Education - My Calling...

Funded Oct 29, 2015

The day the tables arrived, my students were thrilled beyond belief. It was as if the tables belonged to each of them personally. For the months that followed, my students treated these desks with such respect. Prior to the delivery of the tables, students would not think twice before placing gum under the table or not cleaning their area when they were finished at the end of class. With the arrival of the tables, came a whole new set of manners and feeling of ownership to treat "their" tables with reverence and a high level of dignity.

My students often work in small groups using a strategy called Reciprocal Teaching. This is a strategy where each child has a specific role they play while working on cooperative projects. The tables allow for students to move around with more fluidity, as well as providing them with their own large personal space that the tables allow, freeing them up to focus on the work ahead instead of the small space they were once confide to.

The students have just finished learning about Fables. Each group of three to four students were responsible for creating their own fable. Each student had a specific role in the creation of their original fable. The desks were utilized in a variety of ways. Sometimes, students who were completing the same task met at one table to conference, while other times, tables were used as learning stations where children could rotate easily around during the allotted class time.

Without your generous support, it would not be possible for me to create such cooperative group projects. These tables help with conferencing with students, students working together to build inter-personal relationships, and other amazing things. I would like to thank you for such a wonderful gift you have provided to my class. Though I don't even know who my donor was, it is such a warm feeling to know that there are people out there extending themselves to assist students they have never met. Whoever you are, you will always be in my heart.

Best,”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Milone-Martin