My students need a 32GB Digital iPod Touch as a fantastic prize to motivate them to do their best.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Tarr's classroom raised $446
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
Who or what motivated you to stay in school? Was it that class that you couldn't wait to get to or that teacher who never gave up on you? For many of my students that is what my Drama class is for them, but I need your help to motivate them to excel and inspire them to stay in school.
I teach Drama to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in an urban middle school in Southern California, that is under resourced.
The high school next door has a 60% drop out rate. Studies show that students will make the decision to stay in school or drop out while in middle school. Most of my students have a family member who is in a gang, know where to buy drugs, and have witnessed a shooting. With so many distractions outside of school, it can be challenging to convince students that education is the answer to a better life. But they are inspired to learn more about Drama and are willing to take risks to expand their perspective. I'm lucky to teach a subject that may hook them into school while other subjects may seem too challenging or uninteresting to them at this point in their development. I'm able to teach skills like concentration, observation, healthy risk taking, imagination, self-confidence, and ensemble building. These are skills that will help them in every other area of life.
My Project
I have established a point system for cooperative literacy groups that holds students accountable to one another. These groups earn points for arriving on time with their required materials, completing class and homework, and demonstrating positive and respectful behavior. The students in the group that earns the most points for the week are rewarded with a raffle ticket for a prize drawing. If students know that the grand prize is something fantastic then they get excited, which in turn translates to higher motivation levels in the classroom. A shot at the grand prize can make all of the difference between graduating or dropping out of high school.
In order to keep my students motivated I am requesting an iPod Touch as a fantastic prize for my positive reward system.
Your help will ensure that these students succeed and become one less statistic in the drop out rate, and will help to close the achievement gap.
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. Tarr and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
