Printer and Binder to Make Student-Centered Materials
My students need a book binding machine and a wireless printer.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Ellis's classroom raised $524
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.
My Students
First grade has changed a lot. Today, there are high expectations of students. They need to move from counting to solving story problems, and from the alphabet to reading chapter books. Since every student comes in with different skills, I make a lot of the instructional materials myself.
I work at one of Boston's Turnaround Schools, which basically means that last year the Superintendent designated it as "under-performing," and replaced the principal and 70% of the staff.
But while the teachers may be different, the students in front of us are the same. We teach in an area of Boston which is high-poverty, and so 94% of our school lives below the poverty line. Furthermore, many of my students have English as a second language, and even more are in single-parent homes. Despite all of these obstacles, my students are making great improvement. I've been working tirelessly to build a strong foundation so that my students will continue to fly.
My Project
A lot of my time is spent creating materials for my students. I make word cards, literacy-based centers work, manipulatives, custom-made math practice, individualized science notebooks.... you name it. Though time-consuming, the dividends in student growth are worth it. Currently, though, I don't have a working printer in my classroom, so to make anything, I have to make it at home, print it in the computer lab at school (which is sometimes closed), and then run to the copier to run it off.
All of this could be truncated if I just had a printer in my classroom. This way I can print photos for projects, copy or scan student work, make parent newsletters, create literacy games... all from the comfort of the classroom. Likewise, when I want to bind student notebooks for science units or publish student writing to keep in the library, I need to borrow a binding machine from the teacher room.
With these two machines, so much more of my time would be freed up to work with students!
I would still be able to make high-quality instructional materials, but instead of having to run around the school to make them, everything would be readily available. The less time I need to spend making things or running around to gather them, the more efficiently I can work, the better the materials I can create, and likewise the better the quality of student learning!
More than half of 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. Ellis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.