Our kids just want to walk outside, mask-less, and meet friends. The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted them indoors since March 2020. Over 90% of their ancestry is traced to people of the African Diaspora. This loss of interconnectedness is compounded by stories of their origin. PS 36 students are 55% Black and 41% Hispanic/Latino, 11% are English Language Learners (ELLs) and 31% have disabilities (SWD). Eighty-two percent (82%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, the government deemed them economically challenged hence the school receives Title I funds. The likelihood of international travel to Africa or South America for our students is limited. Trips to Africa cost over $2000.00 and for those who can afford them, the pandemic forced 217 countries and territories worldwide to impose travel restrictions.
Many educators and children of African descent see themselves from early childhood through a Euro-American lens. Our children of color have failed to see their strengths, their beauty, or build upon their ancestral legacy. I want my kids in Harlem to see themselves through Afrocentric lenses. Providing concrete examples of culturally relevant activities via field trips can realize this.
These field trips will provide all students with equal opportunities that can help level the playing field for them based on their socio-economic backgrounds. We want to provide opportunities for them to experience things outside their classrooms and homes.
Virtual Field (VR) trips will allow our learners to socialize, engage in, and learn through authentic experiences in 3D, with 360 views consistent with their individual learning needs.
These VR Trips will provide opportunities for cultural growth for our scholars. We seek to empower them educationally and to expand their capabilities in alternate spheres including social, emotional, and political arenas by making their own skills, languages, and attitudes meaningful in the classroom.
About my class
Our kids just want to walk outside, mask-less, and meet friends. The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted them indoors since March 2020. Over 90% of their ancestry is traced to people of the African Diaspora. This loss of interconnectedness is compounded by stories of their origin. PS 36 students are 55% Black and 41% Hispanic/Latino, 11% are English Language Learners (ELLs) and 31% have disabilities (SWD). Eighty-two percent (82%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, the government deemed them economically challenged hence the school receives Title I funds. The likelihood of international travel to Africa or South America for our students is limited. Trips to Africa cost over $2000.00 and for those who can afford them, the pandemic forced 217 countries and territories worldwide to impose travel restrictions.
Many educators and children of African descent see themselves from early childhood through a Euro-American lens. Our children of color have failed to see their strengths, their beauty, or build upon their ancestral legacy. I want my kids in Harlem to see themselves through Afrocentric lenses. Providing concrete examples of culturally relevant activities via field trips can realize this.
These field trips will provide all students with equal opportunities that can help level the playing field for them based on their socio-economic backgrounds. We want to provide opportunities for them to experience things outside their classrooms and homes.
Virtual Field (VR) trips will allow our learners to socialize, engage in, and learn through authentic experiences in 3D, with 360 views consistent with their individual learning needs.
These VR Trips will provide opportunities for cultural growth for our scholars. We seek to empower them educationally and to expand their capabilities in alternate spheres including social, emotional, and political arenas by making their own skills, languages, and attitudes meaningful in the classroom.
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