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 goal is that each of my students enter First Grade as Readers and Math Lovers! Every moment counts! Pencils with broken leads inside that always need to be sharpened are my biggest challenge during a test. The students loose focus and are anxious when their pencil breaks YET again.
My classroom is exactly 14 boys and 14 girls!
We are a matched set! I love our little school in the desert. Recess in the winter is beautiful and we enjoy blue skies and cool breezes. Fall is very warm but when you love to play, as my students do, 115 degrees is not a problem.
As a charter school we receive less funding than a regular public school but we make up for it with creative, resourceful teachers and parents who sacrifice from their hard earned money when they can. My classroom is mostly from a mix of hardworking agricultural and military families.
My Project
Recently I overheard two students fighting over "the gold pencils". Gold Pencils? We didn't have gold pencils? When I asked them about it one of the students explained, "See? There is a gold thing that holds in the eraser!" These pencils were what was left of the cheap pencils their parents sent at the beginning of the year-the best they could afford.
I have been using my remaining pencils as incentives on Friday. Friday is known as prize day by my students. At the beginning of the year we had lots of goodies and they worked hard to get good behavior points so they could get a prize. As our pencil supply also dwindled along with our prizes I started using my remaining pencils as prizes. They loved it ! The students call them their "special pencils".
Your pencils will be greatly coveted! I have to put a time limit on the pencil browsing because the students want to see each pencil before they make their choice!
I choose pencils that have positive, inspiring messages because my students need to be reminded often that they can succeed!
We have great hopes for the children of our community. Our parents know that this school might be their child's most important chance to have a successful life in the future. Poverty is broken by HOPE!
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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 Mrs. Royal and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
