The cost of a pencil can buy a student nearly six extra days of science class!
I teach science to 145 6th graders in a high need, urban public school classroom. Our special education students are fully included in our regular classrooms. So, in addition to the intense needs of students from a distressed community my classroom has the additional challenge of providing support for special needs children with only one teacher (me!) to go around.
Time is precious in my science lab because my students only have science for half the year (90 days instead of 180). When every second counts, time wasted searching for, borrowing and sharpening pencils really hurts! Many of my students' families have a difficult time affording school supplies so the students arrive without a pencil frequently! Students can spend five minutes of class time just getting set with a pencil. That adds up to almost six full periods of instruction per year spent dealing with pencils!
If my students had a reliable and quick way to acquire and sharpen pencils in class, I could get almost six full days of instruction back for them. Imagine the difficulty of extending the school year by six days. That's like moving a mountain. However, buying a pencil is easy.
Your help will ensure that every single one of my students has a personal pencil that they can borrow any day they forget theirs. Also, when they bring their own, they will be able to quickly sharpen their pencil with an electric sharpener instead of wasting precious lab time struggling with an ancient hand sharpener. When time in science has already been cut in half, these simple time-saving items will have a significant impact on learning and student achievement. The time you can save us will really add up and make a big difference.
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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 Mr. Shopis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.