Past projects 8
For the Love of Vonnegut
Funded Dec 30, 2024I always feel silly writing these thank you letters because there isn’t a way to truly articulate my gratitude for your generosity. I wish that public schools didn’t rely on platforms like this, but am simultaneously grateful for them.
I didn’t really enjoy reading when I was in high school, but as I got older I realized it was because of the books we were assigned to read. I simply could not relate and was rarely entertained or captivated by them. Thank you for allowing me to give my students a choice in what they read, so I can build a love of literature when they’re still young. I believe that a love of reading builds empathy in our society, so thank you so much for giving me the ability to carve that out in my tiny corner of the world.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent
Making School Better
Funded Sep 9, 2024My kids have benefitted so much from your generosity. We were able to all read a book together for the first time in years; we often don't have or can't afford enough copies to do that so we have to read books in small groups. Because we were able to all read together it created a new love of reading, so much so that my kids have now fallen in love with a new author and are begging me to read more of his books. Many of them told me they haven't loved reading their entire lives and now as seniors, they feel more prepared to head to college next year.
You will probably see another fundraiser from me in the near future, trying to secure more books for them for next semester, and we are always so grateful for your support! I will never be able to articulate the impact it has on our class and learning.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Philosophy Through Literature!
Funded May 24, 2023We are already off and running in our new English elective class, Philosophy in Literature. From week one, students have been in literature circles after choosing from three books.
The first half of the semester we are exploring the ideals of Existentialism by reading texts and essays from various philosophers. Students were able to choose one of the following for their literature circles: The Alchemist, The Metamorphosis, or Siddartha. In these lit circles, they dig deeper into our study of the beliefs of Existentialism by making connections to the narratives. Our next step is to start to explore what gives their lives meaning and discussing how much control we have over that in our everyday lives.
The second half of the semester we will be focusing on morality and ethics. Similarly, students will choose their book (Lord of the Flies. Animal Farm, If Cats Disappeared From the World) and will continue their exploration deeper. We will be discussing what makes people good or bad and how we build our own moral codes. None of this would have been possible without your generosity of spirit, and we all thank you so much for supporting our work.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent
Grow a Love of Reading!
Funded Jun 11, 2023Thank you for continuing to support learning, students, and the public education system! Your generosity will impact more than just my classes of students this school year because it sends a much bigger message. It tells me and my students that they are capable, and that others believe in them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent
The Love U Give
Funded Oct 25, 2018I am so touched by your generosity and am grateful to know people who see the value in education and are willing to show that to me in such a loving way. My students are so lucky to be recipients of your support and I cannot wait to share the work we will be able to do because of you....and pictures of their smiling faces as they hold brand new books for the first time!
Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 11 other donors.Ditch the Desks!
Funded Oct 12, 2016It's continually difficult for me to articulate exactly how your generosity affects my kiddos in the classroom, but it's something that is present daily. Our classroom has gone through a pretty huge metamorphosis this year and it's all in thanks to you. Our productivity is up every day, but more than that, my students WANT to be in class every day. They look forward to our 60 minutes together because they have a comfortable space to learn and relax.
Our growing options of flexible seating have brought so many smiles to the kids' faces. They run in and quickly grab their favorite spot and writer's journal...it's a true dream come for me. In turn, it has allowed me the space to grow into the type of teacher that I have always dreamt of being. Thank you so much for that opportunity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent
One Size Does Not Fit All!
Funded Sep 7, 2016Everyone,
I truly cannot even begin to scratch the service of thanking you in a way that would express just hot grateful I am for your generosity. My students are what makes my world go round, so it fills my heart so much when they are happy and when they feel loved.
The looks on their 14-year-old faces when they walked into the room the very first day we had all the new furniture set up, were incredible. It is not often that they come home and see anything new or exciting, so to have access to all of these new items in what is their second home, was something I was so happy to be a part of. We had to set up rules and procedures for the furniture immediately because they were all so eager to use it!
Not only has our classroom been taken to the next level, but the addition of the new seating options has really elevated their learning too. Kids are so diverse in every way, but especially when it comes to their learning styles. Some like hard chairs, some need music, some need quiet, some need a flat back while others like to spread out on the floor. The bean bag chairs and loungers have created so many different options for them, which have allowed them space to grow and get to know themselves better. Moreover, it has opened my eyes to a world of learning that I had never explored before....flexible seating! This new autonomy has brought a renewed focus to my SPED kids, brought the outliers into the mix, and allowed for my ADHD students to move around while they work. The active kore stool was one of the biggest blessings for my boys who struggle to sit still. They are blown away that I am actually encouraging them to move and be active with their learning now.
My mission to revamp my room for ALL students will most definitely not end here. I have been recharged by this movement and will add new things to my room as the year goes on, slowly doing away with the old model of seating and doing what I can to keep up with the ever-changing life and energy of our kids. This has all been possible because of your open hearts and generosity, and I am forever blessed because of it.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent
Literacy For The future
Funded Sep 18, 2015I cannot begin to thank you all enough for making it possible for me to bring the joy of reading into my classroom! We had so much fun reading about the worldwide water crisis in A Long Walk to Water; the ending was so amazing that the entire 7th grade class gasped in excitement. My 8th graders were able to read about a young girl's journey from Saigon to America during the Vietnam War, which sparked a lot of interesting questions as the majority of my students are immigrants.
During the course of the books, students worked on Socratic Seminars, answering text-dependent questions, analyzing word choice and text structure, and wrote a full literary analysis essay as their final performance task!
The 7th graders are already chomping at the bit to read the book for 8th grade and that thirst for knowledge and reading is all due to you and your generosity. Thank you again for your support and I cannot wait to be able to bring even more literature into my classroom through DonorsChoose again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nugent