Past projects 46
Kindergarteners Want to Make Crafts!
Funded Jan 23, 2023When the new Cricut Air machine came, my students didn't know what it was, but they knew it was for them! Once I explained how to machine works, my class clapped and cheered with excitement. When I showed them how the machine works they were in awe! They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Thanks to your kindness, my class has been able to complete so many projects that wouldn't be possible without the machine. To begin with, we have made pop out, 3-dimensional cards for several different holidays. We also put our names on water bottles and decorated our class journals and our pencil cases.
Now that we have the machine, the possibilities are endless. You have opened up a window of creativity in my students that I have never seen before. My students and I are incredibly grateful to you for your kindness and generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
25 Second Graders in Desperate Need of a Laptop!
Funded Aug 1, 2016I want to begin this letter by thanking you for your incredible kindness and generosity. I work in an extremely impoverished area of New York City. My kids have seen more in their short lives than most adults will ever see. They go to school, go home, watch television, go to sleep and then get up the next morning and do the same thing all over again. There's very little for them to do outside and it's often not safe. So, I do everything in my power to make my students' time at school fun, interesting and rewarding. I want each child in my class to look forward to coming to school every day.
This school year, I was afforded a very special opportunity. I was allowed to "loop" with my class to the next grade. So, I followed all of my students from second to third grade! To say that my class is special is an understatement. They are bright, sweet and incredibly eager to learn. I have been teaching for many years and have come to realize that incorporating technology into instruction is they key to improving student motivation and achievement. My students are incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to technology. They grasp new concepts so quickly. Many know much more than I do!
Thanks to your donation, my classroom now has a mobile laptop that they can bring to their desks and work with individually or in small groups. Since we received the laptop, the amount of time that each student has been able to spend on a computer each week has drastically risen. My students are blown away by the fact that our laptop is both a laptop with a keyboard and a touchscreen computer. Many students have expressed to me that they feel very lucky to be in a classroom that has this technology. On behalf of myself and my students, thank you again for giving us the awesome opportunity to have such a valuable learning tool in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
Basic School Supplies for 27 Amazing Second Graders!
Funded Jun 5, 2015I want to begin this letter by thanking you for your incredible kindness and generosity. I work in an extremely impoverished area of New York City. My kids have seen more in their short lives than most adults will ever see. They go to school, go home, watch television, and then get up the next morning and do the same thing all over again. There's very little for them to do outside and it's often not safe. If only I had a magic wand to fix this!
I do everything in my power to make my students' time at school fun, interesting and rewarding. I want each and every child in my class to look forward to coming to school every morning. Supplies are very scarce at my school. I receive a bit of paper and crayons at the beginning of each school year. Everything else that my students need and want comes from me. I try my best to get them everything that I can, but my own money only goes so far.
You have no idea of the impact that you have made on my class. The looks on their little faces when the supplies arrived were absolutely priceless. Every single student was incredibly excited and grateful. It was such a heart-warming experience that you afforded to my class. Thank you again for giving my students the opportunity to have something educational and special that they can call their own.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
26 Second Graders in Desperate Need of an iPad Tablet!
Funded Aug 26, 2014I want to start this letter by telling you how incredibly grateful I am for your kindness and generosity. I have been teaching second grade in the same area struggling urban area for 16 years now. Some days I don't know how I'm going to make it, but then I see one of my students smile or come up to me and hug me, and it makes it all worth it.
My school is a "barrier-free" school. That means that my school opens its doors to all children, regardless of their physical or mental handicaps. It is amazing to see children with walkers and in wheelchairs sitting right alongside their peers in class. It's truly the way it should be in every school. It brings me great joy to see.
Since receiving the iPad, my students have been using it on a daily basis for a variety of activities. They have been using it to do curriculum-related research, personal interest research, as well as just using it to play some simple games that bring them joy.
The quality of learning has been greatly enhanced in my classroom. Now, when my children have a question that I cannot answer, we jump right onto the iPad and instantly have the answer. This ability has fostered my children's curiosity and has made them ask more complex and higher-order thinking questions. It has greatly stimulated learning in all subject areas. We are incredibly grateful to you for affording us this opportunity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
28 Second Grade ESL Students Need a MakerBot 3D Printer!
Funded Nov 15, 2013I want to begin this letter by expressing my heart-felt gratuity to your company for being so kind as to afford my children to opportunity to work with a 3D printer in our classroom. Before I received an email from donorschoose.org, I had never even heard of a 3D printer! I instantly wrote a proposal with the hopes of affording my children to opportunity to be the first children in my school to work with this new and rather amazing technology.
