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Mr. Saunders' Classroom

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We'll charge your card today and send Mr. Saunders a DonorsChoose gift card he can use on his classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send him a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

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Past projects 15

  • Let's Go Get Some LEGO!

    Funded Feb 7, 2024

    This has really been a passion project for me. I love Lego. I love building and letting your imagination take the wheel and drive. The students have really taken to being able to create different robots that can do different tasks. As a core ELA teacher I have students using pencils and pens to write drafts and computers to type those drafts out and submit them for feedback. As my student's advisor we get to look at real world problems then build and test solutions for them. It activates a whole different part of the brain and forces them to use their hands in a completely different way.

    The thing about teaching for me is how can I make it more engaging? So many of my students show up late or stay home. I'm trying to approach my lessons and texts I use to try to get my students excited to come to school. I want them to wake up pumped to use Lego during Advisory, and you've helped get some kids out bed so they can do things like build and test different "hands" to help pick up trash which you can see in the pictures.

    Again I can't thank you enough for supporting my little classroom in the Bronx.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

  • Printer Printer Please Print Paper

    Funded Jan 9, 2024

    I can't tell you what you did for me. Without a printer I was adrift in a boat without a paddle. I've included a photo of my old printer and how broken it is to show you how devastated it was, not shown is a picture of me pulling my hair out that day.

    With this new printer I'm able to continue to print worksheets and texts for students to work with. I am so grateful for everyone who donated to this project. It speaks volumes that I wasn't able to get easy access to a personal printer within the DOE but I was able to get one within DAYS from people who support educators and will support them when they call for it.

    Please enjoy the goofy photos I posted and know that you've helped this tiny classroom in the Bronx.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

    This classroom project was brought to life by LOFT and 6 other donors.
  • Let's Go Get Some Lego!

    Funded Dec 22, 2023

    The coolest thing happened because of you.

    I was finally able to break out the sets and start to let the kids work with the Lego Spike Sets.

    One of my students didn't want to do it.

    He kept telling me that he wanted to play online and play Minecraft. He continued to say to me that Minecraft is better than Lego and he hates Lego. I got him online and all he did was just boot the system up by checking that all the components work and I could tell that he was hooked. He was meddling with different settings on how to make the motor go faster or how to change the sounds that it can make.

    He said out loud how this was fun and then I started laughing. He immediately said "Wait, no, I hate this." which was his way of teasing me. It was so cool to see someone do a 180 so quickly and embrace this new concept that had been placed in front of him.

    Another student at the end of the class went up to him and said "I'm going to tell Minecraft that you are cheating on it with Lego."

    Middle school is such a treat.

    The kids asked yesterday if we were going to continue to work to work with Lego today and when I said yes they got excited.

    Thanks for making all of this happen, you are an amazing person. Go celebrate yourself and brag to everyone about how awesome you are and how you made a difference in a tiny classroom in the Bronx.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

  • Mega Manga Mania

    Funded Jan 23, 2023

    For the past few years I've worked on making sure that my comic book library has grown. A few years ago I noticed that students really wanted more and more Manga books and Donors Choose helped me get them. Later on students were telling me to get this book or to get that book, and my ears perk up anytime a student says they want a book. This is where you stepped up and helped out.

    I've gotten a huge buy-in from students this year with the books that they picked out and you helped provide for them. Honestly I'm just the middle man here, YOU are the one that helped get those books that they wanted into their hands.

    News of my Library has gone beyond my classroom. A sixth grader, I teach 7th, told me that I was the "Book King", I'm looking forward to my coronation. Another sixth grader came and checked out a few books. I really love building relationships with students before they get in my classroom and having a kid come and get books is a great way to do that.

    As always I and all of my students appreciate you and everything that you've done to help my little classroom in the Bronx.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

    This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 12 other donors.
  • Manga Mania to Maximize Reading

    Funded Feb 10, 2022

    I can't tell you how much I appreciate you helping out my little classroom in the Bronx. I've always loved comic books and how they can ignite a life long passion of reading in people who wouldn't normally consider themselves readers. I'm always trying to build my library of comics, but I kept getting requests for Manga from my students, which is where you came in and helped me. My students helped me select the books and you helped put those books into their hands. How amazing is that?

    Let me tell you the feedback I got from my students was immediate and really positive. They tore the boxes open and were jumping for joy. It was the best feeling. It really felt like Christmas or a birthday party where everyone got a gift.

    A lot of my students read the entire Dragonball series you helped purchase. They would tell other kids to hurry up and finish a book they needed if that student had not finished it yet. The My Hero Academia books flew off of my shelves into the hands of many of my Spanish speaking students and those who often won't pick up a book unless I've assigned it. Kids from other grades said they were jealous of my library, and that's when I told them they are more than welcome to come grab some.

    So, thank you, you really helped my little classroom out and I'm so grateful for everything you've done. Nothing is easy these days but I appreciate you helping my students out and passing your love of reading, learning, and exploring on to my students.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

    This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 11 other donors.
  • Finishing This Year With Books In Hand.

