By Atlantic Team Interns
Thursday,
Aug 28, 2008 at 4:15pm
DonorsChoose.org is proud to have teachers from James B. Edwards Elementary School using our website as a resource for its educational programs! Serving students with special needs, James B. Edwards teachers have introduced innovative and fun educational techniques to advance their students’ education.
They have had several key programs funded through DonorsChoose.org that specifically address the special needs of their disabled students. Without the generosity of donors or the ingenuity of these teachers, the children would be at a much greater educational disadvantage.
In one case, as a result of these teachers’ efforts, three-to-five-year-olds with learning disabilities have benefited from a Musical Therapy class. Through song, these children have developed communication skills that ordinary preschool classes would not afford them. These students are more eager to learn in their music classes, and they look forward to them each week. One of the teachers, Mrs. Carly Smith, says about these lessons,
“I chose the area of music because our students are non-verbal, but come alive when they hear music. It would be so great if you all could hear their little hums and squeals in response to a familiar song. Because my students have severe disabilities, their needs are so specific and detailed that therapy based on their individual disabilities and needs is ideal. Music therapy is something every disabled kid deserves to be involved in.”
Thanks to another project, older children at James B. Edwards have been able to partake in Therapeutic Horseback Riding Classes. These students normally use wheelchairs as their source of mobility. Horseback riding, a special gift to these students, facilitates both mobility and socialization, giving disabled students a unique physical activity and a fun social opportunity. The teacher, Mrs. Kimberly Wilson, says,
“The donations I have received have assisted my students in many ways. They have a different curriculum due to their level of disabilities. They have gained emotionally, cognitively, physically. They have improved and added to their ability to communicate. I have had a student that was dependent on his wheelchair and NOW WALKS with little use needed of his wheelchair. I wish you could see the smiles on their faces, the volunteers that work with them, the instructors, and the parents that occasionally make it out there. They have become independent.”
The donors of these classroom projects are as touched by the projects as the teachers and students have been. Richard Bilas, who has been incredibly generous to this program, said,
“Mrs. Bilas and I believe the James B. Edwards programs are meaningful in the lives of the children and the programs are well run.”
The teachers’ extra effort has ensured that the generosity of donors has indeed impacted the lives of South Carolina children through these programs. Click here to view classroom projects waiting for funding at James B. Edwards Elementary School.
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By Atlantic Team Interns
Wednesday,
Jul 30, 2008 at 11:29am
My summer internship here is expanding my imagination in areas I’ve never thought of before. A couple weeks ago, I learned too many mustache jokes while working on a project for Mustaches for Kids. This week, I discovered, read, and loved many of the creative projects listed on DonorsChoose. Check out my top five favorite projects, which are awaiting funding in the Atlantic Region…
“Dem Bones Dem Bones” (Washington, DC)
Ms. L states that “At the beginning of the year, this is what most of my fourth graders believe: two long leg bones, two long arm bones, one long back/neck bone, and a skull.” To help the kids understand their bodies better, it would understandably help them if they could see and physically feel the different bones and joints. To accomplish that, Ms. L requests miniature models to enhance their learning in an interesting and intuitive fashion.
“Thomas Jefferson’s Think Tank” (Falls Church, VA)
Across the country, there are stories of the nation’s gifted children not receiving the education they deserve as they’re passed over for funding. This fun project would help right this imbalance by providing strategy games that test, teach and involve these kids. Just because they’re intelligent does not mean they are any less needful of an appropriate education.
“Library Transformation” (Coraopolis, PA)
Often, in this Pennsylvanian school library, students want to sit quietly and lose themselves in a book, but have no place to sit and read. This Pennsylvanian librarian, Ms. K, bemoans the students not having “a place to sit and read comfortably.” With beanbag chairs, dozens of kids will be able to enjoy their books in a cozy chair.
“Exposure to Differences for Preschoolers” (Burgaw, NC)
It’s unfortunate, but true that some of our earliest memories are of getting bullied. The special needs students in this preschool sadly face animosity from their classmates just because they’re different. Equally as harmful are the bullying tendencies that are reinforced because of their ignorance about what is right. Aware of this, Ms. R would like a few dolls with handicap equipment to help promote and show the correct and caring way to accept those different from us, a lesson we all probably could be reminded of more often.
