Mrs. Batdorf's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 283

• A Better Classroom Starts with Me

  Funded Jan 18, 2021

  Thank you so much for helping me to become a better teacher. These books will provide insight and allow me to improve my practice. It is very important to me that I continue to learn as I teach. I need to model that for my students as well.

  I appreciate learning from authors that have different lived experiences than I do. I can see their point of view and not simply make assumptions as to how they should feel. These books are a good mix of scholarly writing and first-person perspectives to provide both quantitative and qualitative insights.

  As always, I appreciate donors here so very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by Amazon Business and one other donor.

• Innovation Lab

  Funded Sep 21, 2020

  Words cannot adequately describe how excited my students are for this project! They cannot wait to get back to school to try it out. Unfortunately, it has not been safe for us to return so we are learning remotely.

  My sixth graders have been looking up ways to use the VR equipment and they already have a list of places to see and things to do. Just the possibility has been engaging for my students. Their ideas have been innovative and very creative and they have me excited, too. With the instability of this school year, it is wonderful that my students have something to look forward to.

  The VR equipment and Merge cubes have endless possibilities. Teachers across the building can use the equipment to create engaging lessons. Two of the science teachers in our building have been working with me to create lesson ideas and training for our teachers. We will need to modify the schedule that we created last year when we wrote the grant to accommodate the uncertainty of this school year.

  Again, thank you so much for supporting our school. The opportunity to use VR and AR will greatly impact the lessons we can teach.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by PwC Charitable Foundation.

• Capturing Our Stories, Finding Our Voice

  Funded Oct 7, 2020

  I appreciate your support of our project to bring a GoPro camera to our school. When I wrote the project, our school district was set to return to hybrid learning. Not long after, our district made the decision to delay our return due to a sharp increase in COVID cases. Unfortunately, this has led to a delay in our project implementation. Please know we will absolutely implement this project as soon as we are able to return.

  This project is one of my favorites. I love to amplify my students' voices and this camera will be perfect for that. This year has been full of stories and our students need the opportunity to share them. When we return, I anticipate my students will need time to connect with each other. They have been isolated for so long. This pandemic has made us all realize how important connections truly are. This camera will allow them to share their stories and connect as they tell them.

  Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 3 other donors.

• "Uplifting" Stories

  Funded Oct 8, 2020

  Ellie and Classroom Supporter, I appreciate your support for our project. When I wrote the project, our Ohio COVID cases were relatively low and we had a return date for hybrid learning. Unfortunately, soon after funding, we had a sharp rise in cases, and our return date was delayed. As of now, we still do not have a definitive date to return to school. This has led to a delay in the implementation of our project. Please know that we will absolutely implement the project as soon as we return.

  My classroom has been extremely blessed by the donors here at DonorsChoose. Some of my favorite projects are civics projects. I love amplifying my students' voices, and this project will allow students to tell the stories that truly matter to them. I want my students to know how powerful they are and having this drone and camera will allow students to capture important events and tell their stories to the world.

  Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 2 other donors.

• Meaningful Mail Matters to Middle Schoolers

  Funded Dec 1, 2020

  Thank you so much for supporting our project to send letters to students. We have had our return date pushed back several times now due to a rise in virus cases in our area. For most of my students, I still have not yet met them face to face. The letters are a wonderful way to reach out and get to know individual students.

  A few months ago, I sent out an online survey to students to see which types of stickers and/or candy they would prefer when I send out letters. I send out letters for several reasons; to acknowledge a job well done, to check-in on a student that I haven't seen in a while, and just as a nice pick-me-up. Students often mention receiving letters when we are in our zoom meetings. It does seem to mean a lot to them. Several students will hold their phone cases or notebooks to the screen to show me how they placed their stickers on their items.

  In the pictures, you can see that I set up a "mail station" on one of my bookshelves. I have cards, stamps, envelopes, and a scale there. I also have a drawer filled with candy to send. The stickers I sorted and placed in a binder so I can send just the right sticker to each student.

  Donors, I am so very grateful that you decided to help my classroom. You have done so much to ease the challenges of online learning. Right now, I think personal connections are missing for a lot of people. These letters allow me to connect with students and let them know that I am thinking about them.

  Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

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

• The Science of Sound: Act 1

  Funded Sep 8, 2020

  Thank you so much for supporting our project to teach students about acoustics. Students were given the black sound tiles to use at home. The student that sent the pictures below noted that her large space greatly impacted the effectiveness of the sound tiles. Luckily, we had some extra so I was able to get her another pack. She also experimented with placing all of the tiles on one wall. I really enjoyed watching her (and others) go through the process. Students used a lot of trial and error and it made the lesson really "stick." I think this lesson will truly remain with them because they were such active participants.

  The student that sent the picture worked with her dad to mount the tiles. After talking to her dad, he mentioned that he also enjoyed the project because it gave him a new way to see his daughter's mind work and they got to work together. That was a surprisingly wonderful outcome that I didn't expect but was thrilled to hear. Dad also jokingly said that it was a little quieter when she was playing her flute.

  Thank you again for supporting our project. Remote learning has brought some challenges but lessons like this allow students to continue to learn meaningful lessons. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies and 10 other donors.

