The students at Keolu Elementary School are wonderful kids. Of course, you'd expect me to say that. But if I were to stop there, it would be an incomplete account of my kids. I have kids who come in in the morning and say "I think my dad's back in jail" or "My bed IS the couch!" but they always come in happy to be at school.
Most of my students come from another part of our island - they are what is known as "geographical exceptions." Their parents cared so much about their education that they wanted a better place for their kids to attend school.
These kids might be "rough around the edges," but they love life and they love others. I want them to feel that they belong and that they are a significant part of our world.
That is all that my kids are looking for... For others to see how wonderful they are and to give them a fighting chance.
My Project
The Responsive Classroom teaching approach is a perfect combination of academics and social emotional learning that my students desperately need. The central idea behind Responsive Classroom is that all students have three basic needs that need to be met in order to learn in a truly productive, thriving environment: belonging, significance, and fun.
My students live in Hawaii - I know, paradise - But my kids face more difficult challenges than most kids on the mainland and feel more forgotten and disconnected from their mainland peers than probably any other students in the United States.
Almost all of my students live in communities dealing with drugs, alcohol and gang activity, and most come from a broken family structure, often with a parent in jail. I truly believe that these are our youth that are facing two roads ahead of them and I am hoping that with the Responsive Classroom teaching approach, we can make them feel that they belong, they are significant, and they deserve to have FUN in school! By doing so, we can divert them from chasing the wrong path; from feeling like they are not an important, significant part of our society. Let's make them feel confident and make that "good path" an easy choice!
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. Castiglione and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
