Mrs. Graham's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 13

• Duct Taped Binders Need to Go!

  Funded Dec 4, 2024

  I teach in an opportunity school where, due to safety and in the sake of equality, students bring nothing to school. We provide all materials the students need. Each student has a binder for each class where all materials are stored for the quarter. At the end of the quarter, we clean them out, re-stock them and use them again.

  My first Donors Choose request for binders was 5 years ago as I did not have enough binders and the ones I did have were falling apart. My students were so happy to actually have something new for a change. The initial investment of binders lasted 5 years and, as materials do, they too began to need much duct tape repair.

  Once again, lovely people like you understand the need for students to have basic things to be organized and to feel nice that they have new instead of used. We are slowly pulling the broken ones and replacing them with the new ones as needed. It is really nice to be able to just hand a kid a brand-new binder instead of repair tape when their binder falls apart. I know this wasn't the most exciting request, but it was needed and appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.

• Sequels Will Make My Students Squeal With Joy

  Funded Nov 6, 2024

  I requested the sequels to a book my ELD students read because they were very engaged in the story. The original book we read landed in my little free library I have in front of my house. I read it and felt that the topic and the reading level was perfect for my ELD students. I wrote lesson plans, and they read their first whole book together as a class. The only negative feedback I received was they wish there was more of the story. I took a quick look on Amazon and low and behold, found that we read book 1 of a four-part series.

  This quarter they are reading the second book in the series and next quarter they will read the third. They are truly enjoying this book which was situations and themes very relevant to the work my students live in.

  We did a little research on the author and learned that the author is an English teacher and has self-published all of these books. We emailed the author, asked a few questions and have had a great experience with reading thanks to your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Reese's Book Club and 3 other donors.

• Please, can we read, "The 57 Bus," Next?

  Funded Dec 15, 2023

  Reading "The 57 Bus" with my students was an amazing experience for a few reasons. One was that it was a class request to read, so my students helped me write the request. Seeing them hold books that they asked for and wrote the requests for was really satisfying.

  The second reason this book was great for us is that this book is about a true time that happened just 8 years ago in a nearby town many of my students are from. The crime committed in this book was one fueled by lack of tolerance, peer pressure and getting caught in the moment without considering consequences. The majority of my students attend my school for getting caught up in the legal system for many of those same reasons. Reading about a peer who committed a crime and found a way to achieve tolerance and acceptance of consequences instead of getting caught in the system for 20+ years was very much a connection for them.

  The best part, though, is that both the victim and the perpetrator wanted to see change and growth instead of an excessive time behind bars...a reality that would have probably led to him coming out a more hardened criminal than he was going in. The two families went through restorative justice programs together. This was good for us because our district has an extensive program like this and few kids understand or use it.

  Overall, this book opened lots of space for communication and growth that would not have been possible without your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

• You Can Learn While Having Fun!

  Funded Feb 19, 2023

  My English Language Learners struggle with communication. They are very shy to speak out loud for fear of making a mistake. I chose to purchase several games that involve talking to try to bring them out of their shells. First, I had each student select a game and present to the class the reason they want that game and how we could use it to improve our communication skills. Then, we worked as a group to write up the proposal. As the items began to arrive, the students were amazed that they went from an idea, to writing a request, to receipt of the item. We play a different game each Friday and they have no problem being vocal and loud as long as it means winning!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

  This classroom project was brought to life by A Northern California family and one other donor.

• Cricut = School Spirit

  Funded Dec 31, 2022

  Having our own Cricut machine has allowed us to begin creating and gifting spirit wear to our students. We held a design contest, and the winners are of the two designs pictured. In leadership, we taught the students how to use the design program to create a sample of their idea. This was a well-liked assignment. The winners couldn't believe it when I pulled out the supplies and they saw their idea placed on a piece of apparel. The poetry class is currently competing to see whose poem will be turned into bumper stickers which we can make with the machine as well. For a school that is in an impoverished area, this Cricut has been a real treat and has brought lots of creativity and smiles.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

• Binders, Binders and Binders...Oh My

  Funded Dec 17, 2021

  To most, buying new binders may have seemed like a boring request, but to my kids, it was awesome. The binders we had were all beat up, defaced, held together by duct tape and just plain gross.

