My students need items such as deodorant, wipes, toothpaste and toothbrushes to be able to focus on the lessons being taught, not if anyone will notice them because of a body odor or the noises their stomaches are making because they're hungry.
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
Leflore County Highs School is a small school with a big heart. The student body is predominately African-American. Many of the students live in low income housing and have parents who barely make ends meet. Each day, my students come to school and do their best to learn and grow so that their current reality won’t have to be an indicator of their future circumstances. However, my school doesn’t have many funds that can freely equip all classrooms with the tools that could make this possible for them.
My Project
It's hard to concentrate on anything when your stomach is growling or the person beside you doesn't have the best body odor. It's almost impossible for a high school freshman who doesn't have all the basic necessities at home to come to school and think of anything other than what he lacks -- especially accurately analyzing a Shakespearean text. When my students arrive to school each day I know that some of them woke themselves up. For one reason or another, there was no adult around. No one was there to make sure they ate anything before they got to school and many times no one to tell of their need of more toothpaste or other personal hygiene products before they were off to catch the morning bus.
The products requested in the project are ones that often times go overlooked; yet they are so basic and human that they may be more important than pencil or paper.
The deodorant, personal wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products will allow me to help students who need more than academic support. The will allow me to be able to remind students that test scores and their academic achievement are important, but so is them being clean and fresh.
The snacks will allow the students who come to school hungry and have missed breakfast a small bite to eat that will keep hunger pains away until lunch. However, lunch is from 12:00- 12:30 p.m., and school is dismissed at 3:00 p.m. Most of my students ride the bus. The snacks will also help those who live in the rural outskirts of the community who are the last to be bussed home and won't have the possibility of getting to their homes for another hour and a half.
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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 Mrs. Cleark-Gibson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
