Update:
THE KIDS GOT THEIR PENCILS!
(Scroll down to the project below to see the thank you note the teacher just wrote.)
Thanks to you Kossacks, these kids are going to get the basic supplies they need to focus on learning!
Want to know what to do next?
- Please join us here every Friday afternoon for The Inoculation Project. We do this every week. We find a small-dollar red state math & science project in dire need, and we do our best to make sure it gets funded.
- Now that this project has been funded, please go explore DonorsChoose.org and find other small-dollar projects to get behind!
Update #2:
Here's a project that was suggested in the comments. These orchestra kids are only $81 $56 away from getting the cello bows they need got the funding they needed for their cellow bows! It's not a math/science project, specifically, but it's a worthy one, and arts education is another important (and generally underfunded) aspect of kids' development.
As many of you know, I run a Friday afternoon diary series called The Inoculation Project, wherein we combat conservative anti-science rhetoric by targeting one red state, small-dollar, math & science classroom project to fund. This is this week's installment of that series. But, I was so flipping blown away and disturbed by this week's target project that I had to make a personal comment.
The kids in the classroom described below DON'T EVEN HAVE PENCILS. PENCILS!
This is ridiculous. What the hell is it going to take before we wake up and realize that we cannot continue this way? I know most of the readers of this series know this, but most people out there have no idea that a great deal of the supplies and activities their kids partake in at school are provided out of their teachers' pockets. Many of these teachers barely make enough to eke out a middle class living, and they're struggling to provide our kids with PENCILS?
Seriously, what's wrong with this picture?
Please, let's get the classroom below the pencils they need. It's a drop in the bucket, but man... this is just wrong!
The Inoculation Project: Math & Science in Red State Schools
Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.
The objective of this weekly project is to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding each week to math and science projects in red state classrooms.
Fortunately, a conduit organization for achieving this direct funding already exists: DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific classroom projects (all vetted), resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations.
Each week we focus on funding a single small-dollar project in a red state classroom. These are projects whose funding requests are expiring within the next 7 days. If the projects are not funded by their expiration date, they die.
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This Week's Project
Project: Write and Stick Learning
Resources: pencils and glue to complete math and science assignments
School Poverty Level: High
State: Louisiana
Total Cost: $192.61
Still Needed: $142.61 FUNDED! (see teacher's thank you note below)
Expires: May 07, 2010
Teacher's Comments:
I teach math and science to middle schools students. The majority of my students participate in the free lunch program.
Many of my students cannot afford to purchase needed supplies for use in the classroom. This is hard on the students because they don't have the supplies needed to complete class projects and basic assignments.
I have requested pencils and glue. Pencils are the cornerstone of a classroom. Without them, we can't go "write" or left! I also do a lot of hands on projects and foldables with my students. This requires a lot of glue. We will use the glue to help us "stick" to learning.
Your help will insure that my students can focus completely on their learning, instead of being worried about not having the supplies they need.
Please consider rescuing this project by making a small donation to it. Small dollars make a big difference.
Yay! We did it!
The teacher just posted this thank you note:
Apr 30, 2010
I am so excited about the materials you have funded for me!!! We have just learned at our school that we will be piloting a new program next year that will require many hands-on projects. The glue, pencils, and colored pencils provided with this grant will go a long way in the development of new math skills using hands on creative projects to learn math. Thank you so much for donating to the students in my class. Your support of my students' education is greatly appreciated.
With gratitude,
Ms. P.
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Great News
Last week there were no small-dollar red state classroom projects expiring soon, so we opened it up to the rest of the country and did a Choose-a-palooza. I listed all the math and science projects in the country that needed less than $50 to reach their funding goal. I also posted in one of the afternon open threads asking for help. What a response! All of the following projects received their funding within hours of putting out the call:
Idaho: What Day is it? I Forgot!
Maryland: Absent Scientists
Illinois: Math Centers Full of Learning!
Michigan: Time For Kids?
Kansas: Extend Our Learning
Florida: We've Got the Power to Learn Math (Help Us Get Charged Up)
Nevada: We Are "Mac-ing!"
Nebraska: Help CreateNew Experiences & LearningThrough Nonfiction Text
Rhode Island: Projecting Success!
Maryland: Help Us See. Help Us Learn
South Carolina: Save The World ... Make It A Better Place!
Kansas: Feathered Friends
How flippin' awesome is that?
You can click on each of the links to see thank-you notes from the teachers, but here's just one of them from Absent Scientists:
Apr 27, 2010
I really want to thank you for funding our project. The children are so excited and they can not wait until we get our habitats.
We are learning about animal life cycles right now so the timing could not have been better. I can show them all the pictures in the world but actually having the animals in the classroom is great. The children really take care of the fish on their own so having more animals to take care of is a great treat for them. I also think this will help with attendance and lateness because they will want to be in school for their turn to take care of the animals.
I want to thank you once more and say continue to do what you do because the children really appreciate it.
With gratitude,
Mrs. S.
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Projects Funded So Far
Can we grow this list of successes?
The Viking Shark Project
Weight Our Learning
Complications - Reading to Learn About the Human Body
The Colorful World of Science
Fill Our Display Case!
Magnetic Learning
Caught By A Kiss
Add, Subtract, Write, and Save the Trees!
Math Mania!
AVID Style Interactive Notebooks
Human Body Study for my Science Class
Physics Visuals
Rocks Rock at Knox
Owl Pellet Fun!
To the Front of the Class
Help A Fishy Cause
Microscopes for Illumination
What Day is it? I Forgot!
Absent Scientists
Math Centers Full of Learning!
Time For Kids?
Extend Our Learning
We've Got the Power to Learn Math (Help Us Get Charged Up)
We Are "Mac-ing!"
Help CreateNew Experiences & LearningThrough Nonfiction Text
Projecting Success!
Help Us See. Help Us Learn
Save The World ... Make It A Better Place!
Feathered Friends
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Helpful Links
DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose.org Blog
DonorsChoose.org Donor FAQ
All DonorsChoose.org Math & Science Projects
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with DonorsChoose.org, or any of the classroom projects presented for funding. I'm just volunteering my time and pixels to make a difference.
