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 love to teach the way I was taught which is using textbooks and the imagination! Don't get me wrong, technology does help take education to a new level, but my classroom relies heavily on imagination, paper, and pencils. What if the Wi-Fi is down one day? A good teacher is always prepared for any event.
My students are Ninth Graders this year aging from 13 to 15 years of age.
They are very smart and can maneuver all over and through the latest cell phones, but cannot navigate through a dictionary because as a school we have never had enough of them to use in class.
Etymology and spelling are big factors in vocabulary and context clues; therefore, I believe they struggle because they don't have the resources in my classroom needed to be able to master these skills.
My students range from privileged to those who are low income and they all put their best self forward each day in my class. I think it is vital that everyone feel welcomed and feel secure so that learning can take place.
My school is one that maintains a very welcoming environment and I feel that the students love to be there. I base this on how they interact with each other after a long weekend away from each other. They are always so excited and full of energy on a Monday morning while us teachers stand with coffee.
My Project
In today's age of technology, it seems as if everything can be done from our cell phones, but today's students are lacking basic skills. Many of my students have never held a dictionary. These are critical items that can help with vocabulary and spelling.
In my classroom students do have access to a Promethean Board for group learning. They also each have a class textbook, but we don't have enough to allow them to go home each day with every child. Therefore, most of the literature is read in class.
Dictionaries would help the students focus on independent skills. I want them to be able to take a dictionary and realize it's more than a book of big words that they may never encounter. I want them to know what a teacher means when they say, "If you don't know how to spell a word then look it up!" I want them to be able to use the same resources that we used growing up. Again, technology is great, but nothing can take the place of a book and being able to navigate through one with ease.
I truly feel that the donation of a class set of dictionaries would truly help my students become better researchers and independent thinkers.
Technology and websites like www.dictionary.com are great, but when the Wi-Fi in the school is down due to weather or a child doesn't have an iPad technology it is then useless.
These donations will change my students lives for the better by making it easy for them to be patient and skillful. Technology makes everything so "instant." Dictionaries are vital!
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 Mr. Cordell and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
