Mrs. Whiting's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 3

• Voice, Choice, and Creativity!

  Funded May 3, 2022

  Thank you so, so much for generously donating to my classroom! The impact of the Soft Start options has been so great, and we have you to thank for that! I wanted to give students options that were educational, and gave them opportunities to create. I wouldn't have been able to give them all of these wonderful options without your generosity. Giving 5th graders some choice and creativity back has improved their moods and excitement to dive into their day. Thank you for caring and helping me fund this project. It means so much!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Whiting

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 3 other donors.

• Flexible Seating and Engaging Learning!

  Funded Jul 18, 2017

  I cannot thank you enough for your kind donations. I wanted to start my second year of teaching off giving my students more than I could last year, and you helped us get there. My students absolutely LOVE the wobble chair, exercise balls, and carpet for flexible seating. They always ask to sit on the carpet or use a special chair. They cheered so loudly when they saw the exercise balls! These have helped my students stay engaged and hard at work. Finding a comfortable spot to do their work motivates them more than you would think! We spend so much of our time on the carpet and stools, during morning meeting, math centers, read aloud time, whole group lessons, and more. My third graders are so, so energetic and wiggly that without these alternative seating options, learning would be difficult and full of constant interruptions.

  We use the scissors, clipboards, and wall pops daily for various things, and because my students could not all afford their own supplies, they are thankful for having them in the classroom. We use scissors weekly for our interactive notebooks, as well as for math center work and projects such as our Multiplication Turkeys for Thanksgiving. Without a class set of scissors, all of these fun learning opportunities and projects wouldn't be possible. I've really enjoyed third grade because I can add so much hands-on learning, and it makes it fun for both my students and for me! My students can't wait for small group math centers with the teacher because they get to use the wall pops as their dry erase boards. They are getting important instruction time from me, and simultaneously give their best effort and attention because of how they get to show their work. These materials may seem small in some eyes, but to a teacher they make all of the difference in the world!

  I have appreciated help from donors for two projects now, and I am so thankful for you all. You have helped me begin my teaching career by giving my students a better learning experience and better chances to succeed. My third graders were so excited for the materials, especially when I told them it came from other people they had never met that cared about them. We don't have endless resources available to us, so every little bit has made such a difference. We cannot thank you enough!!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Whiting

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 4 other donors.

• Tools To Help My Students Excel

  Funded Jan 20, 2017

  It has been several months now and my students have greatly benefited from the materials you have so generously donated to us! It has meant the world to them to know that people outside of the school care about them and their education. It also means the world to me as I want to give my students so much, but often cannot give them everything I hoped for. The resources you have given us are used on a daily basis and has made the learning so much more fun and engaging for the students. We are able to do more hands-on learning which gives my students the chance to become more independent and make deeper connections with the material.

  The whiteboard markers would always go too quickly, and it was hard to keep track of them. Thanks to your donations, we now have a whiteboard marker pail with a variety of colors to choose from. Students have become very independent and take great care of the markers during math stations. They absolutely LOVE using whiteboards and markers, so we add that into our math stations every day. The students are so great about making sure they collect the markers and put them back in the pail. Being able to do their work on the board and then teach their partners is a great way they interact during stations. Because we do so much review and practice on whiteboards, these markers have made it so much more exciting!

  Another tool you supplied our class with is glue sticks! Our math and science lessons have made a huge improvement because we are able to use interactive notebooks. We just finished a unit on volcanoes, which is an extremely exciting topic for most students in class. We had a mini booklet the students glued into their notebooks. It had different tabs and pop-outs and pictures throughout the book. Students became experts on volcanoes and filled out the book with the information they read and learned about. We have done several units like this within our notebooks, which brings the learning out of the text book and really involves the students in the learning. They take so much pride in their interactive notebooks and keep it as colorful and as neat as possible. The more hands-on project learning we can do for the students, the more engaged and excited they are to learn.

  I was so overwhelmed with appreciation by all of you who donated to my classroom and my students. I know it is easy to pass on opportunities to donate, so for you to choose my project really means so much. My first year is almost over, and you have helped make it a wonderful experience! Thank you, again, for your generosity and selflessness. You have impacted more than 40 little lives in an amazing way!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Whiting