Several years ago, when I first started teaching kindergarten, I discovered DonorsChoose.org, an online crowd sourcing charity that allows teachers to write projects for classroom resources, while corporations, businesses, and citizens donate a dollar or more to help fund the project.
My first project was for light filters for our classroom. A local farmer read our project and donated the $250 we needed. Within a week, the filters were in our room, and the kids and I were ecstatic!
Over the years, I became quite adept at writing projects for our classroom. My favorite kindergarten project was for taking limos to see Greg and Steve perform at a local venue. The kids dressed in their finest attire, and when our rides arrived, we literally rolled out the red carpet. The kids loved it! The excitement was palpable! Greg and Steve heard of our project and called the kids on stage to perform a couple songs with them and gifted each student an autographed CD. We ate lunch afterward at a local restaurant and returned to school with memories that will last a lifetime.
On a daily basis, I challenge my students to dream big. To reach farther than they think possible to grow and develop. As a teacher, it seems hypocritical, if I do not do the same. So, I have. Though DonorsChoose.org, I have outfitted my classroom with Chromebooks and a charging cart. We have five 3D printers with laptops to power them, along with filament in every color of the rainbow! We have six dry erase tables they children work at, paired with Seat Sacks for each student. We have a giant wall-sized mural of the New York City skyline that asks like a window in our windowless classroom. We also have erasable markers and pens, robots, and a myriad of texts. Everything made possible because I had a project and donors who believed in my vision for our classroom.
What kind of Donorschoose.org representative would I be without including a link to my current project!