“Panther Pocket Books” (Greenville, SC)
This project is not just for the kids (though they’re a major part) or just for the teacher (though she would love it), it’s also for the hard working parents who do not always have the right activity to spend time on with their children. With this project, every night, the parents would be able to read a new book to their kindergartener, which is a great way to keep parents involved in classroom learning.
If you help fund any of these, I’ll be, as one memorable 4th grader put it, “internally grateful!”
Adam Aronow
Washington DC Intern
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By Atlantic Team Interns
Friday,
Jul 11, 2008 at 4:35pm
After a great but unfortunately quick stint at DonorsChoose.org, today is my last day. Working for DonorsChoose.org has been an inspirational and eye-opening experience. From the incredible people who work here to the generous donors to the teachers who recognize and address their students needs, every part of the process here is addressed with compassion and dedication.
As I was browsing projects today trying to decide what I would write about for this post, a number of projects struck me for their originality. While DonorsChoose.org comprises thousands of wonderful and worthwhile projects, below are three of the ones I found most innovative. Each shows how nonconventional methods of teaching can be used to enrich learning and ultimately benefit students.
“Rebound,” El Paso, Texas
Rebound is a program designed to help underprivileged students find success outside of the classroom. Mr. V knows that “students who do not always excel in the classroom often times excel in some other form.” Often times this success will begin to manifest itself in the classroom. The school is lucky to have dedicated volunteers, but needs equipment to run a successful program.
“Hearing the Words,” Trenton, New Jersey
Ms. W hopes to continue her 9th and 10th grade students’ vocabulary development through hip-hop music. “Flocabulary,” as she calls it, will allow students to learn from the music they enjoy. The project requires 10 CD players, a relatively small price to pay for the hours of education they will provide.
“Math in a Shoe!,” Texas
These third graders from a high-poverty area of Texas didn’t become interested in math word problems until Ms. O introduced “Shoe Box Math.” By allowing the students to take a hands-on approach to the problems, Ms. O’s students learned independence alongside math skills. Now, Ms. O needs new and more durable supplies to continue her successful program.
All of these projects still need funding, so please browse through them to learn more and consider donating.
Signing off,
Max Kirsch
Washington DC Intern
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By Atlantic Team Interns
Wednesday,
Jul 2, 2008 at 6:20pm
Below are five wonderful and inspirational classroom projects that are waiting for funding in the Atlantic Region. Enjoy browsing through them!
“Creating the Next Dr. Seuss,” Philadelphia, PA
Ms. P knows her students live in difficult circumstances. With no art class or material, they have limited ways to fully communicate what is happening in their lives. The much needed art supplies she has requested for her students will “allow them to express themselves without limitations because they will be able to draw how they feel, what they think, and what they want people to know about them.”
“The Great Paper Chase,” Durham, NC
These fourth graders from a North Carolina Elementary School love using computers to do their work. What work they can do, however, is limited by a lack of paper. With more paper, they’ll be able to print out what they do at school and stick it to their fridges at home. What’s more, they’ll also begin a class newspaper, a project sure to teach and inspire. The problem for Mr. C and his class isn’t imagination or motivation; it’s a simple sheet of paper. Times a few hundred.
“Creative Math Instruction,” Rock Hill, SC
Mrs. F regularly has to face off against the formidable enemy of teachers everywhere: boredom in the students. To help keep her disabled students more engaged and better able to understand math, she needs materials that will allow them to put these abstract concepts into a tangible and easy-to-understand reality. Specifically, plastic hamburgers and fries, along with DVDs. Math can be a dreadfully dry subject. With these aides, Mrs. F will transform a formidable subject into an attractive one.
“Shakespeare On Hand,” Danville, VA
“True, I talk of dreams,
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.”
- William Shakespeare
With help, Mrs. B’s imaginative dreams will not just be a vain fantasy. Her multi-faceted project will draw in students of every interest. While the ninth grade students read Romeo and Juliet and the tenth grade students read Julius Caesar, they’ll also be discussing the many themes present in the plays. Eventually, they’ll rewrite them and make their own puppet-theater version of each play. This is one of those projects that makes you want to go back to school.
“History Comes Alive,” Washington, DC
Here is another project that sounds so engrossing you may wish to fund it and then enroll in this fourth grade class. After reading about the Age of Explorers, with books provided by this project, students will create historical personas to immerse themselves in history and subsequently, in their learning as well.
Thanks for reading!
Adam Aronow
Washington DC Intern
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