Take a look around and you will see students working and succeeding together. You will see pairs, small groups, large groups and independent work occurring all at once. You will see looks of inquisition, frustration, excitement, happiness, suspense and the timeless "Aha." You will see students that feel safe and secure.
Look deeper, look past all of that and you may see partners in which one student shares a small, one bedroom apartment with a single mother and four other siblings while the other student lives in a single family home with both parents and a loving pet.
The advantage of open enrollment allows my students to learn and experience a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Once they step foot in our classroom they discover all that they have in common. They become their own community. My students love every moment they get to spend in my classroom because it is there where they know they have people they can depend on. I am a constant in their lives and they cherish that.
"Thank you Mrs. C. for being the best teacher I have ever had. I was proud to call your classroom a second home!" -T, former student.
My Project
My students have had the pleasure of caring for and learning alongside our class pet, a tree frog named Mr. Al Croaker. They have been able to learn responsibility by caring for and feeding our tree frog. Some of their responsibilities include cleaning his substrate, changing his water, feeding him, adding humidity to his habitat, and even caring for and feeding his food, live crickets! I have witnessed immense amounts of learning in responsibility as well as science and nature. I also have had the pleasure of watching students overcome fears of both reptiles as well as insects all due to this incredible classroom pet.
Due to the cost of maintaining our class pet we are in jeopardy of losing Mr. Al Croaker!
While the benefits have been grand, so has the cost. Caring for our tree frog requires bi-weekly trips to the reptile store for live crickets along with periodic purchases of protein powder and food for the crickets, heat lamps for the frog, and substrate for the habitat.
Your donation will help to purchase most of these items which will allow our beloved tree frog to remain with us for years to come.
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. Cook and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
