Uncertain Principles Challenge 2010

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Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. The puzzles, games, magnetic letters, magnetic white boards, and puppet theater are helping my kindergarten students learn every day. My kindergartners are using them to learn the alphabet, to write letters, to tell stories, and to count. They are so excited to use them and are very eager to learn.

Without donors like you, thousands of classrooms in the United States would go without.

Thank you again! ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Baggett

Thank you again so much for your donations and your generosity. In this school year I have been able to provide a curriculum that is more visually engaging and up to date through technology. Students have been able to relate science topics to newer information with the use of the projector. Also, we have been able to accommodate students who have sight problems. The students have also been able to use chart paper to explain main ideas in small groups.

The pencil sharpener has been so helpful to my classroom as well as other teachers. Many students prefer to use pencils rather than pen and many times students could not afford personal pencil sharpeners. Luckily, because of this donation, many students of mine as well as other teachers have been able to use the sharpener.

Thank you again so much for your generous donations and for making a difference in our students education. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Hong

I just wanted to thank you so much for helping to get Mimio tablets into my classroom. With such large class sizes and students of varying ability levels, it's so important for students to be able to have equal access to the teacher. In the past, it's been a struggle to try to be mobile around the classroom while still being able to provide good instruction and good visuals for the students. Now I have another tool to help me move around.

My class uses the tablet almost every day during warm-ups, during the lessons and when students need to present their work to the class. The first time my students saw me using the tablet, they were really excited and intrigued. After fumbling around with the tablet themselves, they were soon able to take pride in using it as well.

Without your generous donations and your sacrificed time and money, my classroom would not have this amazing tool to open up the classroom. You've genuinely made a difference.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Shen

Thank you for the computer mice! They have been utilized in the classroom to allow many students access to our computer software at school. Many students do not have computer access at home and without this completed school lab, they would not be able to use these great programs. Next year our school is getting even more programs that we can use on the computer so this gift will continue to be used more and more. We will be using a program that addresses areas of deficiency in Math and Reading next year that will help to bring all of our students up to grade level and push other students above grade level. Thank you so much for your generosity. It is greatly appreciated.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Reed

Thank you so much for your collection of donations! I am truly humbled and inspired by your generosity. The digital microscope allows my students to capture their microscopic images in precise detail, and to share their work to the online community. My students are mesmerized by the digital technology, and we are anxious to create a collection of videos and photographs. This technology will also enhance my "introduction to microscopy" unit, as I will be able to demonstrate microscope techniques to the entire class at one time.

Due to ongoing budget deficits, our school would never have access to these vital resources without your help. Microscopy is a central piece of the Biology curriculum, and now, because of you, my students are even more curious to view various specimens and study their detail. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Holloway

Thank you so much for your generous donation. My students and I have been able to use the document camera for many things. I used it to display books so that the entire class can see the pictures and text in a story on a screen that is clear and easy to read. This makes the story more interesting and easier for students to comprehend.

The students used to document camera to display poetry they wrote during a poetry celebration. This was an easy way for students to share their poetry with a large audience. They were also able to display various insects and other cool things they found during a science experiment for the entire class to observe. During one observation students were able to watch a mealworm turn into a beetle. This was displayed on the whiteboard and zoomed in on so the entire class could watch the change occur.

I am very grateful for your donation. This document camera has made learning come to life in the classroom!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Oke

Thank you so much! You have helped more students than you know. This project not only benefits my current 24 students but will also benefit my new students year after year. I am so excited to see my students reaction when they see the Elmo!

I am so amazed that so many gracious donors believe in our childrens' education as much as I do! My students now have the capability and opportunity to see life through a variety of visuals available to them by using the ELMO. They will become better students because of each and every one of you! Thanks again!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Hulsey

I can not even begin to tell you what your donations have meant for my class. We use the projector every single day and it has increased student learning greatly. They understand the material better because they are able to link pictures to new words, class is more interactive, and we get through material much faster. In their thank you letters, my students attributed their 10% jump on our last test scores to the projector. They can SEE the difference it is making in their scores, and I think that is invaluable.

I think the best part is that I am able to walk around the room throughout the lesson, make sure students are taking notes and truly engage the whole class. Previously, I needed to remain at the front to utilize my overhead projector and write on the board. With the projector, I am able to circulate and click through slides with my wireless mouse. Now, I know that every student is participating and playing his or her part.

I wish you all could be in my classroom to see how much my students appreciate the projector and how it has improved our classroom's learning. It is truly palpable and we owe that to you. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you for your dedication to learning and to my students. They are blown away that strangers would care this much about them. We are all so grateful.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Erratt

I just wanted you guys to know what a blessing it has been to have a projector in my classroom now. My students love being able to use online calculators to solve the quadratic formula, look up different websites to complete their current event assignments, utilize graphic organizers to fortify their writing and have myself or a student demonstrate a skill or practice that can help reduce the pressures of an ending school year.

Supporting an organization like DonorsChoose is an awesome and honorable thing to have done. It gives teachers hope to be able to get the supplies their class need but can't quite afford. Many of my peers say things like, "if only I could get ______ for my classroom!" With small contributions like the ones you made, make it possible for our wishes to come true. With the continual cuts our nation is making in public education, funding classroom projects with school money is nearly impossible. We are lucky enough to get updated textbooks. Most teachers I know spend hundreds if not thousands of their own money each year to ensure their students get the education and supplies they deserve.

The projector you have purchased for me already has summer plans, because I will be teaching summer school. I am planning on teaching "Lord of the Flies" to a tenth grade class. I cannot wait to make interactive vocabulary worksheets with my new DIY smartboard, or project the book on the walls to help everyone follow along, or have students organize their ideas in order to create outlines for essays using software that has been laying dormant in my hard drive!

So again thank you for not just supporting my classroom but public education as well. The future depends on it! ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Finamori