Mrs. Linson's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 7

• Mental Health Supports in the Middle Grades

  Funded Jan 27, 2025

  On behalf of my 6th grade students and teachers at the Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, I would like to say thank you for your generous donation of slime kits, games, stuffed animals, and snacks. Your donation has made a significant impact in our classrooms and we are truly grateful for your kindness and generosity.

  The supplies you provided have been invaluable in helping create a more fun and enriching space for our students. The games and stuffed animals not only brought comfort and joy in our classroom but also fostered a sense of community and creativity in our math classroom. Students named the pink rabiit "Bad Bunny" and the green frog "Prince Charming". I will often "catch" students teaching Bad Bunny and Prince Charming math strategies. Although counterintuitive, students are more focused playing with their slime and plushies in math class than they were before. And they are sharing with each other, too. Your donation of snacks has ensured that students are energized and focused throughout the day allowing them to stay energized in class.

  It is because of donors like you that we are able to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for all of our students. Your thoughtfulness has made all the difference. We are deeply grateful.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Linson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Olga Graham Inspiring Teachers Fund and 2 other donors.

• Beautiful Workspaces for Beautiful Minds

  Funded Sep 28, 2019

  My students love the new classroom furniture: the yoga balls and bouncy stools are a huge hit. My students come into math class and choose a seat that will help them focus and learn better. One student in particular was falling asleep in class regularly. Now that we have the yoga balls, I can't stop him from moving and participating. Your generosity helped me create a classroom that ALL students can learn in. Math class is a vibrant, active space where kids can be their best selves. Thank you so much for helping me transform my math classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Linson

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

• Focus and Fidget: A Student Centered Math Class

  Funded May 10, 2018

  Your generous donation has made a world of difference in the mathematical lives of my students. My sixth graders were so excited when the new furniture arrived that we had to set up a rotation for seating arrangements. Everyone wanted to test out each of the new seats. Students love coming to math class and many say they wish they could stay all day. The fidget chairs, cushions, bouncy bands, and fidget toys are a huge hit. Students can move around and release energy in a positive way. The new seats have created a more productive and collaborative math classroom all thanks to you.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Linson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 10 other donors.

• The 21st Century Classroom: Yoga Balls and Bar Stools

  Funded Jun 12, 2017

  This is a small token of gratitude. Words cannot thank you enough for your generous donation to my classroom. The flexible seating options you donated have helped my students more than I ever imagined. Students can move more and learn in a comfortable space. Fidgeting and unnecessary "bathroom" breaks are a thing of the past since students can wriggle and bounce in their work spaces. What's more, they all look forward to math class.

  When the students walked into our math class on the first day of school they were thrilled. They wanted to try out every single seat and even came up with a rotation system.

  Thank you for giving my students joy and for making my classroom a vibrant space to learn.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Linson

• Transforming Math Class Through Collaboration and Fun

  Funded Mar 9, 2016

  Thank you a thousand times for your generosity. My students and I love the MarkerBoard tables. They have transformed the way we interact with our space and each other.

  The tables are beautiful. Students are overly protective of them and want to keep them looking brand new. They feel the need to alert me when there is any debris or a smudge. The 8 MarkerBoard tables have also changed how much space we have. I can move around with ease, and the classroom looks and feels bigger. Students have also commented on how much more leg room they have. As a side note, students call the tables "habichuelas" which means "beans" in Spanish because of their kidney bean like shape.

  The new tables also make ours students feel more valued and excited. In just the one week we have used the tables, students are thrilled to share their work with each other and can do so more easily since it is visible to all at their respective table. What's more, the shape of the table allows for small group instruction and more face to face time with kids because of the space for the teacher at the head of the table.

  We are tremendously appreciative of your kindness and generosity. We look forward to using these tables for years and years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Linson

• Bring Computer Science To My Math Class!

  Funded Jul 13, 2015

  At the beginning of this year I had students investigate careers to discover how mathematics is used in a wide variety of students. More than ever, my students gravitated to careers in engineering and computer science. I was surprised at the level of background knowledge that many of them already had. I overheard Eliot say "I want to be a mechanical engineer so that I can work with robotics." I was blown away and knew I had to get these students to participate in an after school enrichment program. Twelve students applied for the Lego Robotics after school program. I was happy to see my female students excited about engineering. There are 5 girls and 7 boys in the boys in the program.

  So far students have used the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit to build a programmable robotic cart. I taught the students some basic moves using Lego's visual programming software, where blocks represent functions that the robot can do. By stringing the blocks together students are able create behaviors that the cart will follow. The students in the program are self-starters and show a great deal of curiosity. They elected to explore the programming deeper in small groups rather then have me do a lot of direct instruction. I gave the students a task inspired by the Google Car, I challenged them to program the cart to be self-driving and avoid collisions as it navigates through an obstacle course. So far students are extremely engaged and working towards a solution in small teams.

  I'm excited to see self discovery happening. So many times I feel like students are not allowed this opportunity to struggle, fail, and iterate. By giving an open ended task, my students are acting as real engineers do by going through the design, build, and testing cycles. There are multiple solutions that students are beginning to discover. It is exciting to see them extremely engaged and motivated to solve the problem.

  This spring, I will use the robotics kits for a project in my general mathematics class. The students who have participated in the after school program will act as experts and lead teams. In the future I would like to establish a team to participate in Lego FIRST robotics competitions, where student teams compete to solve engineering tasks using the robotics kits.

  Thank you again for your support. I am always humbled by the generosity of friends, family, and organizations. Your gift is making a huge impact in exciting students in computer science and engineering.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Linson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Infosys Foundation USA and 7 other donors.

• Who Doesn't Love a Math Class?

  Funded Oct 29, 2014

  Thank you all for donating to my classroom project for a large white board. It has made a tremendous impact on my teaching and student learning. The white board is something we use every single day in a variety of ways. We use the white board to project work that I am doing from a document camera. The white board is so large that kids in the back of the classroom can easily see what I am doing. Furthermore, kids can now go up to the board and model their work to the rest of the class. I even pull groups of student for small group instruction and work with them on the board.

  My students and I truly can't thank you enough for your generosity. You have helped make a positive impact on the lives of 90 lovely 6th graders.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Linson