A serious and non-cat related request.

[Anze's Mom]

I continue to beg with 36 days to beg with 36 days left... Thank you to everyone who has done what they can so far. :-) It has hurt to watch the Eagle class be priviledged with a Smart Board while the rest of the second grade hasn't had one all year. I think it is just disgraceful.

DonorsChoose.org: Smart Boards for Smart Students

If you can please take a look and if you or anyone you know might be interested in giving even just a few dollars, I'm hoping to get enough support together through various organizations to pull this proposal off. There are thousands of members on this board. 1000 members gave 5 dollars each I'd ahve MORE then enough.


Susan

[SuxBeingU]

One things thats always bothered me about schools and parents is the lack of communications as to what the needs of the teacher/class/School are. I hvae always been open and honest about doing whatever I can for my kids teachers, thanks to many folks on LGk and others we did get a mini computer lab last year for the Kindergarten classes. This year I spent plenty on supllies because the class need them.
Why don't the teacher communicate to ALL the parents what they need and use their resources to obtain what they need( not pointing fingers).My daughters teacher/school just won't ask for what they NEED, it drives me crazy. I truly believe MOST parent will either kick in some cash to go buy the stuff themselves or use some of their contact to get stuff IF ASKED FOR HELP.
Am I wrong?


BTW Good luck with that 5K is a huge number. From reading you stats you need to thank people quicker, thats like "feedback" on Ebay

[SuxBeingU]

Also have you looked on Ebay, they appear to be alot cheaper, though I am not 100% sure what else is needed.
Have you contacted the manufacturer or any local technology companies to ask for assistance. Maybe even the Chamber of Commerce the school is in, they are a great resource for the local community

[Anze's Mom]

Hey there!

With my parents, its a non issue. If they send their kids with coats in the winter, we're happy. You are talking about a population that is barely in permenant housing, sometimes shelters. For alot of them the only meals they get at school are breakfast and lunch because there isn't dinner or dinner is crackers. Its very sad, but very true.

Ebay would be great if I knew someone who could buck up for the price. I can't and neither can the school and/or parents. I have talked to the company and they have "grants" but its a bunch of red-tape and they really only do it for "testing" schools, which mine isn't because it only goes to second grade.

As for the thanks problem-- I have to call them about that. I had about 14 proposals funded about 3 years ago (totaling over 4 grand) and got thanks BACK from the people who funded them and sent it all in on time-- so that number is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY wrong... in fact when I saw it was posted today, I questioned it right away but its Caturday... so I have to wait till Monday.

Thanks for your suggestions-- I wish my parents were in a better place like you and yours are... most of my parents are young single moms working two or three jobs-- sometimes its grandparents and sometimes adopted foster parents. Its a different world.


ETA: Also, remember people can fund PART of the project. How many people who might want to donate even 25 dollars are on this board? This a HUGE board... Ii've been a 5 year member of a fitness board that has 5000 members.. if each person gave 1 dollar, it would fly. I know that won't happen, but you see my point. It could snow ball pretty easily if I do enough public relations with it! LOL


Susan

[OrangePuck]

for my edification why do schools today need such an expensive piece of in classroom equipment?

[chu gar]

Originally Posted by OrangePuck

for my edification why do schools today need such an expensive piece of in classroom equipment?

If it's what I think it is, they use it all the time. See, the way I understand it, the curriculum is made by a certain company, who makes it so you have to have the equipment to teach the lesson....some schools the teachers do not write their own lesson plans. I do not know if this is the case for Anze's Mom, but is for some schools...

[Anze's Mom]

Originally Posted by chu gar

If it's what I think it is, they use it all the time. See, the way I understand it, the curriculum is made by a certain company, who makes it so you have to have the equipment to teach the lesson....some schools the teachers do not write their own lesson plans. I do not know if this is the case for Anze's Mom, but is for some schools...

Wow this is a long answer so I'm going to try and be as short as I can. Reading First was adopted my 3rd year at my school, which is in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. It is the brainchild of Bush's cronies that make text books in Texas (so all his friends made money) and its called Reading First. This is what chu gar is talking about, a "scripted" program. However, I still write lesson plans because the curriculum has major gaps and be damned if my kids are going to suffer for it. It is a 3 year grant which loaded up the school with books and supplies that we DID NEED.. I will say that... we got alot of supplies-- a library of books that really is necessary and essential but that's as much good as you'll get out of me. Now, of course, that Bush is a lame duck president, he's pulled the funding and we're on our own next year. My principal already knows she's losing over 200 grand in budget for next year (mostly staff cuts, probably- I'm lucky to have tenure-- and to be in a hard to staff school, otherwise I'd probably be excessed).

Anyhow, before RF we were doing balanced literacy which is MUCH better, in my humble opinion and IS NOT scripted. That is, they give you the objectives, but how you reach those objectives are more school controlled for what's best for your population.

Now as for needing expensive equipment-- it has nothing to do with any of the above. It is very widely used in highly funded districts and is common place necessity in most schools. I was talking to my former coach for one of my bootcamps and he said ever class of his daughter's district (in Illinois) had one. He couldn't believe, we didn't. Is it absolute necessity to teach? Of course not.... they didn't have them 50 years ago. But now there is a WEALTH of FREE resources up on the net and it gives you the ability to put the net up on the board in an interactive way. Most of my children will only ever see/touch a computer in my classroom. I don't have one for each and everyone of them. Knowing how to use a computer is essential for today's world. Forget just the internet tools for reading comprehension and math but just leanring to type and simple word processing that you and I take for granted... is huge for them to get their hands on.

Plus it completely motivates them-- I've seen it at work-- the kids LOVE it... they want to learn and motivation is half the battle for a teacher. Once you have the kids actually wanting to do the work, wanting to learn... you become that much more successful with them.

Hope that helps!

Susan

[StoneGK]

I work at a school that just got smartboards this year. frickin hated them at first, but now, have grown to deal with them. If I could, I'd rip mine off the wall and give it to you, and put back my white board and TV/projector that worked perfectly fine.

[Anze's Mom]

Originally Posted by StoneGK

I work at a school that just got smartboards this year. frickin hated them at first, but now, have grown to deal with them. If I could, I'd rip mine off the wall and give it to you, and put back my white board and TV/projector that worked perfectly fine.

Damn your lucky... I'm sorry you don't like them. I do wish you could send it to me though!!!! I don't know the demographics of where you teach but if you are teaching students that are internet/technology inidated, I can see it being overdone. Plus, I also don't have a tv/projector or whiteboard to start with. If you aren't using it-- you could send me that!!!!!! LOL All I have is an overhead projector and shower curtain from the 99 cent store to project it up on the blackboard with... sad. Go fig.

[trdi]

When I was reading about your problems, I thought you were teaching somewhere in Africa. This is actually USA? What is this, I tried to click some links on the site, but I still don't get it, probably because this school system is so much different from the European...

You have your own school? Or just your own classroom? Why? Where is this classroom located? How does this education program "connects" with the rest of the country? Is there a national educuation program at all?

But most importantly, I'll repeat one question: why? Is this a public school or a private one? Why is there a label "High Poverty", what does it mean in real life?

Is education not free for everyone in USA? All elementary (and 99% secondary, not to mention 90% college) schools around here are public schools that are equally well funded (100% by government) and everyone is supposed to get the same level of education. All schools are free and poor students are funded with scholarships, free food, equipment, books... Is this only an additional private class, aimed to help kids, who didn't understand the subject in the public school?

It looks shocking I have to say, I hope I'm getting something completely wrong here.