It pretty much boils down to these two quotes:
*(1) "Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes, we need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. That's my position. I just haven't figured ... more
It pretty much boils down to these two quotes:
*(1) "Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes, we need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. That's my position. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet." - Sam Seaborn (The West Wing)
... and ...
*(2) "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
...
*In summary: Let's do this.
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These words and the photos of our students using the books bought with your generous contributions convey a small amount of our immense gratitude! Please look at the faces of the students in the photos. Notice the excitement, the curiosity, the pride. Because of your donations, our students can read and discuss in small groups the finest non-fiction literature for young scholars on the dramatic events and complex people that have shaped the history of our United States of America.
In these times of belt-tightening, the books you have brought into our classroom have enriched the minds of our students. Your giving is liberating our classroom library from the constraints of shrinking budgets. Thank you for treating our student "family" as you would treat your own. As quoted in one of the books you helped purchase, Lincoln: A Photobiography, Mr. Lincoln wrote, "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy—Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy—"
Thank you again for making our democracy stronger through your patriotic gifts to our American public education.
Thank you so very much for helping our Invention Convention Project to become a reality. In the fall we received 90 Science Project display boards from DonorsChoose. We began our Invention Unit of Study by learning about famous inventors and important inventions throughout history that have impacted our society. Groups of students worked on invention research projects and learned how to use classroom resources and technology and put together a presentation of their findings. Next we engaged students in a variety of activities designed to help foster their creative abilities and to become more fluent and divergent thinkers. We have studied simple machines and done many activities to advance their understanding of concepts, such as the Laws of the Lever and the simple physics principles of Inclined Planes. Since the beginning of the school year, students have been looking for and recording problems in everyday life and brainstorming with peers to gather numerous ideas for invention creations of their own. They have learned that great inventions can be born in the creative minds of bright and dedicated young scientists.
Our 5th grade gifted students are now in the process of building their invention models and are working on compiling information about their own inventions to display on the project boards you have helped to provide. Because of generous donors like you, we are able to offer the students the opportunity to exhibit and share their inventive ideas with other students, teachers, school administrators and members of the community. In a few weeks, our advanced group of young inventors will all participate in our District's Invention Convention. The Invention Convention is a Science Fair that focuses on new and original inventive ideas. This student-focused event promises to be an exciting and fun time of sharing and learning in our community.
As you are well aware, our schools are suffering from budget cuts. Today, many vital educational tools and materials are an expensive luxury. The project boards that you have provided have given all students the opportunity to proudly display their creative ideas, computer skills, scientific knowledge and artistic talents.
Great schools and successful students do not exist in isolation. It is a true partnership among all stakeholders-- families, teachers, businesses and community members -- that creates successful learning environments for our future leaders. Your gift has helped these talented, enthusiastic learners move toward their educational goals. ”
Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom's Donors Choose project! With your support, our class has a large-scale world map carpet to enrich our year-long study of the world. We also have an inviting gathering space for our group meetings and lessons. What a wonderful theme for our community events: to gather in a space that immediately reminds us that we are citizens of the world!
This classroom carpet has inspired writing projects on how we can change the world, has helped my students to identify continents and oceans, and has created a backdrop for our in-depth study of world regions. It's so gratifying to hear young children reflect their growing knowledge of the world by with remarks like, "I'm sitting in Antarctica: just me and the scientists and the penguins."
Thank you again for your contribution! Thanks to you, my first graders are well on their way to understanding much more about the world!”
I've never seen students so engaged in reading a magazine before. They are so excited to partner read their Time For Kids weekly issues. It really has transformed the atmosphere of my classroom.
Time For Kids is such a wonderful resource of non-fiction and current events. I have been able to pass the class set on to my grade partners so that their classes may also enjoy reading it.
It may seem so simple, but adding this magazine for 20 minutes even just one day a week has helped in so many ways! Thank you so very much for your generosity!”
Words can not begin to express how appreciative I am of your generous donation. I work at a public charter school and the economic crisis has even trickled down to affect our school system.
My students are all inner-city kids who fall below the poverty line. Most lost everything or nearly everything due to Hurricane Katrina. All that said, I teach some of the most creative and amazing students, I believe, in the world. They show perseverance, determination, and a resilience that most adults have not yet discovered.
With your donation of various items such as cleaning supplies, pencils, markers, and erasers just to name a few, my students have a lively environment to learn in.
Your contribution to my class is far reaching...much more so than just this school year. My students have been inspired to research and learn about issues they do not know about. They want to read literature and plays that previously, they would have never considered. They now take pride in our classroom & therefore, themselves!
Thank you so very much for your donation...my thirty students and myself are extremely grateful!”
My students have been able to learn all about our country America. They have learned about the different landmarks and how our different branches of government work. The materials that you have provided us have helped my scholars learn social studies. Social studies is not a subject that many people focus on in school these days with the push for reading and math proficiency. However I believe that learning social studies can help to improve my scholar's reading and math. Thank you for helping me provide my scholars with a well rounded education.”
Everyone is excited about the LCD projector that is available for our classroom use as a result of your generosity. It is important that students learn to use technology to express themselves and now they're on their way!
It is difficult to outfit classroom with technology due to the financial difficulties that education is experiencing today. Without your assistance, our students would remain at a disadvantage in preparing for post-graduate life.
Donors like you are invaluable to the success of students throughout the United States.”
Over the past month my world history students have read through the book that you donated, "A Long Way Gone," by Ishmael Beah, and it has had a significant impact on their outlook on life. As the chapters in Mr. Beah's life unfolded my students became deeply interested and were eager to see how each situation would play out.
Perhaps the most valuable moment in the past month was when one of the students who struggles to stay focused asked, "wait, this is a real story?" Even thought they had been previously told it was a true account this simple question sparked a long discussion on the severe differences between our reality here in the United States and the reality of people living in much harsher societies like Sierra Leone. Each of my students had the opportunity share something they learned from this book; in most cases it was something they had never thought about before.
Thank you all so much for your generosity. You have given my students a chance to hear about the tragic events in Sierra Leone from someone who lived through them and the opportunity to reflect upon those events and their own lives.”
I wanted to express my gratitude for the many books that you purchased for my students. These books have helped my students to learn more about the different parts of the United States. The students have been very excited to learn more about the different areas of the country and what life has been like for the people living in these areas in the past. They have been eager to read more about the different states as a result, both with the books that we have read together and in their independent reading.
Due to tight and shrinking budgets at school, the purchase of these books would otherwise not be possible without your donations. Learning about our country is very important for students to do. These books helped to bring parts of the United States alive for the students in a way that a textbook just does not accomplish.
Thank you for helping my students to become excited about reading and learning!”
Once again, thank you for your support in donating two e-readers to my classroom. My students were thrilled to receive the e-readers and anxiously waited at the chance to use them to read a history book that would help them complete their social studies projects on famous military battles and wars.
After a brief introduction on how to use the e-readers, my students were able to download several books from various web sources (for free or minimal pricing) instantly for reading or printing. Access to these books are limited or unavailable at our school and having the e-readers made it easier for each of my students to read books on his/her assigned battle, complete a typed report, and give a brief speech to his/her peers.
The project encouraged my students, especially my reluctant readers, to learn how to operate an e-reader, download books, and enjoy an array of books, of different genres, right at their fingertips. It also provided a timeline of historical battles and wars that were instrumental in the formation of our great nation. Reading relevant to historical battles helps students understand and accept diversity within our own culture, subcultures, and society, and expand their critical thinking skills.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Montanez
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