    Funded Mar 10, 2021

    Can you believe that I forgot to write my impact letter? To be honest the last few months of last year's school year was intense. Halfway through the year we changed curriculums to one that had more books that appealed to my student population. So with the new curriculum came a lot of organizing thoughts, lesson planning and determining the best way to teach all of this in person and over a computer to thirty students online.

    The books that you helped fund really helped my students and brought out sides of them that I had never seen before. The excitement of reading the play A Raisin in the Sun helped some of my actors really shine. We also had discussions on The Great Migration and how each character changed from the beginning to the end of the play.

    The House on Mango Street allowed for my Spanish speaking students to really thrive with translated copies that they understood. They taught me so much and you could see the delight in their eyes as they taught their classmates and made connections to the text.

    I was so excited about teaching American Born Chinese, my first graphic novel! Students really loved it and I suddenly became a "cooler teacher".

    None of this would have happened without you. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you so much for helping my students grow in leaps in bounds with texts that they can connect with and see themselves and community in.

    Keep fighting the good fight.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

  • Books For Kids

    Funded Oct 12, 2020

    This is weird. I normally write my impact letter right after I get the supplies for my students, but we were in school and then we were out of school and now we are going back to school.

    Your books helped. They did. They got into the hands of my students and they were able to start to read them. Some of the students finished them and it has helped. I know that some of my kids don't ever leave the house physically. When I was a kid I would sit at home on the weekends sometimes and just read. Some of my students have done just that. You've helped bring a world to someone who has been trapped on an island for a year.

    I am so grateful for all of the help that you've provided my students. You have no idea how hard it has been for teachers and for students.

    Thank you for fighting the good fight and if you get a moment thank a teacher for the work they do and tell any kid in school that they are doing a good job and to keep it up.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

  • All of the Books, Just All of Them

    Funded Dec 31, 2019

    I can't thank you enough. It always amazes me how generous people are and how much reading can really change someone.

    We got the books in this week and I love bringing a giant box into the room and letting the kids rip it open.

    They dived for different books, looking at the different covers and saying how cool some of the books looked. Some of the students asked if they could take two books to read!

    One of my classes is really struggling with reading but I posted a picture of them all sitting in class and reading books. Two boys decided they were going to take turns reading a graphic novel that YOU helped me get two copies of.

    At first I thought they were goofing off, but I listened closely and they were reading and really liking it. Then I heard one say, "I"m going to go to the bathroom." The other responded, "Okay, I'm going to keep going without you then." It was so cool to see a student who was so hooked on a book.

    Thank you so much for everything that you've done to help me get books in my classroom. You are helping fight the good fight. What you did here directly helped some of my students, your love of reading is being passed on. You are an amazing person.

    Thank you.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

    This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 15 other donors.
  • LEGO, Lunch, Literature, and Learning

    Funded Dec 27, 2018

    Thank you so much for giving to my first ever book club. It has been so much fun getting this little book club off of the ground. I love sitting down and reading with my students as we eat lunch and share our own unique perspectives about Lolly and the Lego city that he is building. We are setting goals at our reading and we are doing a great job of meeting them. My students really love the book too. It is set in Harlem on 125th street and all of my students have walked around that same block. They are excited to read about a character who is dealing with many of the same problems that they have or that one of their friends has had near where they live.

    Our next step is for the students of the book club to choose a book that they would like to read and convince the other members of the group, including me, to read it. Thanks again for everything that you do, for contributing, for caring, for being the best, and for fighting the good fight.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

  • Five Computers = Classroom Set! Three Years in the Making!

    Funded Nov 28, 2018

    I can't tell you enough how amazing it is to have a full set of computers. It has been a dream of mine to do this. The first year I started teaching, I was amazed by how little technology was in my classroom and the school. Every year since then I have worked with Donors Choose to help acquire computers so my students can work on group projects and type their essays up in class. Now, with your help, my students each get their own computer when they step into my classroom. It's amazing as a teacher to be able to do student conferences with them one on one while they work on their computers. I use to have to loan my computer out all of the time and therefor I wasn't able to have these meaningful conversations with them. More than anything my students are working with technology that will benefit them in the future so they don't fall behind. It has been an amazing trek with you by my side helping.

    Thank you so much.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Saunders

    This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 14 other donors.
I really try to tap into what every one of my students are interested in and their unique way of thinking. My class is geared around trying to have more students read because the only way you become better at anything is PRACTICE! I try to bring a powerful learning experience to them on a daily basis and I try to do it so that I meet the needs of each and everyone of my individual students. Challenging? Yes. But it is super exhilarating to watch a student figure something out on their own with the tools that have been provided to them. Thank you! -Mr. Saunders

About my class

I really try to tap into what every one of my students are interested in and their unique way of thinking. My class is geared around trying to have more students read because the only way you become better at anything is PRACTICE! I try to bring a powerful learning experience to them on a daily basis and I try to do it so that I meet the needs of each and everyone of my individual students. Challenging? Yes. But it is super exhilarating to watch a student figure something out on their own with the tools that have been provided to them. Thank you! -Mr. Saunders

About my class

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