  When the students came in to fresh, unused binders, they were so happy. Comments like, "Are these new?" and, "Am I the first person to get to use this?" were asked period after period. Such a simple gesture but to kids who are used to getting the hand me downs from the "better" schools, this meant something.

  Getting something brand new made them feel that they mattered and that they too deserve appropriate supplies to get their job done. What I am most surprised by is how well they take care of them. No graffiti. Nothing broken. They clean them with wipes if scuffed. Thank you for giving my kids a much needed item and for helping me prove to them that they deserve "the good stuff" as they put it.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Clorox and 3 other donors.

• "Can We Please Read "The Poet" Next??

  Funded Oct 9, 2021

  My students this year fell in love with a new (to them) genre of books. They love books that are written in poetic format. Who knew!!! We read two in class and they begged for this title to round out the unit.

  My students helped me write the request which made a great lesson for them to learn how their words and writing can be an end to a means if done well. We watched the site daily and cheered when it was funded.

  My students loved this book. It has many inroads to discuss issues of teen angst that they are desirous of talking about but don't always know where to start. This book was rich with relatable content and led to great conversations and journal entries. Students added to the book with a chapter of their own they wrote in poetic format. They learned so much during this unit but to them, they were chatting, reading and having fun. Thanks for the assist!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Smarties Candy Company and 4 other donors.

• My Students Actually Begged Me for This Book

  Funded Sep 25, 2021

  Last quarter I was trying to get a sense of what books my students might like. Reading is NOT a huge priority with many of my students. I think this is because many of them have huge gaps in attendance and even bigger gaps at home with assistance. As a result, many are struggling readers. Now, at 16 and 17, they find themselves at a continuation high schools as the challenges in a traditional school were overwhelming. For many of my students, those mentioned gaps mean that their reading skills are often years below grade level. When they are handed a book, they often feel anxiety because they are used to being the kid on page 3 when everyone else was on page 10. To alleviate their dislike for books, I purchased single copies of about 30 titles. We spent class time reading over plot summaries like a menu and from there, they selected titles to "taste" by reading the first chapter of several titles as a class.

  Once we went through this process, I had them vote for their favorites and give persuasive speeches as to why we should request a certain title they liked. The next process was my students helping me write the Donors Choose request. Once the books arrived, we placed stickers in them stating, "This book is in your hands thanks to Donors Choose, ...." I added the student names that performed the persuasive speech for that title on the stickers as well. I then used personal funds to purchase the audiobook for them to follow along with as we read. One of the students took a photo of the books' sticker and the other brags jokingly that they all, "have to read it cuz of her." Now I haven't yet taught it, but I have started the lesson planning and I cannot wait to get a chance to delve into this novel with my students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

• If They Have It, They Will Learn

  Funded Sep 23, 2021

  You would not believe the reactions I enjoyed from the simple act of handing over of a pencil case filled with new supplies (pen, pencil, eraser, sticky notes, scissors, highlighters, glue stick) would bring! Some of the responses:

  "Wait. We got new stuff? How?"

  "These are for us?? This is full legit."

  "G made it happen like she said she would!"

  My school is a continuation school in an impoverished area. Everything in this school is a hand me down and new supplies are not really common. I chose to come here in my 30th year of teaching from the highest performing school in the county by choice. I wanted to see if I could make a difference with these students who often get ignored and receive less than, simply because they left the traditional school setting for this one.

  I shared with my students what Donors Choose was and I had them all write proposals for things they wished they had in my classroom. We then would sit as a class and write the proposals together. There is nothing like seeing the joy in their faces when the boxes come and they feel ownership of these items they get to use and pass on for future classes as well. Thank you so very much for being a part of smiles and appreciation.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Graham

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and one other donor.