach and learn alongside my students through this period of virtual and in-person learning as we strive for engaging, actively anti-racist curriculum that is open, welcoming, and equitable.
My Project
While my students may not have the means or the knowledge about nutrition to choose healthy snacks throughout their day, I can help to change this in my personal classroom. By teaching the chemistry of food and studying how calories help us to gain energy to work, learn, run, and even breathe, we will focus upon healthy choices in snacking.
This project will help to "walk the walk" of healthy snacking.
By providing proper cleaning supplies to wipe down the snacks before handing out (while wearing gloves), a diversity of snacks to accommodate allergies, and specific bins to separate chemical cleaning supplies from snacks (and pests from snacks too!) I can help to change my students' perspectives on snacking. The school that we are in provides 3 meals a day for most of the student body, however, due to helping out with siblings and other extenuating circumstances, it is not unheard of that my students will arrive late at school and miss out on breakfast to help out with their other responsibilities in their families. Snacks in the classroom, handed out in a safe manner that abides by all COVID-19 guidelines, can help my students to get the energy they need to participate in our rigorous academic setting and to succeed in their physical endeavors in other classes or sports as well.
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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. Kiely and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.