To my shock and excitement, my proposal was funded within a day! When I told my students about the printer that we were going to be receiving, not 1 of my children (or myself) were able to wrap their heads around the concept of a printer creating 3D tangible items that they could hold, pick up and manipulate.
The day that that printer arrived was quite an event for the whole school. My principal, as well as many other teachers, came into my classroom to experience the capabilities of a 3D printer with my students. We were all completely amazed. The look on my children's faces as they saw items like combs and nuts and bolts being created that could actually be used, was truly priceless.
My school is very far behind with regards to technology (all of our computers are very old and outdated). So, being able to give my class (and my school) the ability to work with such cutting-edge technology has been a true gift. On behalf of myself and my students, I thank you for your incredibly generosity and care for New York City public school students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
This classroom project was brought to life by MakerBot and 2 other donors.Help ESL Students Learn About Their Heritage!
Funded Sep 11, 2013I want to begin this letter by telling you how incredibly grateful I am to you for you being so kind and selfless as to donate the multicultural books to my class. I work in an extremely culturally diverse area. Many of my students have just arrived from their native country and are placed in my second grade class due to their age. Many come in knowing little to no English. I couldn't fathom what it would be like to be 7 years old, be uprooted from my native country and placed into a brand new school where all of the other children speak a different language.
Most of my students come in very timid and shy. They are often not motivated to learn because they have nothing to "connect" with. One struggle that I've always had is giving my students books that they can relate to and connect with.
When the books arrived, my students literally cheered. They were SO incredibly excited that they now have books in their classroom library that can teach them about their native country and their home cultures. During independent reading time, my students continue to race to read the books about their countries.
Being that the books have greatly promoted reading and researching different countries and cultures, I decided to create a research project in which each student chose a country that they wanted to learn more about. They have been using the books that you so graciously donated in class to gather information. I've also taken them to the school library to gather more information from other books, as well as the internet. The project is a smash hit! My students are researching their chosen country at home on their own! They come in every day telling me new and interesting facts that I often didn't even know! On behalf of myself and my students, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so kind and thoughtful. Your selfless act has made a world of difference in my class.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
28 Second Graders in Desperate Need of an iPad Tablet!
Funded Jun 6, 2013I truly feel that words can not describe how grateful I am to you for affording my students the opportunity to have a class iPad. Last time I wrote you, my students had not yet seen the iPad. I was so excited to come to school the morning that I surprised my class with our brand new piece of technology. Upon revealing the iPad, my children literally screamed out of excitement!!! This touched my heart so deeply. My children have such difficult lives, and I don't often see many of them smile. Your selfless and generous act put huge smiles on the faces of my 28 second graders - that in itself is priceless.
Since receiving the iPad, my students have been using it on a daily basis for a variety of activities. Being that my class is so large, I decided to let 4 different students use the iPad every day. So, within about a week and a half, every child in my class has had ample time to work with it. Once all of my students have used it, we repeat the cycle. This system in itself has had SO many benefits. My children anxiously await their turn to use the iPad. They are all on best behavior to ensure that they don't miss out on their turn.
My students have been using the iPad to do curriculum-related research, personal interest research, as well as just using it to play some simple games that bring them joy. The quality of learning has been greatly enhanced in my classroom. Now, when my children have a question that I can not answer, we jump right onto the iPad and instantly have the answer. This ability has fostered my children's curiosity and has made them ask more complex and higher-order thinking questions. It has stimulated learning in all subject areas. On behalf of myself and my students, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
28 Second Graders in Desperate Need of a Classroom Rug!
Funded Sep 10, 2013Wow, where do I even begin... Words truly can't describe how grateful and thankful I am to all of you for being so generous and selfless as to work together to donate the brand new beautiful rug to my children. As I mentioned in my proposal, for the past 10 years, it has truly brought tears to my eyes when I saw my students sitting on the filthy rug that I was required to keep in my classroom.
