Ms. Atwill's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 8

• Save Our Seats!

  Funded Dec 16, 2019

  I cannot begin to describe how different my classroom feels with our new chairs! I included a photo to show what the room used to look like when we attempted to have a discussion circle--it was a total mess!

  Now, we have room to have a circle even with classes of over 30 students, with space in the center to act out scenes, give one person a spotlight, or just have some room to breathe.

  Seeing my students able to slouch, push back their chairs, scoot them closer, or just move about the classroom more freely has been such a gift. I see their minds freeing up as their bodies are given space. Students who weren't very engaged have started to light up when asked to come up with ideas for new seating arrangements, and students who used to fidget anxiously now seem so much more relaxed.

  I really can't express what a tremendous shift has taken place in my room thanks to these new chairs.

  As a final note, since our school buildings are currently closed due to COVID-19, I am even more grateful for the opportunity to build community and encourage free thinking. Now that my students can only connect virtually for the next few weeks, they are relying more than ever on the skills they developed with such a simple switch.

  Thank you all for Saving Our Seats!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill

  This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 13 other donors.

• Connecting and Co-authoring: Pen-pals Sharing Stories Across the Country

  Funded Feb 21, 2018

  I honestly can't express the magnitude of the change that these Chromebooks have made in my classroom. Whenever I want to do a quick research project, or have students type up final drafts of their work, we can just do it--no more waiting to book the computer lab, hoping that there will be enough working computers, struggling to log in, and then hoping everyone will get their work done before we have to leave the lab for the next class.

  Now, my students can all log in to their Google Drive accounts, open up a document, search for information they need and share work with one another without even thinking about it--what valuable life skills they are learning! The change has happened so quickly that I'm still impressed to watch a group of students who would take fifteen minutes to all get on the same (web)page turn into tech-savvy, confident young people who don't need to keep getting everything from their teacher. They've started to troubleshoot problems on their own, and the most common question I get now when we use the Chromebooks is, "Can you help me...wait, nevermind, I got it!"

  When I started this project, I wanted to use the Chromebooks for a pen pal project, and they have become so much more than that. So far, along with beginning the pen pal project, they have learned how to format documents, post comments on a class forum, done research on topics that they chose, and, most importantly, are starting to use Google Drive as a living portfolio of their work. I am so proud to see ninth graders using technology effortlessly, and I know that the skills they are learning now will serve them for the rest of their lives.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill

  This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T and 4 other donors.

• Our Book Wish List!

  Funded Oct 18, 2017

  The students were absolutely thrilled to get their new books! Seeing the boxes full of brand new, brightly colored books that nobody had touched before them was incredible, since so many of our library books have been well loved by many students and are showing their age.

  We unpacked the books and had so many that they didn't all fit on the bookshelves in the classroom, and now our library is spilling out onto spare desks and counters. Independent Reading time has become many students' favorite part of their day, because it's their only time to sit quietly, reading a book that they chose and that they truly enjoy, just experiencing the magic of a good book.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 2 other donors.

• Miss, Can I Bring This Book Home?

  Funded Sep 26, 2016

  Thank you all so much for your generous contributions! The books have made a huge difference in our classroom. Since this is my first year at the school, we have had to build up our library from scratch, and now that we have so many brand new books, my students are excited to read! When we opened up the boxes, there were eager shouts of, "Did you get my book? Is my book there?" Hearing them take ownership over the books that they requested was thrilling, and they have been reading the books voraciously--the books spend very little time on the shelf, because as soon as one student is finished, there is already a line of students waiting to read that book!

  Independent Reading time has blossomed from a drudgery where I had to constantly remind students to focus on their books instead of talking into what many of my students have described as their favorite activity of the day: a peaceful, focused group of young people immersed in their books, with the only sounds the occasional turning of a page or the scratch of a pencil on a reading log. This has made such a tremendous change in my classroom, and I cannot thank you all enough.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill

• Reading Our Way to College!

  Funded Oct 25, 2009

  What an amazing project! My students are absolutely thrilled with the new books, and so am I. They have been reading them at an incredible rate, too--some students take their books home over the weekend and need to pick out new books by Monday. One student who is an English Language Learner (he moved to the U.S. just two years ago) tested at a fifth grade reading level in September. Two weeks ago, I gave him another reading assessment, and his level was literally off the charts--"Post High School." I gave him his score in class, and then I received an email from him that night. He wrote,

  "Dear Ms. A,

  Thank you for getting me addicted to reading."

  I'm so grateful to each of you, for allowing my students to develop this happy "addiction!"

  Thank you all so very much.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.

• These Tenth Graders Have a Need to Read!

  Funded Mar 24, 2009

  Thank you all so much for contributing to my classroom library.

  These new books have energized the whole classroom, and the students are especially excited to recommend their favorite titles to their classmates. I'm no longer the one encouraging them to branch out, to try something new (or to try reading at all). Instead, their friends are talking about how cool the last Lemony Snicket book was, or how they couldn't believe the ending of "Point Blank."

  Even though I see it every day, sitting in a room of twenty teenagers who are completely silent, each one totally absorbed in a book, is an incredible experience. I am so proud of my students, and so grateful to you for making this possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.

• Can I Take This Book Home, Too?

  Funded Nov 8, 2008

  On behalf of all of my students and their families, I would like to thank you so much for contributing to their education. Right now, my students are only able to read for fifteen minutes a day during class. With these books, they will be able to take them home and read them as long as they want!

  This one change in their daily routine is going to give them the chance to change their entire lives. As they're already discovering, there is an entire world inside the pages of books. Thanks to you, they can enter this new world!

  Thank you so much,

  Ms. ”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill

• Can I Take This Book Home?

  Funded Nov 4, 2008

  I'm absolutely stunned. I am so excited to share this with my students. It show them how kind and generous the people in this world can be.

  I've already started talking about the books that are on their way--the kids are thrilled to get some new editions to our library! The best part is that a lot of the books are for struggling readers, but don't look like "baby books." So, students who are still developing their reading abilities can actually find books that interest them--they can actually sit down and enjoy reading a book, some of them for the first time in their lives!

  Your generosity means so much to me. Thank you so, so much!

  Katherin”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Atwill