I need funding to support a trip to Indiana University to learn Scratch Creative Computing. Airfare, housing, transportation and the tuition are included in this request.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
I was warned when applying to work at my school that they were under scrutiny for lack of student performance. But I have found these students to be eager to learn, intuitive, and excited about school. They are not traditional students, preferring hands-on learning, social interaction, and high energy lessons. I have striven to bring this to my classroom, and have seen amazing results from them this year.
Smiling faces, high fives, and hugs greet me every morning when I enter the building.
I joke that I am a rock star because I have to high five or hug every student in my hallway at dismissal time. But what is really going on is that the students are responding positively to affection, praise and high expectations. I would like to continue this, offering my students more opportunities with higher rigor.
Located in the only city of a rural county, my students are an odd mix of city and county, with differing values and home expectations. Some are being raised by grandparents; some by single moms or dads, and some are in foster homes. The vast majority (approximately 87%) receive free lunch. Parental involvement is higher than expected, which helps.
My Project
Although I consider myself to be tech-savvy, coding is my area of weakness. I would like to take this course to help remedy that, but also so that I can share this with my students and colleagues. Every summer I take courses to better myself as a teacher, and this year I am extending myself out of my comfort zone. The course itself will be presented in Bloomington, IN.
I will be working with other teachers at my same level, teachers who are excited about giving more to their students and opening up their futures.
I will learn how to use SCRATCH to create games, animations and other ways to express themselves. As an Arts teacher, I am excited about teaching about other kinds of texts- media arts texts. I will be sharing everything that I learn with my colleagues and creating an after-school group of students who will take these new skills and expand upon them.
These students will take their expanded skill set and use them to help during school activities, to energize the school's webpage, and to work in the community. It promises to be an exciting new phase for community-school relations.
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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. Noel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
