I teach Algebra 2 and Math Money Management in a rural, high poverty community. My Math Money Management students typically have weak math skills, little support from home and are very impoverished. Many of them come to my class with a fear of banks and have never seen a checkbook. I
t is my goal to give them a basic working knowledge of financial matters ranging from balancing a checkbook to applying for a home mortgage. In order to accomplish this, I not only have to overcome the budget shortage in our school and the false teachings of poverty, but weak math skills as well.
Because of their weak math skills, my students get bogged down in the mechanics of the calculations especially when we are working with fractions and percents. This keeps them from learning the practical application concepts that I am trying to teach them. These students are easily frustrated and lose focus. By supplying them with the necessary tools such as calculators to help make the math easier, my students can learn many more real world applications for math.
These students need math to be relevant and real to them and that is what I try to provide. I want them to leave the walls of our school feeling empowered with enough financial knowledge that they can make wise decisions about their money. Please help me by supplying the 20 TI-30XS multi-view calculators for my students to use.
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
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Hightower and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.