Here we are in June, and it seems that we've come to the end of a very trying year. In September 2009, I was excited to receive one hundred eighty new eleventh grade students--all of which possessed individual strengths and needs. Unfortunately, in September I also learned that with the budget crisis in California, I may not have a job the following year. This news limited my ability to contribute books and supplies to my classroom as I normally would. Still we pushed on, and as a group one of the needs we identified was the necessity to broaden our vocabulary. All of the students had taken the PSAT the previous year, and their most obvious weakness was a limited vocabulary. As the weeks wore on, we undertook daily vocabulary exercise that required a dictionary and thesaurus.
Sadly, the supply room at my school had been long depleted. We teachers are now required to provide our classrooms with any dry erase markers, pens, pencils and supplementary books we may need. You can imagine that this gets expensive quickly, especially when one person is supplying the needs of an entire classroom. While I did manage to "score" paperback, one hundred page dictionaries at the dollar store, with the impending layoff, there was no way I could provide the needed college-level books to my students. And that's where you come in!
With your generous gift my students and I were able to undertake a daily, ten month vocabulary practice that not only help to improve their vocabularies (for both the SAT and "real life"), they also got a lesson on philanthropy and the joys of giving back to ones community. On behalf of the students and myself, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity, kindness, and investment in the future generation. I may not have a career in education next year, but the books you provided will remain in the classroom to be used by future students and teachers. Again, thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess Pettersson
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 17 other donors.
Students at our school already feel undervalued, and the most tangible symbol of that feeling is the deficiency of textbooks and novels that are falling apart. Initially, I was not able to teach Malcolm X because we did not have enough books, and the books that we did have, as you can see in the photos, were in terrible condition. Books that are falling apart do not help kids who already need a lot of support and motivation in reading.
With your donation, my colleague and I were able to use the book as a class text for 7 sections of sophomore English. The kids loved the book and got a lot out of it. The messages were so powerful and the story was so gripping that some of my lowest-skilled students were taking the book home and reading ahead.
My students and I really appreciate your kindness and generosity, especially with the budget cuts that are going on in California. These new books affirmed that Malcolm X's story is worth honoring and studying, and that they themselves deserved the opportunity to learn from that story. ”
On behalf of my students, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for your generous donation to my classroom. The Lesson Before Dying books that you donated have impacted my students' lives for a lifetime. They have greatly helped my students develop their reading comprehension and writing skills.
Our school is currently facing a budget shortfall, so without your help, my students never would have had these vital resources. In our reading of this book, my students also took an in-depth look at racism and engaged a death penalty debate in class.
Without donors like you, thousands of classrooms would go without.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Apigo
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.
I just wanted to thank you so much again for your thoughtful donation. The resources you helped provide are truly invaluable!
My class has finished their project with the college and SAT resources and it was quite a success! The students researched numerous colleges and came to a better understanding of the differences between post-high school institutions. They displayed numerous "aha!" moments where they gained insights into a world that has been previously inaccessible to them. Each group had to present a poster comparing four colleges of their choice in terms of common characteristics like tuition, financial aid, population, and location.
It was fun to watch the students search through the SAT books, too. Most came into the project with absolutely zero exposure to facts about the test. As they searched through the books, they began to understand the complexity of the test and the difficulty level of the questions. In addition to presenting on colleges, each group also had to create and present a poster that offered SAT test taking strategies and presented sample questions. The presentations were thoughtful and the class was engaged in their potential future.
My class definitely benefited from being exposed to information on different colleges and how to get there by doing well on the SATs. Additionally, these books will continue to serve all my students as a precious reference as they creep towards their final year in high school. With budget cuts and the economic slowdown, I wouldn't have been able to get these resources through the school. But thanks to you, my students are much better prepared to approach the college application process! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Theisen-Homer
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.
Thank you so much for the generous donation of an ipod and speakers for my classroom. I have been humbled by this donation in more than one way. As always it is always and amazing honor to have my classroom being chosen as recipient of such generosity. My students have had to work so hard to reach this level in their lives, and neither they nor I take for granted the opportunity we have been given to add enrichment to our curriculum.
Another way that I have been humbled by this gift is in learning my own limitations when it comes to using technology in my classroom. I had to learn a whole new paradigm in order to use this seemingly simple device, from understanding how to set up itunes to researching methods for converting video files into itunes compatible format. Once I figured all that out, I had to tackle the cables and process for making it show on my classroom projector. I have set this thing up the wrong way about twenty times, but now I have it figured out and am able to show video in the classroom.
