Mr. Shain's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 27

• Health and Personal Hygiene Materials

  Funded Dec 17, 2015

  Thank you so much for the generosity you have shown my class. You can never know just how much of an impact your donation has had on my class.

  We are a school with a population in deep poverty and sometimes even the most basic of needs aren't met for these children. By providing my class with toothbrushes, tissues, and hand sanitizer you have helped them improve their personal hygiene. One of our standards in fourth grade is to teach personal hygiene but one thing we rarely get the chance to do is provide the children with the materials that they need to follow through on their lessons. Now I know that every child in my classroom is able to brush their teeth after breakfast, after lunch, and after snack if they so choose. Those students who would rather take their brushes home are more than welcome to do that so they can brush after dinner and before school. The hand sanitizer has helped a lot with keeping germs out of the classroom. Every child has their own bottle that they can use and not worry about running out (largely in part to the four giant refill bottles you helped me purchase.).

  Your donation has also helped improve our on-task time because students no longer have to get up to get get a tissue. By having their own personal packs at their desks the students can take care of their business, sanitize, and get right back to work with minimal time off task. Every second counts and that time adds up.

  More than anything, though, these kids appreciate that there are people out there who care enough to give their hard earned money to help them out. It means the world to my students to know that people out there believe in them.

  Thank you for all you have done for my class. Many of your are multi-time donors and I can't begin to thank you enough for your continued support.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Shain

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Team and 6 other donors.

• Intervention Materials for Struggling Learners

  Funded Sep 30, 2015

  Thank you all so very much for the donation you made to my classroom. My students are loving the games they received with your donation. We've only had these games for a few days but I'm already seeing an increase in my students' level of interest in coming to class. They are also learning valuable social skills such as sportsmanship, patience, and teamwork. With Boggle my students are learning the games and then teaching it to other students in class. That ability to take on a leadership role is new to them and actually has given them a new respect for my job as a teacher. One even went so far as to blurt out, "your job is hard Mr. Shain." Let me tell you, that child has shown growth in his attentiveness and respect since that day. The students who are playing Jenga are learning a great deal about the consequences of the decisions they make. They are also learning that it's very important to be precise in our actions.

  Often times in school we focus too much on content and not relevant "people" skills. These materials are helping my students realize that they can learn both of these things at the same time in a way that's fun.

  Thank you again so much. You will never know just how much you've impacted the lives of students who truly need it. You are greatly appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Shain

  This classroom project was brought to life by NEA Foundation and 10 other donors.

• Activities to Promote Educational and Social Success

  Funded Oct 17, 2015

  Thank you all so very much for the donation you made to my classroom. My students are loving the games they received with your donation. We've only had these games for a few days but I'm already seeing an increase in my students' level of interest in coming to class. They are also learning valuable social skills such as sportsmanship, patience, and teamwork. With Boggle my students are learning the games and then teaching it to other students in class. That ability to take on a leadership role is new to them and actually has given them a new respect for my job as a teacher. One even went so far as to blurt out, "your job is hard Mr. Shain." Let me tell you, that child has shown growth in his attentiveness and respect since that day. The students who are playing Jenga are learning a great deal about the consequences of the decisions they make. They are also learning that it's very important to be precise in our actions.

  Often times in school we focus too much on content and not relevant "people" skills. These materials are helping my students realize that they can learn both of these things at the same time in a way that's fun.

  Thank you again so much. You will never know just how much you've impacted the lives of students who truly need it. You are greatly appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Shain

• Critical Educational Foundations Center Materials

  Funded Sep 5, 2015

  There is nothing so great as watching my students actually run to do their interventions. That's the power of electronic flash cards and Hot Dots. Working on academic deficits has become a treasured activity in my classroom now that we have materials that make learning fun. Instead of dragging their feet to practice their multiplication facts I now have to pry the kids away from doing their interventions. That's a real joy as a teacher; to watch their kids having so much fun in class.

  The biggest area of academic need for my students in math is basic math facts. These interventions has made a huge difference in my class. In our most recent diagnostic test my class went from about a 30% pass rate to an over 50% pass rate. Your donation helped make that happen.

  I can't thank you enough for what you've done for my students. You've let them know that there are people out there who believe in them. They really need that. It warms my heart that you will never know how much you've impacted their lives, yet you've gone out of your way to do so anyway. Thank you so much for your contributions, you are greatly appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Shain

• Starting My Student's Year With a Full Set of Supplies

  Funded Aug 16, 2015

  Thank you all so much for your generous donations to my class. It was so exciting when the supplies came in and I saw just how much we had gotten. The kids were thrilled that they were able to start their year without worrying about having to supply their own pencils and erasers. The amount of parent donations that I've received for supplies has dwindled over the years so if I didn't get this project funded I wasn't going to have enough supplies to start the year. Now I've got enough pencils and erasers for the entire year! As you will see from the uploaded pictures we're using the dry erase markers every day in small group to practice our math and language skills. The highlighters have been essential for my students in both note taking and in their reading comprehension. These last two items, dry erase markers and highlighters, are rather expensive and are somewhat of a luxury item to have that make a huge difference for these kids. It's those little things that make learning fun. If the kids are having fun they are going to work hard and do better. Thank you all again so much for the large impact you have made for my class this year.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Shain

• Rigorous, Targeted, and Fun Interventions Needed.

  Funded Sep 10, 2014

  Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. My students were so excited when they saw the package that contained the materials your donations purchased for us. They were even more excited when they realized that small group time was no longer going to be "boring" and "unexciting." They were shocked to see that they could play such fun games while still learning and growing as students.

  One of the unexpected uses of these games ended up being for my higher achieving students, as they were originally intended to be used only with my students needing remediation. One of the games in particular has proved to be an enriching experience for my high fliers. It tests their skills in areas such as analogies, vocabulary, and Latin roots. The needs of students of this ability level are often overlooked, and so they are extremely grateful to be able to come into a small group setting and have that challenge.

  All my students have thoroughly enjoyed playing these games in small groups. It has improved the overall culture of my classroom in two distinct ways. The first way is that my students are so happy to be able to play games as they learn, which is always a positive. The other way is that those students who are pulled into a small group are no longer looked at in a negative light, or as kids who "need the help", because all my students are pulled to into small groups to focus on their particular needs. This is exactly the type of culture I want in my class.

  Thank you again so much for all that you have done for my class. You have no idea how much of an impact you are having on the lives of these students. We appreciate you.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Shain

  This classroom project was brought to life by NEA Foundation and 5 other donors.

• Help Us Start Our Year Off Right.

  Funded Sep 28, 2013

  The kids in my class were so happy when the package arrived with the supplies you donated to our class. They were excited to have a bevy of pencils, erasers, highlighters, and dry erase markers. The particularly loved the variety of colors they now had to choose from with their erasers and dry erase markers.

  The students have made a great use of the dry erase markers in just about every subject we have at school. In math they are using them to solve problems during their ST Math time, while in reading they are using the markers with their teammates to answer questions in our Jeopardy review games.

  The erasers are great because it really reinforces my philosophy that we learn from our mistakes. The kids know they can feel free to try and be wrong, because they can always erase and try again. By having the supplies readily available, the kids don't have to worry about running through our limited supply of erasers if they make too many mistakes.

  Having kids not have to worry about if there are enough supplies for them to use puts more of their focus on the task at hand. I want these kids to succeed, and anything that helps them focus more on their education will do that. Thank you so very, very much for the chance you have given these children to be successful.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Shain

  This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com and 5 other donors.