My students need a reliable electric kettle, like the Kitchenaid kettle, an airpot to keep water hot, a variety of teas and some art supplies, so that we can have some relaxing tea parties.
Our student body is one of the most diverse in the Portland area. Our students and their families hail from Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam, Somalia, Ethiopia, Mexico, China, Japan and Russia. We also have a number of refugee families attending our school. Many of our students speak at least two languages, and are adept at translating for their families. Our neighborhood is historically under-served, but we are striving as a school community to create new opportunities and experiences for students, in order to strengthen their pride and confidence in their own success. As they build their pride and confidence, they are becoming productive and positive members of our community.
Our students represent a wide spectrum of ability, from those still learning to read to those reading at a high school level or beyond.
We strive as a school community to provide project-based learning opportunities as much as possible, because these types of projects can be adapted to suit the learning and language needs of every student. My classroom partners with younger groups often, so that 7th and 8th graders can teach younger students what they've learned, and sometimes so that younger students can remind older ones how to behave!
My Project
My students experience the most success when they have strong relationships with the adults in their lives. In order to continue fostering those relationships, I would like to begin offering cups of tea to my students. During after-school work sessions, students will be able to sip their favorite tea from a unique vintage mug while they improve their grade. The Creative Writing class will drink tea while they share their favorite stories aloud. And each class will have the chance to win a tea party where they get to color the tablecloth (drawing on a desk with the teacher's permission??!!), bring and share potluck treats, and write and decorate a card for a friend or loved one. I believe the items on my list will help to create a sense of "hygge" in my classroom, the Danish term for comfort, coziness and security. This security and comfort will help them tackle the daily stresses of being a teen in today's world.
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