My students need 36 individual exercise mats for physical education activities.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Minor's classroom raised $520
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.
I currently teach in a very low-income, multi-ethnic elementary school in an inner-city in Southern California. I am currently teaching 5th grade, and my grade level is "rotating" our students to prepare them for middle school next year. I am the "science" teacher for 5th grade, as well as the lead GATE (gifted and talented education) teacher for my school. I am also an adviser for an after school science and engineering program after school.
Studies show that Americans are battling obesity at every stage of life. My own students are examples of children who are not physically fit, many as young as 9 years old. Some are overweight, but many are just not capable of sustaining any sort of physical activity because they are not used to it or they don't know how. The neighborhood is not the kind of place where parents can say, "Go outside and play." Many kids are kept indoors for safety, and wind up watching TV and playing video games.
I would like for these children to develop a life-long habit of being physically active. Many of us look back and remember P.E. and groan to ourselves. I'd like to show these children that P.E. does not necessarily mean running a mile around hot black-top and trying to beat "the fast kid's" score. P.E. means physical education. It means learning to move correctly and being physically fit without going through a major ordeal to get there. If they develop healthy habits and learn fun physical activities as children, these kids will be more likely to remain active and fit throughout their lives. In order to do this, I need to begin with the basics. I need exercise mats for my class because we do not have a gym and the asphalt playground is usually hot and is painful to lie down on, in addition to being unsanitary.
Your kind and generous donation will make it possible for me to teach my students basic exercises like curl-ups, leg stretches, and push-ups on a sanitary and pain-free surface. Once these skills are mastered, we will be able to move on to yoga or Pilates type exercises, to develop core strength and flexibility. It will allow the kids to be active daily and form healthy habits early in life.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Minor and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