Thank you so much for giving this doorway to the world and allowing us to see the opportunity that lies in the world outside of our classroom. Thank you too for giving me a chance to push myself into learning new things. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Garrett
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.
Thank you so much for truly giving from the bottom of your heart. My students and I were beyond thrilled when we received the globe, chart paper, paper trimmer, and pencil sharpener. Their eyes lit up when I revealed our new classroom materials. We have been putting them to use since receiving them from DonorsChoose.
The chart paper has come in handy with regards to Mathematics, Reading, and English Language Development. I display our current vocabulary, spelling words, and definitions on the chart paper. The globe has been used with our history lessons and our reading stories. My students go through pencils like water, so it's great to have a reliable pencil sharpener that will be durable for more than one school year! Additionally, I have been able to use the paper trimmer throughout the school day, and it has already been used plenty of times by me.
Thank you again for your generosity. My students and I are truly grateful!”
Caught Ya's have been even better than I remembered them to be. My students are engaged, excited, and have fun--while learning grammar! Even quiet students are calling me over to see if I can "catch" them, and they love getting a star when they've got it perfectly. I'm also seeing students remember what they've learned from earlier Caught Ya's so that they aren't making the same mistakes over and over again. Most importantly, I'm seeing the transfer of skills to other assignments we've been working on, like "catching" mistakes in published articles or on websites and in looking at their own writing like a Caught Ya to catch their own mistakes. And, the excitement has spread beyond my own classroom and into my colleagues classrooms. With the six books your generous grant provided, nearly our entire 9th and 10th grade English classes are doing "Caught Ya's," and by the semester, all 9th and 10th graders at our school will be doing these. I have heard similarly positive feedback from the other teachers. Quick, easy, fun grammar instruction that works! We love it.”
I am glad to have the opportunity to personally thank each of you for supplying six chairs for my 5th grade students. The current student desks are over 30 years old, and students sit two per table. The chairs are of styles from various grades. A bigger problem are the ones with uneven legs. With 33 students, it is a distraction when they rock or wobble. Each wobbly chair distracts more than one student, and is an unnecessary hindrance to their education.
The chairs are WONDERFUL. They are comfortable, but are the old fashioned heavy wooden design you will see in the pictures. The quality and natural materials of these chairs seems to have a calming effect on the classroom community. The students appreciate them and sit more attentively. I will soon post another nearly identical request for 6 more chairs, and hope to eventually replace them all.
Your gift will live in my classroom for many years, helping many students to do their best.”
My first graders are so excited to use their new organizational cabinet. This is a place that holds their own individual mailbox. They love it so much and so do I! It helps keep their folders and papers organized. They love keeping their classwork and homework folders there. They also love having a place to keep their paper in their writing center. They use it everyday during writer's workshop. They also enjoy having their classroom library organized. It makes it easier for them to find a specific book they're looking for. It
really means a lot to my students and I that there is support from
others who care about their education. Thank you again so much for
The books you provided have found a great home in our classroom library and even a better place when they are in my students' hands. From the pictures you will be able to see that my students, even though they are only four and five years olds, are fully engaged in the stories and pictures within the books.
These books are currently my students favorites. It has been great to hear my students exclaim: "these books are awesome, they are cool, wow, look at this picture, it has real pictures, or even an occasional yuck look at this creature!" Having a set of non-fiction books in our library adds to the richness in literature that my students are being exposed to at this early age.
The set of classic books are an all time favorite, my students know these stories and are ready to "read" them. "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" has been a favorite for many years and finally having a copy in our own library for students to use has provided my students with the security of "reading" a book they are familiar with. They choral read, they read to their partner, and they also listen to themselves read it. The books by Dr. Seuss, "The Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham" are also stories that my students already know and feel comfortable reading as well. My students have also enjoyed reading and acting out the books "The Three Little Kittens" and "Five Little Monkeys" since they include props they can manipulate as they act out the stories.
The Multicultural set is rich in text and vocabulary. They cover a variety of cultural backgrounds that meet the diversity of our students. The books also offer eye catching illustrations for my students to experience.
Once more thank you for all of the amazing books you have provided for my students to develop a LOVE for reading at this early age. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Guerrero
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