This week, we’re helping a Mississippi high school class to get a model skeleton, and an Arkansas middle school class to get a big batch of books to enhance their math studies. We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects.
The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science and math projects for red-state public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
On the Mississippi Gulf Coast near the Louisiana border, the small community of Kiln sits just north of Bay St. Louis. There, Ms. Bates’ high school biology students would really be helped by a model skeleton. I moved this project up here this week because it made such good progress!
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students a life size human skeleton to bring it off the paper and into the classroom.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Hancock High School, Kiln, Mississippi
Total: $284.20
Still Needed: $134.20 $69.20
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Bates:
My Students: The students in my biology and Human Anatomy and Physiology classes are a mixture of general ed and special education students. They work together to make sure that every student is included and involved. Most of my students live in a rural area of the county and come from low-income homes.
The students sitting in my classroom make the future a little brighter!
Although many of them face daily obstacles that we could never understand, they come in energetic and ready to learn every day.
My Project: This skeleton would be a wonderful addition to our Human Anatomy and Physiology class. It would give my students the ability to see and touch, and not just see it on paper. I feel that having a life size skeleton in the classroom would help my students, especially my hands on learners, be able to have a better idea what the skeletal system actually looks like and how it functions.
Most of my students love this class and are beginning to consider careers in the medical field.
I look forward to watching them learn throughout this school year and beyond.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Mrs. Davenport teaches middle school in a small Ozark town in northern Arkansas, and she’d like some help to bring stories, both about math and about good values, to her class. She’s requesting a terrific list of books, which you can see on the project’s page.
LONGER-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students picture books for math class. I hope I can provide my students not only math picture books, but books about kindness, diversity, empathy, and being a good person!
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Yellville-Summit Elementary School, Yellville, Arkansas
Total: $765.58
Still Needed: $308.45 $243.45
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Davenport:
My Students: My students are the greatest in the world. Yes, every teacher says that, but I truly mean it. Living in a low-income area, my students might deal with hardships at home, but come to school ready to learn and better themselves. They are hard-working and diligent in their work.
I love my students.
They create a happiness in me that makes me want to be a better teacher for them. Each one is unique in their own ways, and I enjoy every part of them.
I believe that all of my students will go above and beyond what is expected of them. They are always willing to step up to a challenging problem, work and give back to the community, and are always willing to learn.
My Project: Surprisingly, middle schoolers (ages 10-12) still love for their teachers to read picture books. As a math teacher, I don't always have time to cover a book in my class, but I usually have a bit of time at the beginning or end to fit in a picture book and the students ABSOLUTELY love it.
Picture books can open up so many thoughts, questions, and ideas for students to really think about.
Since a picture book is shorter, students can stay intrigued and can compare it to their everyday life easier. Picture books are full of diversity, empathy, compassion, and other characteristics of good examples for students to follow.
I want to make sure that I provide this time of discussion with my students as well as teaching them that books are beneficial for any subject. I have included some math picture books and some about feelings, diversity, and happiness!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
(Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain is one of the books being requested.)
Our main project from last week was completed, with a big assist from our readers!
Mrs. Sturges teaches high school in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her students are creating an environmentally sustainable garden, and they needed some hoses and tools to make use of their rain barrel to water their crops. We were able to help, thanks to the project A Chance to Grow More!
She writes: Thank you so much for your generous gift. It is crucial that today's youth understand we must be stewards of our planet. Teaching them to grow their own fruits and vegetables is a great way to foster a sense of responsibility. With your donation we will be able to make our world just a little better.
Our Dollars at Work
In May of this year, we helped Ms. Moore’s Fort Worth preschool class as they tried to prepare for kindergarten while learning from home, many without a way to get online. They needed workbooks and colored pencils to acquire the necessary skills. The project was Keep the Learning Going. (More photos at the link.)
When I saw that people had given to fund my project, I was so blown away by the generosity of Donors Choose members. I felt that lots of people cared for my students and their education. I was so grateful that my students would have additional workbooks to practice at home during this pandemic.
The donation that you provided for my students helped improve their skill. They were able to do more practice in writing and in math, even with the pandemic that affected their school. With these books and activities the goal to make them ready to go to kindergarten is attainable.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in red-state classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.
Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund science or math projects, preferably in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required!
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 854! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.