My students have such difficult lives and school is truly a safe haven for them. As their teacher, I don't feel that I'm just there to educate them. I'm also responsible for their happiness and well-being. I do everything in my power to make our classroom a bright, cheery and welcoming environment. I also strive to keep the classroom clean and orderly. The one obstacle that I've always hit a roadblock with was the classroom rug.
Upon just telling my class that we were going to be receiving a brand new rug, they literally cheered! The day that the rug arrived was an incredibly touching day. The custodian brought the rug to the door of our classroom and my children started the scream with happiness. The custodian rolled up the old rug - to see the underside of the old rug was to believe it... it was unbelievably filthy. There were stains everywhere. That rug was thrown into the garbage immediately. Upon rolling out the new rug, my children started to lay on it and pick out the spot that they wanted to sit on. It felt like a huge heaviness was lifted from the classroom, and we were given a fresh start.
Now, everyday, when I walk into the classroom, I feel confident that I am giving my 28 precious students the environment that they deserve. We use the rug throughout the day, every single day. Children are always laying on it, stretched out, reading books quietly by themselves or with a friend. It's a beautiful thing to see. On behalf of myself, as well as my 28 amazing students, we'd like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your selfless act. Your donation has completely changed my classroom and will benefit my classes in the years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 7 other donors.Electric Pencil Sharpener for 32 Second Graders!
Funded Dec 17, 2012I want to start this letter by telling you how truly grateful I am for your generosity. I have been teaching in the same community for the past 14 years. Although I am not from the area, over the years I have become very attached to the children and families that I work with.
Six years ago, after eight years of teaching at another very large elementary school, I decided that I needed a fresh start. So, I applied for a job at a much smaller elementary school about 1/4 of a mile down the road. Transferring to a new school gave me the push that I needed to renew my love for teaching.
My current school is a "barrier-free" school. That means that our school opens its doors to every child, regardless of their physical or mental handicaps. It is amazing to see children with walkers and wheelchairs sitting right along side their peers in class. It's truly the way it should be. It brings me great joy to see.
I decided to ask for an electric sharpener and pencils because the biggest daily need that I have in my classroom is sharpened pencils. Very few of my students come to school with a pencil and if they do, they are never sharpened. Finding pencils and manually sharpening them takes a lot of precious time away from the day.
When I told my students that an individual had chosen our class to donate an electric pencil sharpener and pencils to, my students were ecstatic! The day that the electric sharpener and pencils arrived was a very big day for my class. There were smiles throughout my classroom!
Thanks to your donation, sharpened pencils are no longer a daily issue in my classroom. Now, instead of focusing on finding something to write with, my kids are able to focus all their attention on their class work. On behalf of myself, as well as my students, I would like you thank you for your kindness and generosity. We are very grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
Children's Dictionaries for 32 Second Graders!
Funded Sep 28, 2012I want to start this letter by telling you how truly grateful I am for your generosity. I am a 36 year old teacher who has been teaching in an impoverished inner-city area for the past 14 years. Although I am not from the area, over the years I have become very attached to the children and families in the community.
A few years ago, after many years of teaching at another very large elementary school, I decided that I needed a fresh start. So, I applied for a job at a much smaller elementary school about 1/4 of a mile down the road. Transferring to a new school gave me the push that I needed to renew my love for teaching.
My new school is a "barrier-free" school. That means that our school opens its doors to every child, regardless of their physical or mental handicaps. It is amazing to see children with walkers and wheelchairs sitting right along side their peers in class. It's truly the way it should be. It brings me great joy to see.
At the beginning of every school year, I always ask my students if they have a dictionary at home. It still amazes me each year that most of my children don't even know what a dictionary is. When I was a child, a dictionary was a staple item that every student was required to have in school. Being that most of my students can't afford basic school supplies, I feel that it wouldn't be fair of me to demand that they purchase a dictionary. This is where donorschoose.org, and donors as kind as your company, have helped me meet the needs of my children every year!
When I told my students that a donor had chosen our class to donate brand new children's dictionaries to, they became ecstatic! The day that the dictionaries arrived was a very big day for my class. There were smiles throughout my classroom!
Thanks to your donation, every child in my class now has a brand new, hard-covered dictionary that they can use and call their own. We use the dictionaries in class and for homework assignments. The dictionaries have opened the doors to endless possibilities of learning in my classroom. On behalf of myself, as well as my students, I would like you thank you for your kindness and generosity. We are very grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wright
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and one other donor.