District 75 houses the highest needs special needs students and, oftentimes, these students also fall into the highest needs economically disadvantaged category. Over 90% of my students fall into this category. We are a 12-month program, where students attend year-round to receive services.
My students are part of the largest school district in the country (the NYC DOE) and fall into the highest needs category.
For years, I have poured my own money into my classroom, but it is not enough! I have reached out to local community members and collected used and refurbished computers, but they do not meet the requirements to run modern software.
I teach grades K-8 and a total of 9 classes, a daily lunch club, and a weekly positive behavior intervention club as a reward for students. All students would have access to these resources! That is why today, I am reaching out for global support to help our highest needs students get an equal chance to succeed! We truly need your assistance to level the playing field. Many students come from homes that do not have Internet access or technology, further increasing the achievement gap.
My Project
Since last year, my students and I have been studying 3D printed prosthetic limbs. We have been learning about 3D printing and together have created 3D printed prosthetic hands for children in need! To date, we have presented at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in NYC and have a hand we created featured at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago!
This has been an incredible experience teaching my students about 3D printing to help others and build their skills in empathy while solving real world problems through STEM.
Similar to a woodshop or art teacher, in order for my students to create projects, we need a constant supply of 3D printing filament (spools of plastic). We also need gallon storage bags to store the filament safely. If it is exposed to air, it becomes brittle and unusable. We also need Amazon Echos so we can program the 3D printers to be voice-activated. This will allow even my youngest students to work with the 3D printers without risk of injury. I purchase the filament completely out-of-pocket and through the generous support of the Donors Choose community. As students learn about 3D printing, they create projects that they get to keep and eventually we design a 3D printed prosthetic hand for a child in need as a culminating project!
Students learn real-world skills as they solve the problem of designing prosthetic hands on a budget through purely mechanical means (no bionics/robotics to keep the cost down). The average cost of a medical-grade prosthetic hand is $40,000-$50,000. We can build a prosthetic hand for a child for under $20/hand! This exercise in STEM hands-on learning is not only practical, it allows students to learn empathy and take on a personal level of ownership in this project.
Echo (2nd Generation) - Smart speaker with Alexa - Heather Gray Fabric
• Amazon Business
$74.99
3
$224.97
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Black
• Amazon Business
$19.99
3
$59.97
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Blue
• Amazon Business
$19.99
3
$59.97
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Red
• Amazon Business
$19.99
3
$59.97
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Gray
• Amazon Business
$19.99
3
$59.97
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, White
• Amazon Business
$19.99
3
$59.97
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Pink
• Amazon Business
$19.99
3
$59.97
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Yellow
• Amazon Business
$19.99
3
$59.97
AmazonBasics PLA 3D Printer Filament, 1.75mm, Green, 1 kg Spool
• Amazon Business
$18.99
3
$56.97
ZIRO 3D Printer Filament PLA 1.75mm Marble Color 1KG(2.2lbs) - White
• Amazon Business
$21.99
2
$43.98
COLOR ME 3D Haze Filament Quality 3D Printer PLA Plus Filament Purple Haze (Amazing Rare Purple Color)-1KG (2.2 LBS) Made in The USA 1.75 mm +/- 0.03 mm- 3D Haze Filament Purple Haze PLA Plus 1.75
• Amazon Business
$19.97
2
$39.94
Ziploc Gallon Slider Storage Bags, 96 Count
• Amazon Business
$14.40
1
$14.40
Materials cost
$800.05
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$12.00
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$842.05
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$148.60
Total project goal
$990.65
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$990.65
3 Donors
-$989.47
Donations toward project cost
-$841.20
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$148.27
match offer
-$1.00
Match offer toward project cost
-$0.85
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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 Mr. Kamer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