• Support a Free Press

  Funded Oct 10, 2020

  Thank you so much for supporting this project. I had to alter it a bit to fit our current learning model. When I wrote the initial project, our school was scheduled to begin hybrid learning after starting the year fully remote. Unfortunately, our cases skyrocketed here in Ohio and our plans to return to school were put on hold. I am grateful to work in a school district that is putting the safety and wellbeing of students staff, and families first, but I do miss my students.

  The laptop is amazing and I have been able to put it to good use. It is still absolutely intended for student use once we return, but for now, I am using it to have an additional device to connect to students online. Students are still creating videos, slides, and stories to meet our initial goal to create stories that matter to them. You can see some of the projects students have completed in the pictures. Our district does not allow us to photograph student's faces, so you will notice faces have been covered or edited. This laptop will help students to run even more advanced software and programs once we return. I have definitely noticed how crisp and clear the camera records. Honestly, the picture is amazing.

  Online learning has been challenging in some areas and wonderful in others. There are definitely still ways to connect with students and to help them share their stories. This laptop has made that much easier to accomplish. I think that there are always opportunities to learn and adapt. Teaching students how to be flexible is one of the greatest lessons we can teach them, that and how to prioritize. Students have been able to share their stories and report back on what has meaning and value to them. This project has also provided a safe space for students to discuss concerns that they have about the virus. And just to be abundantly clear, I have been flexible with students, too. I want more than anything for them to be safe and healthy, and sometimes that means taking a break from lessons. I'm not pushing students to share stories, rather they feel compelled to share them, the good and the bad. Telling their stories has been both cathartic and empowering. There is so little they feel like they can control right now, but their stories are always theirs and they own the freedom to share them or not.

  I usually don't wait this long to post my pictures and impact letter. I wanted to be as authentic to the original project purpose as I could and I wanted to honor your investment. I hope you know that I truly appreciate your support and I value the commitment you made to my students, especially during such a challenging time.

  I am exceedingly grateful to DonorsChoose and the donors that support us. Your gift to my students was nothing short of amazing and I cannot thank you enough.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 2 other donors.

• School Store Success

  Funded Oct 22, 2020

  Thank you again for supporting our project. We recently found out that we will not be returning to in-person school until January at the earliest. While this isn't what I anticipated when I wrote the project, our PBIS team members have been working on ways to still utilize the project now. We have decided to still allow our students to "shop" the store but we are getting items to students in new ways. We are sending items in the mail, allowing students to schedule pickups, or we are dropping off items to students in a safe, socially distant way (mainly porch drop-offs). We are also allowing students to select multiple items at once to streamline the process of pickups and drop-offs. The lanyards will be given to every student once we return to in person school.

  I wanted to go ahead and write the thank you part of this project now rather than once the students return because I wanted you to see that we are making an effort to still meet the requirements of the project, regardless of the mode of instruction offered. We will continue to offer the school store, and the items you provided, throughout the school year in whatever mode we are in.

  Your donation was exceedingly generous and I cannot thank you enough. I want you to know that we are making a good faith effort to carry out the project, and most importantly, do right by our students. Your support will allow us to reward our students at a time when the little things in life don't seem so little and an extra gift like this can truly brighten a day. Thank you again for supporting our students!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and one other donor.

• iPads to Level the Playing Field Part 1

  Funded May 22, 2020

  This iPad has made a huge difference for my student. She is able to navigate her online apps much easier using the touchscreen surface than the keyboards on our school issued Chromebooks. We recently found out that fully remote learning has been extended until January in our district. This means that every lesson, every day is done online. Without this iPad, my student could lose over half a year of learning opportunities. Your contribution is not only helping my student to learn now, but also helping her to develop new skills that can help her in her future.

  I am still working on pictures and I hope to have those posted soon. Thank you again for supporting my student. Donors, you are amazing! I cannot thank you enough for your dedication and your willingness to support ALL students. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

• The Science of Sound, Act 2

  Funded Sep 15, 2020

  I honestly don't know how I ever taught without a Pear Deck subscription! This program is amazing. I simply create my slides, ask an assortment of interactive questions, and watch every students' answer in real-time. Students are engaged and I get a response from every student. I can also add immediate feedback to help students. As you can see on the last slide, a few students did not complete the rhythm correctly. I was able to address those students individually and I was able to do so right away to prevent a student from practicing the wrong way multiple times. It has been such an informative tool for online learning and I know I can use it when we return to the building as well. I also like that you can work as a class or assign a self-paced activity. This is especially helpful when students are unable to attend class. This way they can still participate and not fall behind.

  The lessons I created were about music pitch and rhythm. We discussed frequency when we talked about pitch and we discussed the difference between pitched and non-pitched percussion when we discussed rhythms. I was able to purchase lessons from TPT to help supplement the lessons as we go further in the unit.

  We also receive a sound meter and tuner for when we return to school. I was already able to teach string students a basic lesson on tuning but we can get more in-depth when we return.

  Donors, online learning created a lot of anxiety for both myself and my students. I cannot explain how much easier it has been with these additional lessons and Pear Deck subscription. It has made the work much more engaging, which can be a challenge when learning online. It also has created a chance to assess students to help them much sooner. I truly appreciate your help with this project. It was not only a relief for me, but it has made my content more engaging. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Batdorf

  This classroom project was brought to life by IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies and 4 other donors.