I teach at an older, urban school where many of my wonderful first graders are the children of deployed military personnel. They attend school in one of the most multicultural districts in the United States. Although many of my students are deemed at-risk, they are trying very hard to learn English and at the same time, they are learning how to navigate being in school.
It is cold and dark when my first graders leave home to walk to our neighborhood school but they love coming to school and rarely miss a day because they get food to eat.
Almost all of my students qualify for free breakfast and lunch; often those free meals are the only food they have.
We are not a Title I school, and, as a result, we lack the resources and opportunities of many other schools. This pandemic has been hard on my students and their families and students often come to school hungry and without basic supplies because their families cannot afford them.
My Project
My students need some oatmeal, peanut butter, tuna, and other food to learn about the cost of breakfast and lunch. Every week, I am going to "cook" in the classroom and show my students how to create low-cost, nutritious, healthy snacks and meals. My students will practice reading "recipes" while they learn about food. They will also learn math as they measure the oatmeal, dried milk and food stuffs. They will also learn to calculate the cost of a single serving.
Food is expensive and my wonderful first graders desperately need to learn about the cost of food and how to cook for themselves.
My students hurry to school in the morning because they qualify for free breakfast. Often the free meals at school are the only food they have. Weekends and holidays are not days of celebration for my students but they are days with special problems. On those days, there may be nothing to eat. Some students are home alone while a parent is working or getting treatment.
Our winter break is coming soon and I am worried about my kids. Frankly, my students need to learn how to feed themselves.
Please consider donating to our project. My school does not have the funds for this type of creative financial literacy project.
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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. Ramsey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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