A quote I live by and teach my students comes from Plato when he said "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle."
I'm a third year art teacher in an elementary school located in a high poverty inner-city community.
I work in a community where joining a gang seems to be a way of life. Bullying starts young and for my students bullies and their victims often turn to gangs for protection. I am fortunate to work with an age group where I can catch them when they're still young. I can teach them, warn them, and show them right from wrong.
My Project
Over the summer, a group of eight sixth graders and I created a PSA to deter their peers from joining gangs. Each student shared his own story of how he has been directly affected by gang violence. Words cannot describe how powerful their message was and what a profound impact it had on the people who were able to see their video.
They were given a platform to tell their story and were able to use it wisely-- but there are so many more stories to be told. My students are empathetic, resilient, and willful people who deserve nothing but the best. The iPad that I'm requesting will do wonders. My students will be able to access pertinent information, research, and type their proposals. There are countless apps that we will be able to use for this project as well. We can even take photos of our campaign.
Bullying occurs not only in school, but outside as well.
Funding this project will have a profound impact on my students. But it won't stop there -- the videos that they will make will also have a positive influence on the community. You will be teaching them empathy and showing them that people care about them.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Diamond and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.